Question For Those Functioning With SA

[theoutsider]

This is more a question for those (like myself) whose SA isn't so severe that we can't leave the house and actually either go to work or go to school every day.

Is there a time of day when you struggle more with SA than at others? I know this may be a stupid question but I find that in the mornings, I seem to be a little better. I mean. I am more likely to talk, be happy and even be the one to attempt to strike up a conversation. I guess I am more optimistic that the day is going to go well at the beginning (although I am NOT one of those annoying, bubbly morning people). Then I notice as the day wears on, particularly in the late afternoon, my SA struggle seems to get worse. There are people who I not only don't want to talk to but can barely stand to. This isn't because I don't like them, I just can't talk to them or come up with something to say. These are the same people I spoke to in the morning but I find that I dread when they come to talk to me later. I'm more aware of making or not making eye contact, I seem more self conscious where body image is concerned and I just generally would prefer to be left alone. I also seem more likely to feel down and depressed at that time. Again, this has nothing to do with me being a morning and not an afternoon person, it just seems I'm less able to fend off my SA symptoms later in the day. I was wondering if anyone else deals with this.

 

[skins]

I feel more anxious around mid morning as I feel the pressure to be doing something constructive by this time of day, i.e make money or do housework.

evenings I feel the pressure off...like a release valve...I can do whatever I want now and not feel guilty about it as its leisure time for most people anyway.

 

[skins]

.....also I guess statistically over my life time, things have gone wrong from mid-morning to the afternoon then any other time, so this is the time of day I'm more anxious.

 

[theoutsider]

I feel more anxious around mid morning as I feel the pressure to be doing something constructive by this time of day, i.e make money or do housework.

evenings I feel the pressure off...like a release valve...I can do whatever I want now and not feel guilty about it as its leisure time for most people anyway.

I feel like that on the weekend, like I'd better not waste the whole day away and get something constructive done. Around 10 am my anxiety ramps up a little if I haven't done anything worthwhile. I try telling myself resting on the weekend is important too but it doesn't work.

 

[theoutsider]

.....also I guess statistically over my life time, things have gone wrong from mid-morning to the afternoon then any other time, so this is the time of day I'm more anxious.

That's interesting. I've never really thought about what time of day things have gone wrong for me. I guess when I think about it, most bad things have happened to me in the late evenings. I guess I should be feeling more anxious around then.

 

[Kiwong]

It's around people who are likely to react angrily or negatively to me. I call these people life suckers. Stressful places are work, shopping centres, local running races. My anxiety is often out of control in the early morning hours when I can't sleep.

 

[Pacific_Loner]

Is there a time of day when you struggle more with SA than at others? I know this may be a stupid question but I find that in the mornings, I seem to be a little better. I mean. I am more likely to talk, be happy and even be the one to attempt to strike up a conversation. I guess I am more optimistic that the day is going to go well at the beginning (although I am NOT one of those annoying, bubbly morning people). Then I notice as the day wears on, particularly in the late afternoon, my SA struggle seems to get worse.

I'm the same as you. I think the reason is simply that it takes us a lot of energy to interact with people, so as the day goes by we get tired. If something goes wrong (like if I make a mistake), I'll feel exhausted and I'll have a very hard time to talk to people and make eye contact.

And I noticed the same as you about week-end as well. If I'm not doing anything at 10 yet, I start to feel depressed because I'm wasting my time, and also because I've wasted the best part of day (between 6 and 9, when everyone else is sleeping )

 

[Earthcircle]

I have been thinking about this recently and believe, silly as it may sound, that it partly depends on the temperature. If the temperature of my immediate surroundings is colder, I am more shy. Ironically, and tragically, my desire to be with someone is sensitive in the same way: if the surrounding temperature is lower, my desire is stronger.

 

[theoutsider]

I'm the same as you. I think the reason is simply that it takes us a lot of energy to interact with people, so as the day goes by we get tired. If something goes wrong (like if I make a mistake), I'll feel exhausted and I'll have a very hard time to talk to people and make eye contact.

And I noticed the same as you about week-end as well. If I'm not doing anything at 10 yet, I start to feel depressed because I'm wasting my time, and also because I've wasted the best part of day (between 6 and 9, when everyone else is sleeping )

I totally agree with that. If I make a mistake, it really saps the energy out of me and I want to be to myself after that, at least for a while.