Sweating/Nervous around people I don't know well

[lilly354]

Anyone else experiences intense sweating and nervousness around new people?

I met my brother's girlfriend for the first time a few days ago. He had me over for dinner and I could not control the sweating. My hands were the worst. I am not sure why I was like this. She was very nice, nothing bad came up.. I just felt uneasy.

Am I alone in experiencing this? Is there anything that can actually help?

 

[Sacrament]

My worst 'symptoms' around new people are flushing and clammy hands. Clammy hands don't bother me too much if I know I won't be shaking hands, but then I'm just anxious I'll have to shake hands with someone.

It's mostly a matter of how you view yourself. You're probably afraid that any new person you meet will be judging you negatively, which is why you become anxious. You're also afraid that you'll come off as someone who's embarassing to be around, either because of the way you speak (stuttering and not being able to form cohesive sentences) or the way you act (jittery, etc). Examine your thoughts without beating yourself up, and then turn the spotlight away from yourself and onto what the other people are saying.

 

[MichaelB]

Its bad if you have that symptom. I had this too, but I like meet with new people and I won with it.

 

[kuze]

It always takes a long time for me to warm up to New people. I can barely make eye contact, get really weird, is awful. The sad part is, after all my ticks, they usually think I'm creepy or gay, depending on the gender. This just further makes me more inclined to be anti social to avoid the inevitable.