What are the typical symptoms of your social phobia

laure15

Well-known member
fear of walking through crowded hallways/places, fast heartbeat, not breathing properly, being intensely in the present moment and completely aware of everything as if expecting someone to attack me soon, shaking, coldness, loss of appetite, sudden urge to go to the bathroom, urges to frequently look at people through peripheral vision.
 

mariospap

Member
Rapid heart beat, in severe cases chest pain, difficulty looking at people in the eyes, some stuttering when speaking - words not coming or saying words with similar meaning, inability to think clearly which has a result not to hear the people I am in a conversation - acting like stupid, difficulty expressing feelings in my face due to intense anxiety.
Maybe I need a cabin in the woods with a dog for company.
 

mikebird

Banned
Yep! Put medical matters aside

I've had them, but I see mine are irrelevant to my lifelong status
as not fitting-in
Subtle factors I've barely noticed as a kid

Recovering from medical inpatient things have their bearing on the social psyche. It's all breif

Like a musical sequencer tool or band members over time, some events have their place on the timeline and may repeat or disappear.

It's the social hierachy - more than just cradle to grave. Peaks 'n' troughs. A general downturn. I wish someone had told me, in my face, that I had to giggle & smile all day, forever.

The less people you have beside you, the more impossible it becomes to self-****yse yourself.

Judgement performed by those on a far lower level of intelligence than yours is such as a killer
I see employment agents as the police on the frontline, taking the burden away from Major Commanders or Politicians

As a human could decide to squish a cockroach underfoot if the roach couldn't see the boot coming, or a hunter could kill big aminals capable of eating them by tranq dart or more power.

Maybe the loser humans are judged as vermin, as we try to stay alive

But it's upside-down!! The recruiter is the pest!
 
I'm not sure which symptoms are listed and which aren't, so I'll just write all of them:

General feeling of tension in my body if it's just a normal interaction - this feeling intensifies or lowers depending on who the person is and how I feel about them; if a confrontation is likely or assertiveness is required, my heart beats fast, I go into a cold sweat, I shake, my voice trembles; I often have an intense feeling of shame or guilt, especially in stating my own opinions or being assertive.

I consider myself fortunate that I don't constantly feel terrified, am not afraid of groups of people or being in public, I can order from cashiers, etc. I think my case of social phobia is kind of odd, to be honest. I'm very confident in some situations, and very insecure and afraid in other :idontknow:
 

Odo

Banned
I often feel like my blood sugar might have something to do with it... I get a lot worse if I haven't been exercising or eating properly. But I'm not so sure if that's unique.
 

SilentBird

Well-known member
I typically feel socially and intellectually inferior to everyone. Therefore I avoid talking to most people apart from cursory greetings or conversation. I avoid pursuing friendships, romance, employment and any other activities that require significant human interaction. I shop and deal with day-to-day business in a manner where I have minimal contact with people. I walk and bike in places where there are few people and prefer to do so on weekdays when most other people are at work. Often I decide to stay at home rather than have any contact with people.
 
I avoid crowded places, I don't like to be stared at, or put on the spot, I don't converse with co workers unless it's deemed absolutely necessary, I do not like change at all of any kind, I feel that 95% of the people physically around me are mind numbingly stupid :kickingmyself: When I leave my home I'm always armed with a concealed pistol, no exceptions. I cannot stand strangers to ask me questions. I never fully trust anyone. I notice my own paranoia but it seems well founded given some exigent circumstances. I love and hate myself at the same time. It gives me a good feeling to see the people I hate suffer. I can go from being on top of the world to feelings of rage and lusting for violence before I notice it't happening. I never forgive anyone for anything even myself. Too much more to write but it's bedtime. Good night everyone.
 

mikebird

Banned
All impressive comments I'll benefit from!

Busy places, or waiting in reception to be called, lead to unsettling emotions

Into the interview room, my memory is what I will lose. All the simple doglike questions put me off because everyone I meet is very different. It's life no.1 horror. 267 episodes of interview in my belt.

I always took days compiling notes per job. It's virtual memory for me. Stuck between if it helps to keep these notes and re-read on train, just before, and coming up with 'questions for us?' at the end.
My strategy has become not to even scribble one note at all. Keep at in the head... more emotion. Relax. Even preparing the notes but not using got me in a personal spiral by allaying the notes and regretting, which might make me a mess. The usual dilemma - 'either side of the fence' got me scrambled. If each scenario leads to a clear failure... how to decide??
Nowadays I'll keep focussed on the key points only.
 

Flanscho

Well-known member
Well, as my success grew to deal with it, they got weaker over the years.

As of now, I basically dislike events where I have nothing to do but communicate with people (birthday parties, for example), or events where I can't just get away whenever I want to (such as festivals that last several days).
 
I typically feel socially and intellectually inferior to everyone. Therefore I avoid talking to most people apart from cursory greetings or conversation. I avoid pursuing friendships, romance, employment and any other activities that require significant human interaction. I shop and deal with day-to-day business in a manner where I have minimal contact with people. I walk and bike in places where there are few people and prefer to do so on weekdays when most other people are at work. Often I decide to stay at home rather than have any contact with people
This pretty much sums me up (except that i feel intellectually superior, but emotionally & socially inferior, which overall equates to feeling inferior). Nowadays i very seldom have contact with people, and also i seldom get enraged by people when are in public (as more mindful & in-moment than in past). I used to have all manner of symptoms - walking stiff/hunched/quickly, looking nervous, getting angry/enraged (inside not externally), probably having the vibe of fear/terror of people. Not any more. But the damage has been done, over many years. So now really my only symptom is extreme avoidance of the real world & people.
 
I typically feel socially and intellectually inferior to everyone. Therefore I avoid talking to most people apart from cursory greetings or conversation. I avoid pursuing friendships, romance, employment and any other activities that require significant human interaction. I shop and deal with day-to-day business in a manner where I have minimal contact with people. I walk and bike in places where there are few people and prefer to do so on weekdays when most other people are at work. Often I decide to stay at home rather than have any contact with people.

What do you think is the main cause that has induced this fear of society and public contact in you?
 

drakir

Active member
i was gonna write something but... well.. all of the other comments explains how i feel, so...
 

Froggy246

Well-known member
Heavy feeling in my chest area, I've always called it dark butterflies.
Pounding heart.
Feeling unable to speak, and if I do speak it seems very forced and limited.
Brain freeze, inability to articulate properly and using bad grammar, occasional stuttering, and using basic words that you would expect from a child.
I sometimes go mute in certain situations or I get speaking blocks creating silences with people.
Feeling very aware of what expressions I am pulling, what my hands, other limbs are doing ect.
Extreme sensitivity to criticism, and feeling like it's the end of the world if I do something wrong.
 

drakir

Active member
i cant talk at all.... its really... ... you get tired of it.. its a struggle :(

and when i say i cant talk.. i mean, i really cant talk.. its just yes or no most of the time.
 

Silatuyok

Well-known member
The overwhelming desire to burst into tears when I am in a group of people and I'm getting overlooked or can't think of anything to say. Nobody likes a crier at a party.
 

Kiwong

Well-known member
When there are triggers for my anxiety present, I find it very difficult to talk to people at all. They are very specific triggers, if they aren't present I can be fine.

When people respond negatively to my anxiety then I have to fight a fear to avoid those places and people. I avoid shops, service stations, chemists were I am known. I fight harder not to avoid the social situations involved with activities that I have a passion for. However, when people notice my anxiety and become, angry and annoyed by it, then my enjoyment is destroyed, and I look for excuses not to return.

I watch people react to my anxiety like a detach observer. You've noticed my anxiety, I will think, there is a change in their behaviour towards me. You've been talking about me haven't you. The thing I dislike about my anxiety is I am very intelligent, and it detracts from that. Sometimes people talk about me like I am not present, and have no intelligence whatsoever. I lose respect for the people who react to my anxiety like that.

And even though I told everyone about my anxiety, and explained what it is, many seem to see it as something worse, and that really hurt and damages me.
 
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