When/How did your Social Phobia begin?

L

Liberty

Banned
I know some have always had it but I'm curious how some others got it. I didn't always have it and have only had it since I was 25. I'm 27 now. It's rare to get it at 25 I've heard.

I got it from a nightmare situation in which looking back it seems was the perfect scenario for someone to get a chronic fear of dissaproval. Pisses me off to think about it now and I wish I would have known what to look out for so I could have avoided this entire thing.

How did some of you "acquire" this?
 
I

Introv

Member
Kind of really kicked in around grade 10 or so for me, though the foundation was set when I was younger. I kind of had a few attentional challenges in elementary school which made making friends difficult, though I did have a few close ones. In high school, I had a few experiences early on which pushed me pretty deep into myself. I became afraid to try and make new friends probably based on what I experienced earlier in life, even though my attentional challenges had subsided by the time I got there. That's best condensed version of how it got going for me...

Cheers
 
206Raider

206Raider

Well-known member
I would have to say around High School it really stepped in for me. I got tired of meeting new people everytime I felt comfortable in the enviroment I was in. I didn't like going anymore although I had a ton of friends at school and never got bullied I hated it there, too much drama and I would get stressed out so I skipped a lot with close friends and then it got worse and worse to where I didn't know how to talk to new people when we met. I'm better nowadays but not there yet.
 
Flowers-Of-Bloom

Flowers-Of-Bloom

Well-known member
I was shy most of my childhood, but a lot of children are so it wasn't really considered as anything out of the ordinary. When I was 8-10 definite symptoms started showing, I had trouble making friends/being active in groups, I was intensely sensitive to judgement/criticism and so forth. At age 11/12 I had all the symptoms of Social Phobia and later, clinical depression. It was only until I was 14, when my condition was getting worse and affecting my school attendance, that I was diagnosed.
 
Pink_Paula

Pink_Paula

Well-known member
I think i've had it in some form or other since i was a child, i was very quiet and introverted. My family life didn't help me out much and when i went to school i was bullied, so there are a few things that have helped make me the way i am, but in reality i think i was born this way!
 
Alex76

Alex76

Member
Looking back I think I've had SA since I was a teenager, although I wasn't as aware of it as I am now, although having said that, as an adolescence I always knew I was different from others and that adult life was not something that I would not cope with very well.

I first really started to become aware of my SA (although not the name for it) at age 23 when I was working for a medical company doing a moulding job that required quite a steady hand. I was fine when left to work alone but when working under observation my hands would shake terribly, the more times it happened the worse it got. Working under observation very quickly became something that I really feared. Eventually I got moved to another department where the problem wasn't so bad, but from then on I've always been super aware of my anxiety problems and have gotten into the habbit of avoiding situations that could course me problems (I've been very careful about the types of job I apply for since then), which probably isn't helpful but it makes me feel safe.
 
A

ashley90

Active member
hmm mine started about a year ago.
i noticed i lost touch with most of my friendships and realized i was dreading going to school everyday.
i just like realized one day that i barely talk to people like i used to.
i knew something was wrong but didnt look it up on the internet for a while.
when i did i knew for sure this is what i had
 
Elenwen

Elenwen

1
I've been anxious in social situations for as long as I can remember. My parents have even told me stories about when I was three and they enrolled me in ballet classes, I would throw tantrums before every class because I felt I wasn't good enough to be there and I felt all the kids and the teacher made fun of me when I wasn't there.
 
evil feline space cadet

evil feline space cadet

Banned
I was born! Thats how i got it..
The earliest memory i have of being anxious would be when i was in playschool (kindergarten). I was sitting down and unsure of what way to move my eyes or neck. I was watching others to see the correct way..
 
Falkor

Falkor

1
In my childhood I also had problems with social situations, like birthday parties, take a bus, and stuff.. But it wasnt that bad like now.. Since my 16th birthday I became really anxious in social situations.
Before that time it wasnt that bad.
 
groovy

groovy

1
I remember being probably the most outgoing and bossiest little kid in kindergarten and early primary school. Now I wonder whether that person even exists anymore. I think for me SA developed very gradually...
 
Mercedes

Mercedes

Well-known member
From the time I was first in school when I was very young I remember not knowing how to relate with other children and was always alone and in my own world.
 
hobo10

hobo10

Member
Mine really kicked in after I graduated high school. I was always shy but in high school, I saw the same people all the time, didn't have to make an effort to see friends so there was plenty of em to go around.

Anyway I was never able to get close to many people in my classes and the few people I did talk with, I never spoke to them after the semester was over.

When I started working was when I felt it really showed. My coworkers and I were so opposite. My interests and there interests were so different, my personality and their personality was so different, there was just NO WAY of relating.

I start a new job on Monday and am scared this will happen again.
 
I

itay

Active member
I think mine started when i went to school, before when i was like in nursery school i had no issues but in 1 grade i noticed the difference between me and the others

have gotten into the habbit of avoiding situations that could course me problems (I've been very careful about the types of job I apply for since then), which probably isn't helpful but it makes me feel safe
Click to expand...

that's like me but i always think to my self that it's kinda sad, because i have to avoid doing certain jobs that maybe are good
 
AngelSong

AngelSong

Active member
I think it really started when I was about 8.
I think it was caused by my very over protective parents. They never really let me go anywhere, and I didn't start going to school untill 5th grade. It wasn't even a normal school, it was a super small christian church/school with like 20 kids from k-8. The only place I was allowed to go was school and home, maybe to a friends house occasionally. So I think it's a learned behavior. My younger sisters are all right though....so maybe I was predisposed to it also,,,? I don't know.
 
GreenEyedRedHead

GreenEyedRedHead

Well-known member
I think I was born like this. I was quiet and shy as a child, even though there were periods growing up when I was kind of outgoing. I was in cheerleading for 7 years, etc. I've never really been "popular", but I wasn't really bullied either. The popular kids would talk to me sometimes, but I mostly just had a small group of friends. The earliest memory I have of anything SA related is this time when I was in fifth grade. I lived across the street from my elementary school, so I'd walk to school. For some reason, when I got to class I'd have this overwhelming fear/sadness. It's one of the only times I can remember crying in school. I went to the teacher and asked to go home, saying I didn't feel good. They let me go home. It lasted about a week. Thinking back on it now, it might have been panic attacks. Can't remember what brought it on that week, because school was pretty good for me even though I was quiet. Of course I've heard "why don't you talk?", and "people think you're stuck up" before alot.
 
B

bony666

Well-known member
It was around the age of 12 ?! or 13 ? actually, i think it has always been there since kindergarden, it only worsened during my teenage years. i had a really sad time during my teenage ; and only therapy and medications could help me cope with it. however, I feel I have a stronger individual now (am 26); and wouldn't have become that strong w/o my suffering. SP has actually hardened my heart, and tought hos to stand up in every situation.
 
E

Emily_G

Well-known member
I've stuttered since I could talk...but I'm not sure when I realized I was different and let it bother me.
 
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