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882d

What has helped those of you who have/presently do struggle with debilitating amounts of social anxiety? I have an extremely bad habit of monitoring my facial expressions in every conversation I have. I've been unable to work, see friends and even family that I love very much. Missing out on life completely eats me up inside and I have a lot of guilt related to the anxiety when I am around loved ones. I'm always scared of people taking it personally, when in all actuality that's just how it is for me no matter what. It's been an ongoing thing for the past 6 years off and on in severity but more severe than not. I just want to get my life back on track, create memories and share experiences as well as having a steady income. I'm very awful at responding to people in face-to-face conversations as well. I'm just an extremely awkward human being all around. 💓

    • neoncrusader

      882d

      What helped me was exposure. I used to have social anxiety so bad that I would run out my cupboards so as not to have to leave the house and go to the store out of fear of sociality. It was so bad you could probably call it social phobia. My girlfriend pushed me a lot with regards to social situations. I would go in with her to places and social situations, and that calmed me down a lot, and she would do the talking and interacting for me. Then eventually I did more interaction going in with her, and then at some point I just cared so much less and going into the store alone was like nothing to me. Exposure did wonders for me, it practically saved my life. Because I practically didn't have one with how much I avoided people. Getting someone you love and trust to help you through it like my girlfriend did is such a massive help, made it so I couldn't back out easily

    • Ang

      882d

      I think the thing that helped me most was exposure therapy. I remember I did that with a group of people who all had anxiety. Generally anxiety makes us think of the worst case scenario when that’s more than likely not going to happen. We did it in a group where one of us would go to a store and ask an embarrassing question by ourselves before going back to see the group. It might be kinda confusing the way I describe it, but overall it’s good to remember that not being perfect in public and asking weird questions and making mistakes is normal. It’s more than likely that if you made a weird face or something similar, people probably won’t react in a negative way.

☝ This content is generated by our users and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision

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