Recovery Started With Me
When you have a big ego like I do, finally admitting you have a problem with social anxiety disorder is difficult to say the least. I was like that guy in the joke who won’t admit he is paranoid but prefers to insist that everybody really is out to get him. I can’t speak for everybody, but in my case, denial was the biggest obstacle I had to overcome to finally seek some help with my social anxiety disorder.
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The Nuts and Bolts of Social Anxiety Disorder
It is probably safe to say that there isn’t a man, woman or child alive that has not had some form of social anxiety. There are some circumstances where feeling nervous or on edge is not only natural, you would be pretty strange if you were not ill at ease. Public speaking is just such a situation. They say that the fear of speaking in front of a crowd is the biggest fear most people have and is an even more common than the fear of death. That is one impressive fear.
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Social Anxiety, Confidence, And The Game of Golf
Just as an add-on to my previous post, I want to talk for a second about the process that happens when I encounter negativity in social situations. There’s only one other example that I can think of where one small incident can cause a runaway effect and completely take me out of the game. That one thing is the game of golf.
One Negative Encounter Can Ruin Your Evening
Most of my social encounters turn out to be mediocre at best. Occasionally, I do have my moments and I am able to function in, what might be perceived to be, a completely normal manner. In fact, once in a blue moon, I’m actually able to step out of my usual comfort zone and truly enjoy interacting with others. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, there’s nothing like it.
The Laundromat - A Tough Venue For a Social Phobe
One of the worst things about living in an apartment is having to go out to do my weekly laundry. What I wouldn’t give for a washer and dryer of my own. Of course, I’m not the only one that has to put up with this minor inconvenience. There are thousands of people in this city that make the same trip down to the local laundromat each week. Read the rest of this post »
“You’ve Got Me All Wrong - Really”
It’s funny, with all the time I’ve devoted to improving my social anxiety problem over the past three years, you would think that I’d be able to handle the odd “bump in the road.” You would think that with all the progress I’ve made, it would take a major cataclysmic event to derail me. At least, that’s what I thought.
I don’t know if it’s just bad luck, but trouble seems to find me wherever I go. I always try to mind my own business and I never look for negative encounters, but somehow they always find me. Read the rest of this post »
Social Anxiety Disorder - Jealousy And Relationships
From the time I started high school (and really started getting interested in girls), I have always had a jealous streak when it came to women. Well, obviously not all, just the ones that I dated.
Actually, that’s not really true; I could get jealous of any woman I was attracted to, whether we had a relationship or not. Most times they weren’t even aware of my feelings towards them - how weird is that? Read the rest of this post »
Some People Just Can’t Help Staring
This weekend my parents are entertaining some of my out-of-town relatives. For years it’s been kind of an unofficial tradition on the Labor Day weekend. We don’t always congregate at my parent’s house; we alternate each year between three or four different households. Fortunately, this year I didn’t have to travel too far.
Yesterday, in lieu of a traditional backyard barbecue, we decided to visit a local restaurant for dinner – all 21 of us! The whole thing was pretty uneventful except for the fact that we drew a lot of attention to ourselves when we arrived. I suppose this place hadn’t seen that many customers walking through the front door in sometime. Although I felt everyone was staring at us (about 10 other tables), it didn’t really affect me much – at least, not as much as it would have years ago.
Social Anxiety Disorder is Life Limiting
A few nights ago I was sitting at home watching the Olympics when I noticed that every single athlete selected for an interview seemed very comfortable in front of the camera. Of course, some seemed more at ease than others, but for the most part, everyone was able to handle speaking in front of a billion people okay.
I often wonder if there are any very successful, or famous, people that struggle with social anxiety disorder - because it seems that anyone that is in the public eye has the ability to speak relatively calmly to an audience. I know a lot of this comes with practice over the years, but even those that have become famous in a short period of time seem to handle themselves quite well.
Can I Blame Social Anxiety For My Failures in Life?
Growing up, I always imagined that I’d eventually become successful in life. Back then, I knew nothing about social anxiety. Actually, it’s only been recently that I’ve been able to fully understand why I am the way I am - and that it actually had a name.
Granted, I knew there was something different about me because I always struggled getting along with people. I knew I was shy, but I didn’t think a little “shyness” would eventually lead to the life I have now. Read the rest of this post »