Social Anxiety Fatigue
Social anxiety fatigue is a real condition. Ok, maybe not medically speaking (or is it?), but I have experienced this phenomenon many times. For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll try to explain. Keep in mind, however, that this is just my own experience.
Social anxiety fatigue is basically a feeling of hopelessness – that dealing with the daily stresses of society and people are so overwhelming it’s just not worth it. It’s feeling certain that you have tried your best, and wound up no further ahead. It is a lethargic feeling in which you lose all interest in your daily life, and it’s all you can do to drag your butt out of bed in the morning.
Hmm…If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was talking about depression. I prefer to call it social anxiety fatigue though.
Social anxiety fatigue occurs over time. Depending on what kind of day/week/month I’m having, it could last a few hours, or a few days. To sum it up, it is how I feel after a long, drawn out period of anxiety, stress, and disappointment. It is the result of so many negative experiences, that I lose my will to carry on with my daily routine and want to barricade myself in my apartment until I feel better. It is a feeling that any actions, or decisions I make will only result in more disappointment.
Yeah, I know, everyone experiences ups and downs in life, but there are times when it feels as though I am dealing with more than my fair share.
The good news is that I am dealing with much less of this nowadays – it takes a lot more to derail my good moods. I attribute this to the hard work I’ve been doing over the past few years. It truly has thickened my skin.
It’s hard to remain optimistic when it seems that you are being treated poorly by others. It’s easy to want to retreat back to your safe zone, but I’ve learned the hard way that this is the worst thing you can do.
So, what’s the solution?
As cliché as this sounds, my only advice is to ride out the storm and do your best with what you have. Always bear in mind that every storm has an end – some just last longer than others.
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