The Nuts and Bolts of Social Anxiety Disorder
It is probably safe to say that there isnt 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.
Most of us get a little edgy before going for a job interview or driving to the office for that first day on a new job. It is even pretty natural to be a little nervous about going to a party or meeting where you don’t know anyone you will meet there. In fact, psychologists who are skilled at dream interpretation tell us that social anxiety about the first day at a new place where you don’t know anyone is one of the most common causes of bad dreams of nightmares. And stage fright for musicians, actors and other performers in the arts is so common that even seasoned, professional performers still confess to getting butterflies in the stomach before that curtain goes up for their next performance.
But the difference between these natural life moments where we all feel nervous or anxious and social anxiety disorder is as dramatic as the difference between the sniffles and pneumonia. In any of these situations we just discussed, if you take that anxiousness and amplify it by one hundred or one thousand so that the anxiety becomes so severe that it virtually paralyzes the victim, then you then have a good idea what someone suffering with social anxiety disorder goes through.
What may be the most surprising little known fact about social anxiety disorder is how little is really known about this problem. And yet the medical community tells us that it is the third most common psychological disorder. That means that there is a very good chance that you know someone with social anxiety disorder. In fact, if you suffer with symptoms of social anxiety that seem to be more severe than others face and if those symptoms are becoming a significant disruption to your life, you may be suffering from the beginnings of social anxiety disorder. If that is the case, its a good thing if you realize it now to take action to keep the problem from becoming so severe that it hinders your life more severely if it were to get worse.
Social anxiety disorder qualifies as a full-fledged phobia. In fact, it is often referred to as Social Anxiety Phobia. A phobia is a fear or a dread of a particular thing or circumstance that is so extreme that it can virtually disable the sufferer and for which there are serious physical and psychological difficulties if the sufferer is exposed to the phobia. Well known phobias are fear of heights, fear of enclosed places or even fear of going outside.
A phobia sufferer may experience nausea, excessive sweating, the inability to move and other serious physical manifestations of the phobia. This kind of fear is far more than just being afraid of something. Those who do not suffer with a phobia often wonder why the sufferer cannot just snap out of it. But a phobia such as social anxiety disorder is a serious medical condition that needs to be addressed with therapy, medication and treatment before the sufferer can live a normal life like the rest of us.
Unlike many phobias, social anxiety disorder is a crafty enemy because the things that can set off the symptoms are so diverse. A sufferer with this torturous disorder may feel symptoms set in by any social situation in which they feel they are being watched, judged or that something is expected of them. This may include conventional fears like stage fright or first day jitters at a new school or job. Or social anxiety disorder might be triggered by something as commonplace as standing in line at the grocery store, having a romantic social outing, enjoying a holiday party, being recognized to speak at school, meeting an important person at work or just about any situation that would create social pressure for the sufferer.
If you have a loved one who may be suffering from social anxiety disorder, take heart for two reasons. They are not crazy and there is help available. The same reason for hope is out there for you if your shyness or social awkwardness is beginning to reach the level of debilitating fear. The important thing is to recognize that you may be suffering with a very common psychological disorder and that you can get help it you reach out to the medical community for that aid.
In the case of this terrifying disorder, the quicker you stop it from ruining your ability to enjoy your friends, family, work and social engagements, the faster you will purge social anxiety disorder from your life. And once it is gone, the sense of joy and relief you will feel will make any work you have to go through to beat this disease to have been entirely worth it.
I have a mild form of social anxiety. Talking with people one at a time seems to go relatively fine (although I can’t say people really like talking to me; I can feel it). More sophisticated forms of interaction like mimicry, making jokes, persuasion and talking in a group are mostly terrible. In situations that require extreme social skills like public speaking the real anxiety kicks in. No matter how well I prepare myself for an oral presentation, there won’t be enough breath in my lungs to remember what I prepared.
But there’s one thing we do not have in common. I don’t try to improve myself consciously (even though improvements occur as I am forced to have social interactions). I never really liked people. Never mistreated people but always get mistreated myself. I don’t have friends and never had; people simply don’t like me. I’m not even actively searching for friends, because it won’t add any value to my life anyway. I don’t laugh at other peoples jokes because they’re not funny. I especially despise small talk. People asking the same questions over and over again, every day, “Hi jeff how are you?”, like they really care, they’re only asking for the sake of asking and waiting for you to ask the same. I don’t feel the urge to have social interactions and adjust myself to others, because I simply have too many shortcomings.
Drew, just be happy. Forget about your social anxiety, avoid people as much as possible. People like us can only pick up negative energy from them.
Try to look at it rationally. Let’s assume you really did develop your social skills into something wonderful (which seems impossible to me), and then what? There will always be something else in life to be anxious about. Your current anxiety will most probably be replaced by something else. Why struggle then?
I guess what I’m saying is that life sucks only if you want it to suck. The universe doesn’t care and I’m grown up enough to accept reality. Oh and by the way, god doesn’t exist.
Peace.
Drew pay no mind to jeff. He’s just an overwhelmingly contented victim of social anxiety.. and possible depression… maybe even anti-social disorder. I’m completely convinced that SA can be hacked whether through medication or therapy. The circumstances than creates it can be nullified. Jeff may be happy living a lazy life with no hope but I assure you there are many more rewards of overcoming this and absolutely none that result from succumbing to it. So fight the paranoia.. people may be idiots but there are always exceptions and enough of them exist. Jeff is right about only one thing though the more you think about it the more you seem to suffer. This illness is selfish it gladly accepts attention and thrives off of it. The more of our brain’s ram it occupies the more likely we are to fall prey to the patterned negative thinking. Just go ahead and live your life it is very possible to overcome this enemy. You are more aware than most people of it the only thing left to to is continue on the path to healing.
And… if God did not exist neither would atheists… terrifying isn’t it jeff.
I was reading what RauCous said and it all seemed to make sense until I read that last line, which is completely wrong and illogical, so that kinda ruins his/her credibility.
I am not a victim of social anxiety, I am a victim of society. I’m sure you’ll agree with me there IS something wrong with society. I’m neither depressed nor lazy, so speak for yourself please. Social anxiety has learned me a lot, where social interaction would have absolutely not.
I am mentally handicapped, I have social anxiety, but I have learned to live with it. There’s nothing wrong with that! A physically handicapped person has to live without the ability to pick up stuff; I have to live without my ability to normally interact with other people. Social anxiety is not “hackable” because it is hardwired into our brain, however it can be concealed through training. This can serve its purpose, but my guess is that this will not give the real joy I see in people socializing.
I’m just suppressing my rather useless emotions that have never served me in the past with my ability to reason and rationalize the world. This doesn’t decrease my joy of being alive the smallest bit. Think of me as a anti-social person if you will, but I think I’ll just have to get along with facts.
This is in no way meant to demoralize Drew. I’m only setting forth my own view on social anxiety. I actually love to read his blog.
And god does not exist; I’m so happy he doesn’t. Thanks to modern science we have finally come to that realization. I wouldn’t prefer an incompetent megalomaniac to be my god anyway. =)
Peace
I meant I have a mental disorder there
Peace
I believe one of the traits of social anxiety is a wish to be with people, to have friends and lovers and to socialize, but being prevented from doing so by anxiety. This can hinder our lives to various degrees, from slightly impeding us to completely disabling us.
If you do not wish to socialize, and dislike people, and wish to be alone, then you probably have something, but it’s not really social anxiety as I understand it.
Religious beliefs or lack thereof are interesting but not really part of the equation.
My 2 cents.
Eileen
Yeah my joke was lame..
but how does it invalidate anything? But really jeff is it really social anxiety you have… or something else.. i guess it doesnt matter.. and yeah it has nothing to do with religion other than the very well known fact that it affects just about everything you perceive the world to be .. I just got lured in. I’m trying not to again. lol. But seriously when you’re hypervigilant you notice things.. i question the credibility of the conclusions i come too when I’m in this near paranoia stage. Thats what separates me and jeff. I still belive that what i seem to perceive when i’m anxious is really and extremly warped view of reality.. The paranoia serves its purpose both I and jeff believe this.. but there needs to be an antithesis to it… well thats trust.. to create balance or stability. Some thing is wrong with society but not all of it but we’re free to close or open the door as we wish. Most socially anxious people trust neither themselves nor others… thats dangerous. Thats what makes it hurt so bad. Thats why I think jeff doesnt have it. He’s obviously confident in his assumptions and most likely has real reason to distrust others. The rest of us who seek to reconnect with others see whats still there in humanity and know its real. We wont be wrecked by missed opportunities at normancy. We cant afford to break down with every short coming we make. We have to stop caring about the little mistakes we make or the possiblity of failure.. its irrelevant now. We need to be tough with it and power through the pain.. it will pass. I’m not content with being a victim of anything… even society.. or of my many mentall illnesses… or whatever they’re called. Social anxiety is brought on by processes gone awry.. I’m sure it can be reversed. If it were hard wired science would have solved it already.. or at least reduced to causes and reactions. I just think free will controls too much of SA for that.
SA to me is a Perception versus reality problem. Depersonalisation and Derealisation are examples where the lack of emotional dept affects our thinking. I think it may explain the inability to care.
I’ve tried social nihilism and concealment like jeff, I just found it pointless. Most brains seek meaning and social nihilism doesnt provide it. But to each his own I guess.
my $0.015
First, I just wanted to mention that this site was the first social anxiety blog I’d ever seen, and it helped open my mind (not to mention, inspired me, as I’ve started blogging my own woes and struggles:)
On the subject of the nature of SAD; as someone who’s dealt with it for about eight years, I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the defining criteria of the disorder is that you desire, probably more than anything else, to feel “normal” and real connections with those around you. Really, without this obsession, the disorder wouldn’t exist because there would be nothing to feel anxious over.
Perhaps this is too simplistic an explanation, but I’ve always thought of SAD as a vicious cycle: you find yourself in a situation that causes you feelings of low self-worth around others, these feelings get built up and exaggerated through the processes of your own mind, you come to believe that you have seriously defective interpersonal skills, and you avoid future situations based on these self-afflicted assumptions. (Again, simplistic, but personally I need a way of breaking this thing down so I can find a methodical way of dealing with it.)
My first reaction to Jeff’s description of his affliction above would be to say that he doesn’t have SAD, only severe self-esteem issues. Or perhaps he did have SAD at one point but, through the workings of his own mind has transformed it into something else: retaining his lack of social skills but losing the self-blame.
Anyway, I think sites like this are great. Keep writing!
I think its really important to understand the core of the problem if we all want to overcome social anxiety. The problem is if you’ve had social anxiety for a long time, your brain has learned to respond to whatever social situations you happen to be in with fear, and that becomes an automatic response.
Your emotional part of the brain is hard wired to think that way, and it doesn’t matter what the cognitive part of the brain may be saying. You can tell yourself over and over again that whatever negative thought you’re having is irrational and doesn’t make sense, that in reality people are not judging or criticizing you at all, and so you shouldn’t have any anxiety because you look or talk normal. However, you may have noticed that this doesn’t work, and when you end up in that social situation all your rational thoughts are forgotten and you feel anxious again.
The solution is to get to that “emotional brain” and relearn new ways of thinking. This is done by cognitive behavioral therapy and will not happen over night, it takes “repetition, reinforcement and reprogramming” and the therapy is done everyday, only then can your emotional brain relearn new, positive and rational ways of thinking and as a result you will have automatic positive responses to the social situations you used to dread. It is proven that the behavioral therapy works and many people have overcome their social anxiety completely, but it takes time and effort, you must be consistent with it and practice everyday.
So if you want to overcome social anxiety and live a normal life, get to the core of the problem and understand the psychology behind it. Its not really useful to make up theories whether you’re a victim of the society or trying to dig up your past, this may only make the problem worse.
The real problem is finding a good therapist or a good self help resource, unfortunately not much good help is available at the moment.
May you all be well
Really glad to come across this website.
Seriously speaking, I find myself relating to most of those thoughts and feelings voiced by Drew and Jeff. I don’t know if I have SA or whether it’s just plain severe self-esteem issues… Different people out there, as it seems from this robust exchange in this particular post, have different opinions and standards about which term to use for certain descriptions of feelings and thoughts; be it lay people like you and me or even mental health professionals.
Just want to say I empathise and relate to a great extent those feelings/perceptions of social rejection. Again arguments that it is mere negative thinking or interpretation of people’s body language, or words or behaviour directed for your sole ‘attention’ that causes this perception to become a serious self-esteem or otherwise are already becoming too often heard or said by others to me that I no longer know how to differentiate what’s what anymore.
From personal experience, words, or human language, by its very nature, cannot accurately describe the actual social situation encountered by every individual, especially for those who are shy, socially anxious or perceived to be lacking in self-confidence or self-esteem. Because body language can be positively interpreted by people who are impressed by your looks or charisma even when it’s just the first time you meet.
I would personally choose to refrain from lecturing or judging others on the negative feelings and words used by others to describe their dissatisfaction with society.
I respect all views expressed here and I find most points raised by everyone here to be valid and rational in their own right.
However, since we are just online acquaintances who might never meet at all in real life, I would rather leave messages that leaves the reader feeling at ease and warm inside. I sincerely hope for all readers (or sufferers of SA or severe self-esteem issue) to know, to feel, while outsiders may not agree with or understand at all what you think or feel, we do care and we will not give up in trying to understand you as you are feeling now, to reach out to you, to step into your world and see it as you see it without being overwhelmed by those feelings and thoughts, however negative they may be to some of us.
I pray that Jeff and Drew (and all those who are going through such stages in life in one form or another)will one day be the happy and peaceful person that their inner selves truly wish for.
May your heart one day be filled with wisdom, compassion, hope and peace. May these wonderful qualities be one day used by YOU, to help others in a similar plight.
Take care, everyone. ^_^
I couldn’t help but respond to Jeff’s post which I found both impressive and disturbing. What I found impressive was the identification of “sophisticated” forms of interaction, such as mimicry, making jokes, persuasion and talking in a group.
It seems that you have a very good understanding of what makes for a successful interaction, but it was upsetting for me to then read that you have never liked people, have always been mistreated by people, believe that people don’t like you, believe that friends won’t add value to your life and believe that you have too many shortcomings.
I wish there were something that could be done to show you that there are caring people out there who will treat you with respect, will like you, will add value to your life and help you enjoy people again. They do exist and I think the people who read and post on this blog are proof that they do exist. I have no doubt that if you were to meet any of the readers here in person, you would have a very positive interaction because they are sensitive to the kind of experience that has stung you so many times.
I, myself, suffered from social anxiety for many years and remember feeling hostility towards people I felt were treating me with callousness and a lack of caring. But having come out of the “prison” of social anxiety, I am now able to see the situation differently and realize that everyone, even a sociable person, is trying to be accepted and struggling, on some level, to behave in ways that will lead to others liking them.
Some of those people are willing to exploit those of us who are shy and anxious in order to get the attention they desire. But most people are just looking for satisfying social interactions. And when they don’t find them, they tend to avoid the person who is not providing it.
So learning to provide a satisfying social experience for others is one of the keys to social happiness, I think.
In order for us to draw people in, to exude the sense that we will provide a satisfying social interaction, we have to demonstrate certain behaviors such as relaxed posture, an easy smile, a personal interest in another person demonstrated by appropriate questions, and a positive response to the answers to those questions.
However, if we enter a social situation believing others are unkind, we are likely to send signals that we don’t want interaction, thus leading to more of the same negativity we are accustomed to.
I, too, used to hate small talk, until I began studying linguistics and learned that small talk, or “phatic speech” as it is called by linguists, is not meaningless speech shared by idiots, but a mechanism used in many cultures to establish a relationship.
When I say “how are you?” at work, I am just trying to make, however briefly, a human connection with another person. Perhaps I’m not always available for a long answer to the question, but that doesn’t mean the interaction or language is meaningless. Rather, to me, it means, “I’m glad to see you”.
This “small talk” is just another way to connect with other people. Sometimes it is used between strangers to make an initial, “safe” connection, and explore whether the other person is a friendly, willing conversation partner. If you say “cold outside, isn’t it?” and the other person snubs you, it isn’t as much loss of face as it would have been if you had just finished telling someone your life story.
This small talk provides a “safe”, initial interaction. However, they may respond in a friendly way to the comment and you may have the beginning of a satisfying connection with another person.
It can also be used to connect with someone without getting into too much personal disclosure. So “small talk” is very much a social device that can have many beneficial uses.
I think the reason some people don’t like small talk is because it requires that people understand the “nonliteral” meaning of the words, such as “how are you?”. These words are not asking you to provide a report on well-being, but rather have the underlying social meaning of “nice to see you”. “I’m fine; how are you?” is a way of saying “nice to see you, too”.
If this kind of talk frustrates you, you might want to pick up some books on social discourse (including books by Deborah Tannen) which lay out the actual meaning behind language that is often used in a nonliteral sense to express a specific, unexpressed idea.
That said, I hope, Jeff, that you will connect with some of the many opportunities out there for socially anxious people to connect with others and counter those bad experiences you have had in the past. I, for one, know there is much more out there for those of us in the silent minority.
Go and get a copy of a song called, My Worried Mind, by Daniel Moore. It’s av anywhere you can buy music, and you can go to http://www.9livesrecords.com.
This song helped me through hard times and I hope it does for you as well. I was going through a divorce, and facing all kinds of problems with money. Daniel’s song really helped me and I hope it does for you as well.
Hey man, I feel for you.
I used to have a great circle of friends in high school, and we used to hang out and have fun everyday. Things seemed so happy then, but my life crumbled away when I stepped into college.
I became something like a social reject, never really having many friends and what not. It got me thinking, if I could get along so well in my old school and have so many friends, what went wrong here?
And well, I realized, it was my self esteem. I was so afraid of stepping into a new environment without loved ones to back me up, and I panicked. I avoided people (worst thing to do in a new environment), sulk around in the toilet cubicle alone and what not.
It was horrible. I cried and cried every night, wishing things to be back as they once were.
Until there was a point, where I just got up and screamed “FUCK IT” (sorry for the profanity =D). I was sick of living my life this way. The next day I went to college, I acted my self from high school. I was talkative and confident and what not.
And life’s changed for me since then. While I still am unhappy over the way things are going in college, I’ve made friends, and am not so lonely anymore.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, just don’t ever give up. I know the pain and the resentment and the isolation you feel. I know how it feels like to just wish to lie down and give up.
Don’t. Continue building your self esteem, see how other people socialize, and start building up from there. After all, awkward things become less awkward with more practice =D
(and one of the biggest helps I got was from my friend from high school. I ran to him whenever I felt I needed to talk or whatever. If you do have someone like that, please, tell him about this, and ask him to help)
Rock on dude.
Just wish to share my thoughts on what steph has posted, in what is like a personal email to Jeff.
I agree with most of the points put forward by steph and I’m glad that someone is writing with some personal understanding and experience with social anxiety.
I feel encouraged by some sentences written by steph like ‘I have no doubt that if you were to meet any of the readers here in person, you would have a very positive interaction because they are sensitive to the kind of experience that has stung you so many times.’
On the other hand, I would like to express my views on providing satisfying social interaction to others as mentioned by steph.
It is true that most people are looking for satisyfing social interactions and if you can’t or don’t provide that kind of satisfaction with your body language or the small talk you make, people will just avoid you.
In other words, the world works on a conditional, transactional basis. If you don’t provide something satisfying to me, I avoid you.
Now, you may ask, is there unconditional love or friendship in this world, even at stranger or acquaintances’ level?
There is, if you choose to believe.
For introverts like me, small talk is something hard to master, though not impossible. As suggested by steph, if sociable, outgoing people or maybe extroverts struggle at some level to behave in ways that will help others to like them. So for me, while it is beneficial that I try what steph has recommended; reading self-help books on social discourse and changing myself in various ways to exude a sense of being able to provide satisfying social interaction, I also wish to believe that somehow, somewhere, sometime, even when I’m not successful in overhauling my unhealthy thinking or attitudes yet, even while I’m still trying, unconditional friendship or love from a stranger or acquaintance will come.
I had and am still reading many self-help books on social interaction or interpersonal relationships. However, when one feels most alone, lonely, neglected or ignored just because you can’t provide any satisfying social interaction to others yet, you would really wish to meet someone who’s really unconditional and sincere towards you, and can be with you during this difficult stage in your life.
I sincerely and deeply wish for this to happen to people like Jeff. Rather than concentrating or believing on things or people who can only love and care in limited and conditional manner, please also look on the other side; that there are people, mere strangers, who are willing to offer unconditional love and friendship, even though they may not be perfect themselves or perfect in the ways they show love and care towards you.
Don’t become a social version of Ebenezer Scrooge. By this, my personal opinion is not to become a person who has lost total hope in unconditional love and friendship from fellow humans. Most people in this world may not be able to do this, not even you or me. But there will DEFINITELY be someone who can do it and is willing to guide you, in skillful ways, to show unconditional love and friendship to others like you.
I pray with utmost hope that somehow, people like Jeff or me will meet such a person in our lives one day.
I’m glad i’ve found this website, maybe someone can point me in the right direction…
I am 19 years old an currently in my 1st year of university but I believe I have a SAD (social anxiety disorder) an have bin suffering for about four months now, somehowe iv kept it from people and put on a happy face, but deep down it’s ruining my life an it’s got to the stage where i can not take it anymore!
I want my life back to normal an I don’t kno what to do about it
Please help
Hi Holly.
A suggestion that you may find helpful:
if your university has a school counsellor,
make an appointment with them and talk about
your concerns. I’ve done that and although
you may feel ashamed of seeing a counsellor,
it may help you. Also, join a local Toastmasters
club; at first this may be intimidating, but,
it’s realy helped my self-confidence as I still
suffer from SAD myself and can totally relate.
Regards,
Kirsten
Excuse my interruption but, about Jeff…
I’ve never been on this website or anything, I was just researching how the expectations of first impressions can possibly lead to social anxiety. Anyways, I came across a couple interesting first hand accounts on that particular subject throughout this website.
I happened to read the first couple posts including the posts that were put up by Jeff, and it seems that Jeff believes that social interactions are virtually useless and do not, or will not improve his life in any way (correct me if I am wrong). Anyways it seems that Mr. Ihavesocialanxiety, has absolutely no problem with sharing his beliefs with others and he also admitted to loving this site. If I am not mistaken, writing and posting your concerns, questions, comments etc. on the web where other people can then interact with your thoughts, is a type of social interaction. So, Mr. Socialanxiety or self proclaimed Mr.Victimofsociety if it serves your interest, it seems, my friend, that you, yes you are in fact participating in a social environment, interacting with other people socially.
Also I would love to point out where you say you are “suppressing [your] rather useless emotions,” you are actually wearing your emotions on your sleeve. I would also like to point out that you claim that “people simply don’t like [you].” Well, my response to that is that it seems as though you do have a very dry sense of humor, a brand of humor which is not always understood by others and this can come off (if others are not on the same page as you) as offensive and others may not realize the intended, although somewhat sardonic, humor behind it.
Also, another reason others may have a difficult time understanding you is that when you do make a point it is somewhat agressive. I can relate to the fact that there is something wrong with society, but no matter, everybody deserves to be happy and enjoy their lives no matter how they choose to live it, and if you claiming that relationships and social interactions do nothing for you, then so be it.
Though I would like to recommend that you rethink your logic. If after much thought and questioning of your beliefs, you still feel the same, then power to you my friend. Do understand that this post was merely to make you think, to make you realize that social interaction is not always negative. Feel free to attempt to poke illogical holes in my entry, you seem to be good at that.
-Steph
—Look forward to hearing from you Jeff….
Great blog. I have been suffering with SAD for many years now. I’m 34-years-old, and I can say without any doubt that my life has been SEVERELY affected by SAD. I’d say from about the age of 19 until now my life has been severely restricted. I’m currently in midst of a severe depressive episode - yeah, depression has been an all too frequent part of my life over the years as well. My social life is not very rich; I don’t go out much; I spend more time on the computer than anything else. I’m a hurting, miserable, angry person inside. And I’m also dealing with a chronic pain condition related to an ongoing hip disorder that I’ve had since childhood. So, I’m suffering both psychologically and physically. And I’m pissed off about it! LOL……..Suicidal thoughts are common place for me, and I sometimes find myself staring off into space wondering, “can this really be how my life is?”
Social situations have always bothered me. I’ve always found most social situations rather shallow and contrived; filled with a bunch of people who are just acting in ways that they probably aren’t really like when they are at home alone. The whole “social mask” thing bothers me. I mean, we all wear masks in social settings, and I can’t get over how fake that is. Lying and deception are two popular social skills. Pretending to be something or someone that you are not is, to me, a large part of any given social interaction….But that’s just my take…..
Great blog. I think the way I over came this is with a proper diet and exercise routine. I really think this is the best medicine. You got to be happy and trust yourself. There is no reason that anxiety has to take over your life.
I am 18 years old an currently in my 1st year of university but I believe I have a SAD (social anxiety disorder) an have bin suffering for about four months now, somehowe iv kept it from people and put on a happy face, but deep down it’s ruining my life an it’s got to the stage where i can not take it anymore!
I want my life back to normal an I don’t kno what to do about it
Please help