Much of my problem stemmed from the fact that I seemed to be too aware of myself and my surroundings. I was hyper-conscious of how I was perceived and how I interacted with others. In fact, so much time was spent analyzing each and every situation that it became tedious, stressful, and laborious to leave the safe confines of my house. Many times, given the choice, I preferred not to put myself through that turmoil and opted to stay in. This made things worse, because I needed real-world practice and exposure to make any improvement. (more…)

Money became tight and I came to the realization that I couldnt afford to keep seeing my psychologist – I started to feel a little sorry for myself. Here was the help I had been looking for, but circumstances wouldnt allow it to continue. There was that unseen force again – working hard to ensure my failure – at least thats how it felt at the time. (more…)

Having made an appointment with a therapist, I felt as though, for the first time in my life, I was making progress. For the first time in my life, I had done something real. Unlike my previous attempts at curing my social anxiety, I was getting outside help – professional help. Unfortunately, I was so scared of what was to come, I wasnt sure if I had the determination to see this through. I had one week to agonize over things. (more…)

In the past, my main goal had been to find a social anxiety cure – something that would transform me into a non-shy, outgoing, and likeable person. Somewhere, there was a cure for my ailment – a treatment that I had not stumbled across yet – a breakthrough procedure or medication that would eventually surface and save the day – for years I believed this was a real possibility. (more…)

Living with social anxiety is tough. Along with the usual feeling of anxiety, insecurity, and despair, there is a constant feeling that something is wrong – something that needs to be fixed. For me, this feeling was always present. I felt as though I needed to be cured, but could not find the right method – not that there was a shortage of companies that would sell me a quick fix. (more…)

Is social anxiety disorder a chemical imbalance? Is it genetic? Is it environmental? Is it a combination of the two? I dont know, and whats more, I doubt if the experts know either. (more…)

Two years ago, I decided that I would make an effort to save myself, and to go and get help. At that time, I was living back at home with my parents and really had nothing going for me at all. I had no job. I had no friends. I had no girlfriend. I felt some mysterious force steering me towards failure. The world seemed cruel and unforgiving. (more…)