I Have Social Anxiety

I'm someone who's always afraid of starting a conversation with people, especially strangers..... If i get to know someone and i can really be myself, only then will i open up and the real me comes out. But times i keep to myself. I can get a feeling of a panic attack sometimes in large crowds, but i can contain it. It pretty much makes me sick in my stomach and my head just fills up with all kinds of thoughts and nervousness. If i can't find something in a store, i can't even talk to someone who works there because i always assume he has better things to do than tell me where a certain item is. Worst part for me is, i know exactly my limitations and i just can't seem to get over them..... I always walk into an invisible wall when i want to walk over to someone and ask them a question. It drives me mad that i can't just walk over and just do it.....just ask a stupid question. I am going to therapy at the moment and i hope it helps. Is there anyone who has the same feelings and how do you guys cope??

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brady120378

I am in the same boat as you. I am terrible in crowds of people. Every summer I go away with my family to the Jersey shore and I never go on the boardwalk at night because the crowds of people make me feel so sick to my stomach and I start having panic attacks. I really don't go out anywhere because I'm afraid of who I will meet when I go out. I always fear that people are judging me and mocking me. But at work I'm totally different. I am outgoing and have to be because I work with the public. So that just scares me more that I can turn it off then, but when I'm not working, it takes over my body. And I can also understand about you being in a store not talking to a worker. I feel the same way and I used to get if I separate from whomever I'm with and I can't find them, I got a panic attack. But that hasn't happened in a long time. All I can tell you is hang in there and continue the therapy if it works for you. I haven't tried therapy yet and maybe I should. But good luck to you in your fight of social anxiety.

Crazycoral84 · 36-40, M

Thanks man, I have the same thing, only my previous work i worked at a bakery franchise and most of the times i was baking and not in any contact with the customers... but when it get's really busy and the ladies from the store can't do it on their own, i had to pitch in... And i hated it! It was busy, people were waiting for me and in my mind i'm already making some stupid mistake of tripping over something. I am always afraid of making a fool out of myself. But i'm very happy i'm not the only one :D

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