Social Anxiety Disorder

[Another Fan]

Anyone ever gone through this here/have elements of it.  I’ve beaten it in the past but today was a little rough.  

[Foxx]

you're probably just shy.

[Buffalo_Gal]

I am a misanthropist. I'm not shy or anxious in any way in front of people. As a matter of fact, in college, all my public speaking classes were straight As (part of a journalism minor). However, I do dislike people (not persons). Maybe that is what you are feeling?

I hope you feel better tomorrow. ?

 

[/dev/null]

Social Anxiety Disorder = SAD

 

[Fadingpain]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

Anyone ever gone through this here/have elements of it.  I’ve beaten it in the past but today was a little rough.  

When you say today was a little rough, what do you mean?  What happened?

 

 

[Gray Beard]

I’ve had panic attacks occasionally for decades. Like once a month or less. I’m not sure if that is similar to SAD. 

I know in my head that there is nothing wrong, but I get hot, nervous, breathe fast, knees weak, tunnel vision, stomach gassy.

They usually pass after a few minutes, and I have learned to wait them out. When it first started happening I was nervous that there was something wrong medically. Perhaps it’s related to hunger, thirst, too much coffee, or something like that, but I haven’t figured out a pattern. In my case, I think that worrying about them is worse than just relaxing and waiting for them to pass. 

[Another Fan]

13 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

When you say today was a little rough, what do you mean?  What happened?

 

 

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

[KD in CA]

2 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

 

Should have just shived him without saying anything.

[mead107]

16 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

Think what you want to say and write it down.   

Practice it a couple time and go slow. Deep breaths.  You know you can do it without getting up set.  

Take it slow.  

[Fadingpain]

37 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

I think it's common to get frustrated or have things not come out right if you are highly emotional or angry at the moment.  

 

Though I guess it was more than just that for you.  Mead's advice to write things down and practice saying them out loud to the mirror is a good idea.  Or maybe you can say them to another person you trust to make it seem more realistic (practicing).

 

I have read about panic attacks but haven't experienced one myself.  I would think that would be super frightening, at least until you are aware of them and learn to deal with them.

 

 

[RaoulDuke79]

I've never had an official diagnosis, but as I grow older I'm getting more and more averse to large crowds or crowded places in general. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by RaoulDuke79

[/dev/null]

26 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

I've never had an official diagnosis, but as I grow older I'm getting more and more averse to large crowds or crowded places in general. 

[Fr. Jerk]

I can't stand people, does that count? 

[row_33]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

 

Regroup and deal with it.

 

 

[Augie]

2 hours ago, Another Fan said:

Tried to confront a manager at work.  It just came all bad/stuttered.  SA played a part.  Might have made things worse if anything 

 

Instead of thinking of it as a “confrontation”, think of it as what it is....a “conversation”. That’s all. Don’t build it into more than what it really is. 

[stuvian]

1 hour ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

I've never had an official diagnosis, but as I grow older I'm getting more and more averse to large crowds or crowded places in general. 

I wonder how much longer I'll be able to handle game day crowds

[Augie]

9 minutes ago, stuvian said:

I wonder how much longer I'll be able to handle game day crowds

 

One advantage of being say...a Jags or Dolphin fan? 

[stuvian]

I have a tendency toward paranoia which is exacerbated by the dynamics of my workplace

[Augie]

I can become uncomfortable in a crowded caucophony at times. To step out and find some quiet let’s me regroup. Not all the time, but definitely sometimes. 

[Teddy KGB]

I ain’t scared to talk to anyone 

 

Ship me a few dollars and I’ll tell that boss of yours what time it is.  

[Ice bowl 67]

5 hours ago, Foxx said:

you're probably just shy.

Hey Foxx remember me? How ya been bro?

5 hours ago, Another Fan said:

Anyone ever gone through this here/have elements of it.  I’ve beaten it in the past but today was a little rough.  

Hope you feel better bud.

[Tiberius]

2 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

I've never had an official diagnosis, but as I grow older I'm getting more and more averse to large crowds or crowded places in general. 

That's funny, I feel comfortable in a large crowd, very comfortable. It's going to work parties I hate, the people I'm suppose to know, but just don't care to, lol.

I really hate having to deal with a social clique. The people that are normal when you talk to one of them but when they are together they are complete POS

[ExiledInIllinois]

20 minutes ago, Tiberius said:

That's funny, I feel comfortable in a large crowd, very comfortable. It's going to work parties I hate, the people I'm suppose to know, but just don't care to, lol.

I really hate having to deal with a social clique. The people that are normal when you talk to one of them but when they are together they are complete POS

Like PPP.

 

The douchebags just seem to congeal. It's the natural order of things. LoL...

[Royale with Cheese]

Take deep breaths, slowly release.

Should calm some nerves.  

[ExiledInIllinois]

Find a happy place... A vocation rather than a occupation helps.

 

That's why I do what I do... I go to work to decompress. Throwback to a simpler time.

 

 

 

I am such a simple dick... But it grounds me.

 

Should post this song in the 90s music thread... I think it is an underrated gr8 one...

[LeGOATski]

I used to get it bad. Involuntarily shaking. Mouth gets completely dry. Can't speak. Can't think.

 

I had a mentor challenge me to talk to one new person every week. It helped. 

 

Eventually, do it every day possible.

 

Obviously, you really have to commit yourself to doing that and accept the fact that it will be awkward. Super awkward. The key is also to take notes on all your new interactions. Learn from it. Be methodical about it.

 

I would discuss my interactions with my mentor every other week. That way I got feedback and was held accountable.

 

Interacting in social situations became a lot easier. I felt prepared, even if it was an unexpected thing.

 

I have no idea if it'll work for you, but have someone help you and try it out.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

2 hours ago, Teddy KGB said:

I ain’t scared to talk to anyone 

 

Ship me a few dollars and I’ll tell that boss of yours what time it is.  

 

The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don’t know what time it is!

 

Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

[Boca BIlls]

Only when I thought I had a boog hanging.

[The Jokeman]

I take medication (Sertraline) for mine and it definitely helps. As I've always been the shy introverted type. Yet after taking the meds I find myself a little more open and happier sharing my thoughts and ideas with others. Talk to your doctor about it as sometimes it's a chemical thing and medication can help.

Edited July 26, 2018 by The Jokeman

[Tiberius]

7 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

I used to get it bad. Involuntarily shaking. Mouth gets completely dry. Can't speak. Can't think.

 

I had a mentor challenge me to talk to one new person every week. It helped. 

 

Eventually, do it every day possible.

 

Obviously, you really have to commit yourself to doing that and accept the fact that it will be awkward. Super awkward. The key is also to take notes on all your new interactions. Learn from it. Be methodical about it.

 

I would discuss my interactions with my mentor every other week. That way I got feedback and was held accountable.

 

Interacting in social situations became a lot easier. I felt prepared, even if it was an unexpected thing.

 

I have no idea if it'll work for you, but have someone help you and try it out.

So much about life is just having a plan and executing it

[Canadian Bills Fan]

My wife has it and is on medication for it.

 

She describes it like feeling uneasy around crowds of people and will try to do what she can to avoid it

[row_33]

i don't like crowds and try to avoid them at all costs, used to enjoy going to 100 sporting events and concerts a year

 

if i'm really not into being there then it becomes burdensome

 

 

[Jauronimo]

14 hours ago, stuvian said:

I have a tendency toward paranoia which is exacerbated by the dynamics of my workplace

I have reverse paranoia.  I'm pretty sure I am plotting to f@#$ everyone.

[DC Tom]

I used to have it.  I honestly got over it by realizing that all efforts to justify myself have been a waste of my time, and I don't need to care what other people think.

[Seasons1992]

16 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

I've never had an official diagnosis, but as I grow older I'm getting more and more averse to large crowds or crowded places in general. 

 

1000%. I prefer sitting high up in public places like sporting events or concerts or wherever people congregate, so I can see what's in front of me and not be around morons or squished seating environs.

[RaoulDuke79]

6 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

1000%. I prefer sitting high up in public places like sporting events or concerts or wherever people congregate, so I can see what's in front of me and not be around morons or squished seating environs.

We went to an amusement park last weekend, and I didn't really find it enjoyable. It's just so crowded. You're constantly weaving in and out of people trying to avoid bumping into them, struggling to find a place to sit when you get a bite to eat. It's more burdensome than fun to me.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

1 minute ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

We went to an amusement park last weekend, and I didn't really find it enjoyable. It's just so crowded. You're constantly weaving in and out of people trying to avoid bumping into them, struggling to find a place to sit when you get a bite to eat. It's more burdensome than fun to me.

 

No disrespect intended, but isn’t this the normal human experience?  Does anyone really enjoy weaving through large crowds of strangers?  I don’t have social anxiety, but I also dislike going to crowded amusement parks, Fairs, school functions with the kids.  

 

For the sake of friendly discussion, does anyone else think that normal human shyness, social reticence, and sensory hypersensitivity has become increasingly over-pathologized?  

 

FTR...not being dismissive of anxiety disorders.  I work in the mental health field, and I know for a fact that many people suffer from a legitimate chemical imbalance which causes them to experience organically caused mood disorders.  

[row_33]

11 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

No disrespect intended, but isn’t this the normal human experience?  Does anyone really enjoy weaving through large crowds of strangers?  I don’t have social anxiety, but I also dislike going to crowded amusement parks, Fairs, school functions with the kids.  

 

For the sake of friendly discussion, does anyone else think that normal human shyness, social reticence, and sensory hypersensitivity has become increasingly over-pathologized?  

 

FTR...not being dismissive of anxiety disorders.  I work in the mental health field, and I know for a fact that many people suffer from a legitimate chemical imbalance which causes them to experience organically caused mood disorders.  

 

sounds good

 

but if what we consider "normal" social interaction is ruining your existence, please come forward and seek help in ways to deal with it.....

 

 

[Soda Popinski]

Large crowds kill me.   I've walked into the grocery store and then walked right back out.     But last week we were school shopping for the boy and I said lets go down to 192 in Kissimmee (the touristy part of town by Disney) place was jam packed with people from all over the world, no manners, crawling all over each other.  But I was fine.  My son was dying to get out of there though so we left.

 

If I'm mentally prepared for the chit show it's ok, but if it takes me off guard, i get antsy and want to get lost.    

[Johnny Hammersticks]

20 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

sounds good

 

but if what we consider "normal" social interaction is ruining your existence, please come forward and seek help in ways to deal with it.....

 

 

 

Of course.  I think you’re missing my point.  I feel that there has always been a “range of normalcy” with respect to an individual’s level of comfort in social situations.  I work with children, and I see less tolerance for typical human differences.  I feel that many children who are perhaps a little “shy” are often times quickly identified as having a mental health condition and put on meds.  

 

I don’t have any CDC stats to support this, but I would suspect that the prevalence of individuals diagnoses with SAD has exploded over the past 20 years.  Just my subjective opinion as a mental health professional.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Johnny Hammersticks
Spelling