Social anxiety/phobia/shyness

Metatron · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:22

Does anyone here suffer with this? How do you cope? What have you tried to combat it?

Ali195 · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:31

Tend to go through cycles my self but anything from numbing ones mind with drugs (alcohol, caffine, smoke/green), skipping meals, eating lots, doctor/medication. Best to get out much as possible even though the initial social anxiety can be quite bad, in the end its miles better than the above.

Ali195 · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:34

In the end its best to stop the high/lows as the above would tend to cause & see a doctor. Easier said than done, god i know.

Tom0 · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:35

Ali195 said:
Tend to go through cycles my self..

Same. Some months I'm quite the social butterfly, others I just want people to FOAD.

Only way I find to combat any anxiety is to step out of that comfort zone and try enjoy myself.

4T5 · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:37

Haven't you got a loud bold mate you can hang with ?
I say that as a few people i know find it easier when i am about as i bring people into the conversation & am generally loud & chatty.

shifty_uk · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:39

I kinda grew out of it. I found working in sales, being articulate and knowing what I was talking about when approaching people really boosted my confidence.

Now I can talk to pretty much anyone in any circumstance. I'm not a friendly conversation starter, though and I do come across like a rather arrogant arse which I believe is just a shield of my lack of confidence.

OriginalJonty · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:46

I used to be quite shy, still am occasionally, but the thing that helped me were some friends who were a lot more outgoing. Hanging out with them took me out of my comfort zone and made me face my shyness. I'm a lot more outgoing now than I was a few years back.

Morgoth · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:48

Citalopram, CBT.

Fusion · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:53

Boost your confidence by getting better at something, mastering a skill and engaging in activities you find fufilling and stimulating.

RomanNose · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:57

Fusion said:
Boost your confidence by getting better at something, mastering a skill and engaging in activities you find fufilling and stimulating.

I really don't think this will help, yes you will be more confident about doing things but it can make you more seclusive depending on your skill.

Fenris · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:06

chaosdestro0 said:
I really don't think this will help, yes you will be more confident about doing things but it can make you more seclusive depending on your skill.

The idea is that the skill would require social interaction.

Monkeynut · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:11

Fenris said:
The idea is that the skill would require social interaction.

Getting good at guitar would enable you to join a band of some sort for instance.

Randomface74 · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:15

Yeah I have cycles like this too. I just roll with it.

colzboppo · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:16

I have a friend who suffers from this, he had a panic attack after i mentioned i was going to pop over to hang out, i've known him for years, thats pretty bad.

Vonhelmet · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:33

I'm very nervous of new people, or even people I don't know well. I cope by having barely any friends.

jp_bl_68 · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:35

Morgoth said:
Citalopram

This helped to deal with the worst of it but I'm still very shy and quiet (practically silent

) around other people.

Vonhelmet · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:40

Morgoth said:
Citalopram, CBT.

I was on citalopram for 18 months. It didn't help me feel better, so much as it stopped me caring. It also ruined my sex life. GREAT SUCCESS.

Morgoth · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:52

It ruined your sex life?

Vonhelmet · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:54

Morgoth said:
It ruined your sex life?

It was literally impossible for me to achieve orgasm through sex. Went down a storm with my wife.

mufc802 · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:57

I wouldn't say I suffer with it, but I am quite shy when I am meeting someone new, but found the more people I meet the more confident I become. Spending loads of time on the PC can really mess you up so I try to spend less time on it. I can be nervous around people I don't talk to a lot and sometimes feel very self conscious and don't know what to do about it so just put up with it. When you see everyone else you think nobody suffers from this so it's nice to hear some others do.

I find exercising helps me not only feel better, but to help me think better on my work and takes away the bad feelings.

I never take drugs and don't drink much, never seen a doctor but sometimes wish I was a bit more confident. I can't believe I'm saying all this on an internet forum.