Social Anxiety Support

RedMan · 10-30-2009, 11:17 AM

Hi all,
I've had social anxiety for as long as i can remember (i'm 38 now). I've never been treated for it but have been treated for depression on and off over the years. At this point i think my depression is largely due to my social phobias and difficult interacting with others (I have no friends to speak of).
My biggest problem is blushing (as dumb as that sounds). I blush frequently when talking to others. I can usually manage one on one coversations (though i rarely know what to say) but in even a small group i frequently blush - often for no reason. I'm pale and its very noticable. Because its so pronounced and obvious, it often becomes the topic of conversation (which makes it sooo much worse), especially around new people. Sometimes they'll think something is wrong or that i'm not well.

I avoid social situations for the most part, with the exception of bars (they're usually dark and i'm not as self conscious if i drink a lot.....). But this has its own problems obviously......

My anxiety is becoming a real problem at work- and I desperately need help. I've been to so many shrinks and therapists over the years, but nothing has helped much. I recently read about Inderal and made an apt with my doctor for next week to ask him to write a script for me. But to be honest, i'm not very hopeful.

Redman

rcapo89 · 10-30-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedMan

Hi all,
I've had social anxiety for as long as i can remember (i'm 38 now). I've never been treated for it but have been treated for depression on and off over the years. At this point i think my depression is largely due to my social phobias and difficult interacting with others (I have no friends to speak of).
My biggest problem is blushing (as dumb as that sounds). I blush frequently when talking to others. I can usually manage one on one coversations (though i rarely know what to say) but in even a small group i frequently blush - often for no reason. I'm pale and its very noticable. Because its so pronounced and obvious, it often becomes the topic of conversation (which makes it sooo much worse), especially around new people. Sometimes they'll think something is wrong or that i'm not well.

I avoid social situations for the most part, with the exception of bars (they're usually dark and i'm not as self conscious if i drink a lot.....). But this has its own problems obviously......

My anxiety is becoming a real problem at work- and I desperately need help. I've been to so many shrinks and therapists over the years, but nothing has helped much. I recently read about Inderal and made an apt with my doctor for next week to ask him to write a script for me. But to be honest, i'm not very hopeful.

Redman

Hi Redman, welcome to SAS! I hope you will be able to share your thoughts, fears, and experiences with your fellow SA'ers. My name is Richard by the way.

millenniumman75 · 10-30-2009, 06:22 PM

Welcome, RedMan!

Toad Licker · 10-31-2009, 10:35 AM

Hey RedMan

Fuzzy Logic · 10-31-2009, 12:36 PM

Hi there, I also have no friends to speak of, there are a lot of us like that on the worse end of the SA scale. However, I have been climbing down the scale a bit as of late and hopefully you can too.

TorLin · 10-31-2009, 09:38 PM

Hello RedMan

Welcome to SA !

Neptunus · 10-31-2009, 09:39 PM

Welcome, Redman! (And 38 is not old!)

Emptyheart · 10-31-2009, 09:43 PM

Welcome =D
That'd be cool if you were really a red man XD

10-30-2009, 11:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
RedMan Status: SAS Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Jersey Gender: Male Age: 38 Posts: 5	New old guy Hi all, I've had social anxiety for as long as i can remember (i'm 38 now). I've never been treated for it but have been treated for depression on and off over the years. At this point i think my depression is largely due to my social phobias and difficult interacting with others (I have no friends to speak of). My biggest problem is blushing (as dumb as that sounds). I blush frequently when talking to others. I can usually manage one on one coversations (though i rarely know what to say) but in even a small group i frequently blush - often for no reason. I'm pale and its very noticable. Because its so pronounced and obvious, it often becomes the topic of conversation (which makes it sooo much worse), especially around new people. Sometimes they'll think something is wrong or that i'm not well. I avoid social situations for the most part, with the exception of bars (they're usually dark and i'm not as self conscious if i drink a lot.....). But this has its own problems obviously...... My anxiety is becoming a real problem at work- and I desperately need help. I've been to so many shrinks and therapists over the years, but nothing has helped much. I recently read about Inderal and made an apt with my doctor for next week to ask him to write a script for me. But to be honest, i'm not very hopeful. Redman

10-30-2009, 06:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
millenniumman75 Status: Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dayton-Cincinnati, OH Gender: Male Age: 34 Posts: 38,655	Welcome, RedMan! __________________ millenniumman75 You are a success story waiting to happen! Live and let live VACUUMS more than a Hoover.... Live and HELP live is better!

10-31-2009, 10:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
Toad Licker Status: Broken Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: A Fruitloop Daydream Gender: Male Age: 44 Posts: 29,626	Hey RedMan __________________ All will wither, go to sleep The ones you love you may not keep All you touch will fall apart The dreams you kill will break your heart There's no mercy, there's no rest The void will scream within your chest No one knows and no one will So leave this place that makes you Ill - Madder Mortem

10-31-2009, 12:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
Fuzzy Logic Status: SAS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: United Kingdom, Northern Ireland Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 312	Hi there, I also have no friends to speak of, there are a lot of us like that on the worse end of the SA scale. However, I have been climbing down the scale a bit as of late and hopefully you can too. __________________ “There is but a thin line between madness and genius. I have been trying valiantly to cross it, but I don’t think I’m mad enough yet.”

10-31-2009, 09:38 PM	#6 (permalink)
TorLin Status: MayTheForceBeWithYou Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: California Gender: Male Posts: 17,058	Hello RedMan Welcome to SA ! __________________ MTFBWU (May The Force Be With You) - TORLIN AIM, MSN, YIM: T0RL1N Skype: Tor_Lin Visit me at; ToryLing.com \| LivingAnxious \| Facebook \| Myspace \| Last.fm

10-31-2009, 09:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Neptunus Status: Authenticating Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: USA Gender: Female Posts: 2,840	Welcome, Redman! (And 38 is not old!) __________________ "When I stand before thee at the day's end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing." ~Rabindranath Tagore "Being gentle means forgiving yourself when you mess up. We should learn from our mistakes, but we shouldn't beat the tar out of ourselves over them. The past is just that, past. Learn what went wrong and why. Make amends if you need to. Then drop it and move on." ---Sean Covey

10-31-2009, 09:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
Emptyheart Status: wishes to be SA-free Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: In my own world. Gender: Female Posts: 368	Welcome =D That'd be cool if you were really a red man XD __________________ Her skin is white cloth, and she's all sewn apart and she has many colored pins sticking out of her heart. She has many different zombies who are deeply in her trance. She even has a zombie who was originally from France. But she knows she has ......a battle, a battle she cannot win. For if someone gets too close to her, the pins stick farther in.