Social Anxiety Support

illlaymedown · 10-08-2009, 10:59 PM

I'm wondering how in the best descriptive terms would you describe how your SA affects you physically, mentally, emotionally...etc. For me, I feel like I have needles poking into every part of my body often which is a stressed type feeling, my chest always hurts in a more of emotional type manner, sometimes I feel the sensation that I need to throw up but I rarely get sick, my shoulders feel like I'm carrying weights all the time...I feel like I could buckle and cry at any minute due to the worry and that's just in non-social situations. When in social situations, it's like everything just fades away and I become obsessivly alert and aware of every tiny action that goes on...and I feel more real if that makes any sense. I feel intense fear and my mind won't think on anything besides anxious thoughts unless I catch them and force other "better" thoughts into my head. It tends to peek when I'm either with more than one person or when I ask for job applications....

Rixy · 10-09-2009, 08:01 AM

I get incredibly hot and start to blush and sweat. I also feel this awkward feeling ringing through my head, making me want to bite my lip or clench my knuckles over and over. If I'm giving a presentation I usually shake or become short of breath.

shadowmask · 10-09-2009, 05:14 PM

These are the symptoms I experience when I'm the most anxious.

Physically - Sweating, shaking, inaudible voice, avoidance of eye contact, stiff muscles, rigid posture and gait.

Mentally - Can't think of anything to say, inability to focus or concentrate, increased depersonalization symptoms.

Emotionally - My emotions tend to become very numb or almost nonexistant when I'm highly anxious. I don't know if this is directly related to SA or DP.

JMX · 10-09-2009, 05:25 PM

Physically - I've gained quite a bit of weight because I just have no energy or motivation to work out. I also tend to avoid eye contact, but recently I've been trying to improve on that.

Psychologically - Whenever I talk to a girl, I may get a little nervous, but the real effects come after the conversation. I get way too excited, take things too far in my mind, and I replay the conversation over and over in my mind because I'm too excited. I think my emotions take huge swings: I'll get too excited, and I'll get too depressed. I'm also very scared to talk to someone I've never talked to before. I worry that they'll judge me negatively based on my appearance.

There are probably others that I'm forgetting.

Meli24R · 10-09-2009, 06:01 PM

I sometimes feel nauseated, my muscles (usually upper back and shoulders) become stiff and sore, my hands get very cold and sometimes tingly or shaky. I have depersonalization symptoms. I feel like nothing is real like I'm in a dream..it's very odd.
I have trouble concentrating and my short term memory has gotten crappy.
My hearing is fine, but I'm often asking people to repeat themselves which I'm sure can get pretty annoying (so it makes my sa even worse) I guess I have trouble processing what they're saying.
After a social interaction, I obsessively analyze and worry about everything I said and did.

illlaymedown · 10-09-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMX

Physically - I've gained quite a bit of weight because I just have no energy or motivation to work out. I also tend to avoid eye contact, but recently I've been trying to improve on that.

Psychologically - Whenever I talk to a girl, I may get a little nervous, but the real effects come after the conversation. I get way too excited, take things too far in my mind, and I replay the conversation over and over in my mind because I'm too excited. I think my emotions take huge swings: I'll get too excited, and I'll get too depressed. I'm also very scared to talk to someone I've never talked to before. I worry that they'll judge me negatively based on my appearance.

There are probably others that I'm forgetting.

Oh....yeah, when I do something like talk to a crush I get so excited that I did it and go far with "oh, things are gonna get better now" and then when he doesn't talk again to me for a while I get so depressed and think I'm just a horrible, pathetic, waste of space human being even though it's more likely he's busy or confused or other reasons too, I always jump to the "great, nobody will ever want to be with me and he hates me" type thoughts and then get obsessive cus there's the possibility I'm wrong....so many thoughts swirling in my head, sometimes I just want to end it all. I also constantly have to ask people to repeat themselves cus it's like my brain won't connect with what they're saying...

wineandcheese · 10-09-2009, 08:02 PM

I'm a big blusher. See, sometimes when I'm at my worst, my hands might actually be shaky in that I don't even want to drink or eat because I know it will be obvious then. But then other times, I can move without the shakiness in situations because I don't even think of it. I'm more likely to have my worst side effects at work. Other than that, I can deal.

10-08-2009, 10:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
illlaymedown Status: Miseria Cantare Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mississippi Gender: Female Age: 23 Posts: 362	How does your SA affect you? I'm wondering how in the best descriptive terms would you describe how your SA affects you physically, mentally, emotionally...etc. For me, I feel like I have needles poking into every part of my body often which is a stressed type feeling, my chest always hurts in a more of emotional type manner, sometimes I feel the sensation that I need to throw up but I rarely get sick, my shoulders feel like I'm carrying weights all the time...I feel like I could buckle and cry at any minute due to the worry and that's just in non-social situations. When in social situations, it's like everything just fades away and I become obsessivly alert and aware of every tiny action that goes on...and I feel more real if that makes any sense. I feel intense fear and my mind won't think on anything besides anxious thoughts unless I catch them and force other "better" thoughts into my head. It tends to peek when I'm either with more than one person or when I ask for job applications.... __________________ "I feel like a helpless puppet being manipulated in some major scheme."~ Squall Leonhart My avatar is my art...www.myspace.com/illlaymedown

10-09-2009, 08:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
Rixy Status: Falling into Guru Muhk Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Gender: Male Age: 17 Posts: 214	I get incredibly hot and start to blush and sweat. I also feel this awkward feeling ringing through my head, making me want to bite my lip or clench my knuckles over and over. If I'm giving a presentation I usually shake or become short of breath. __________________ Will you say hello to my ma? Will you pay a visit to her? She was an artist just as you were I'd have introduced you to her She would take me out on Sundays We'd go laughing through the garbage She repaired legs like a doctor On the kitchen chairs we sat on She was unhappy just as you were unhappy just as you were unhappy just as you were unhappy just as you were... -Jane's Addiction (Then She Did...)

10-09-2009, 05:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
shadowmask Status: Seeing stars Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: TN Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 1,081	These are the symptoms I experience when I'm the most anxious. Physically - Sweating, shaking, inaudible voice, avoidance of eye contact, stiff muscles, rigid posture and gait. Mentally - Can't think of anything to say, inability to focus or concentrate, increased depersonalization symptoms. Emotionally - My emotions tend to become very numb or almost nonexistant when I'm highly anxious. I don't know if this is directly related to SA or DP. __________________ Basically, I'm complicated I have a hard time taking the easy way I wouldn't call it schizophrenia But I'll be at least two people today

10-09-2009, 05:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
JMX Status: SAS Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Indiana Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 299	Physically - I've gained quite a bit of weight because I just have no energy or motivation to work out. I also tend to avoid eye contact, but recently I've been trying to improve on that. Psychologically - Whenever I talk to a girl, I may get a little nervous, but the real effects come after the conversation. I get way too excited, take things too far in my mind, and I replay the conversation over and over in my mind because I'm too excited. I think my emotions take huge swings: I'll get too excited, and I'll get too depressed. I'm also very scared to talk to someone I've never talked to before. I worry that they'll judge me negatively based on my appearance. There are probably others that I'm forgetting.

10-09-2009, 06:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
Meli24R Status: SAS Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Gender: Female Age: 23 Posts: 198	I sometimes feel nauseated, my muscles (usually upper back and shoulders) become stiff and sore, my hands get very cold and sometimes tingly or shaky. I have depersonalization symptoms. I feel like nothing is real like I'm in a dream..it's very odd. I have trouble concentrating and my short term memory has gotten crappy. My hearing is fine, but I'm often asking people to repeat themselves which I'm sure can get pretty annoying (so it makes my sa even worse) I guess I have trouble processing what they're saying. After a social interaction, I obsessively analyze and worry about everything I said and did.

10-09-2009, 08:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
wineandcheese Status: SAS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 68	I'm a big blusher. See, sometimes when I'm at my worst, my hands might actually be shaky in that I don't even want to drink or eat because I know it will be obvious then. But then other times, I can move without the shakiness in situations because I don't even think of it. I'm more likely to have my worst side effects at work. Other than that, I can deal.