I still haven't changed. LoL. I have done little steps here and there, But it only makes me feel worse when I do because it's all too uncomfortable for me to step forward. So, I would rather not deal with any of it, To avoid the uncomfortableness.

It's the hardest thing in the world to get over social anxiety but the results are worth it. Something I've been learning lately is that sometimes you have to do unpleasant things to be happy. You can do it!

Hey everyone, I just felt like sharing some of my triumphs over SAD here.

If I got a dollar for everytime I overcame social anxiety....I'd be filthy rich lol. But here is one of the bigger moments.

-I almost skipped my high school prom. I was feeling so anxious about it, it was unreal. But I realized that if I didnt go, I would regret it for the rest of my life and constantly be asking myself "what if i did go". So I took deep breaths, listened to relaxing music and just took it easy while on the way there. And guess what ? I had a wonderful time ! I was having so much fun that I completely forget about my anxiety and just lived the moment. I was even feeling good enough to go to an after party ! I felt so good about myself for overcoming my anxiety that night and it remains one my biggest triumphs over social anxiety.

Everyone else who has Social anxiety...never give up ! I know how hard it can be sometimes but dont let it beat you. Try your best all the time to overcome it. Even if it does get the best of you sometimes you will feel good because you tried. Never give up !

I am also a shy boy before, but I keep myself on through the stage performances, to myself more confidence, and more communication with strangers, I now get up on stage speaking out. As long as confidence in ourselves, we can solve anything.

I discovered G.G Allin, and thought i must start living in my own society, no rules, no boundaries of my self deprived moment's of satisfaction!

i've had social anixety for as long as i can remember. When I was eleven, peer pressure and troubles at home made my anxiety far more difficult to deal with than it ever had been before. I began having panic attacks regularly, and starting avoiding places with a lot of people. I stopped going to the mall when i was 13.
When I entered high school i felt like i was being thrown to the wolves. i would have (at least) a panic attack a day, and there were entire weeks that went by during which i didn't say a word while in school. i didn't make friends as much as i continued to show up around a group of people that didnt tell me to go away. i would have to grip the sides of my desks to keep myself from running out of the building. i spent many of my lunches in the library, pretending i had a study hall. my eyes were constantly glued to the floor, and anytime someone tried to strike up a conversation with me i ended it as quickly as possible and scurried away. i never thought i would survive in college.
i was right, at first. in the first two months at my college, i only talked to my roommate and the friends she brought back to our room. i was too afraid to eat in the dining halls, so i would venture into the market once a day for a wrap- i lost twenty pounds from a healthy weight. i was on the verge of admitting defeat and trandferring when a boy sitting next to me in class drew a smiley face on my notebook. i was furious that i physically could not speak to him.
that day, when i got back to my room, i called the school's counseling center and set up my intake appointment. it was the single most terrifying thing i had done up to that point in my life, and i stuttered and slurred my way through the conversation because of my fear, but i did it.
i began talking to a counselor (which at first consisted of us staring at each other until i was forced to talk) and taking medication (prozac). the changes were miniscule at first. i would go to the market for my daily wrap at a slightly busier time. i would ask a professor for help with a problem. i would say hi to the people living on my floor. i would study in the lounge.
then, i started taking bigger steps. i joined a club. i accepted invitations to hang out with the people i met there. i wrote skits for a campus tv show, and then actually submitted them. six months after i sought treatment, i was able to hold my own on my first first-date with a boy that i liked; before treatment, i would not have been able to string two syllables together in front of him, let alone carry a conversation.
the rewards for my hard work have been rolling in for months now, and i feel like the luckiest, happiest person on earth. i can honestly say that i would not change naything about my life right now. i no longer feel inferior to everyone around me. i don't feel certain of my impending doom halfway through my classes. i can walk across campus without hyperventialting. i can walk while listening to music without worrying about how loud im breathing. i can stand in lines without being paranoid about what the people behind me are saying.
that one terrifying phone call is the single best decision i have ever made. i am so, so grateful to that cute boy who drew a smiley face in my notebook that day. i have a framed smiley face hanging in my room to remind myself how one simple act of kindness really can change someone's life forever.

Well my story is a wild roller coaster... but I have had many successes... I still suffer from SA, but I've gotten it to the point where I don't feel like I'm living a crippled life anymore (at least not as much )

I've suffered from SA as long as I can remember... in fact, in 1st grade my teacher demanded to my mother that I have special sessions with the guidance conselor because I was sooooo quiet... I basically didn't talk 99% of the time I was in public (hence the username!). I wasn't really aware of my SA up until high school, because I didn't really know what anxiety was.... I guess I just kind of assumed that the anxiety I experience all the time was normal and everybody felt that way.... so I never really understood why I couldn't make myself talk

To be honest things continued this way (boring I know) up until high schoool... this is where things got really bad for me. In 10th grade I developed cystic acne (the worst kind you can get) all over my face.... it was so bad that I was bullied and lost whatever little self esteem I had. Once again, I wasn't really aware of it, but my SA became unbelievably bad at this time. I basically didn't do anything. I would wake up EVERY SINGLE MORNING with the worst stomach aches because I was afraid to go to school. I would exaggerate these aches to my mom so that I could stay home from school as often as possible... when I did go to school, I would sit there in the morning staring at the clock, dreading seeing the minutes advance until I HAD to go to my bus. Outside of school I had no life. I would just play video games or sit on my computer all the time, and I didn't participate in any extraciriccular activities. In the summers, I'd go weeks at a time without leaving my property, and had very few weak friendships as a result.

Thankfully, I took accutane to clear my acne twice (that's the drug that has caused people so many health problems from it's side effects)... and luckily I made one very good friend in high school as well.... this helped me feel a little better about my life at the time as I went into college

Obviously I was nervous as hell about college. I continued the same life style my freshman year... if i wasn't in class or eating at the cafeteria... I was in my dorm room or at home every single weekend, since my college was close to home. I wasn't too depressed at this point

Finally, my sophomore year comes and this is a true turning point in my life... at this point, I started to see all the fun everyone else around me was having and realized that I dreaded every day of my life... this is when depression hit me pretty hard. I would just sit around crying all the time in my dorm room (even in front of my roommate) and at home in front of my parents... I struggled with this the entire year until I decided to see a therapist, which is where I officially learned I had SAD.

The therapist helped me with some basic confidence building exercises, which helped me to start doing basic things like driving a car, going to the store, etc... I still really struggled with SA and depression though and felt pretty hopeless... I tried several antidepressants but the side effects were too much for me, the therapist refused to see me if I wasn't on medication, so I was back on my own.

This next part is crazy lol... but during this time I met a girl who ended up playing an important role in my life... she was a very beautiful and popular girl (who i wasn't used to having any interest in me) and once I was assigned to work on a project with her in class, we started to become friends... as time went on, she would just go out of her way to include me in on things (i.e. she'd invite me to sit with her at lunch, ask me to join her with her friends in the library, etc.) and I was so moved! Unforunately, my complete lack of social skills effed me over... we were really tight, and I really wanted to ask her out but i knew I could never get myself to do it....

at this point, things spiraled out of control. while all this was going on I had some major problems with my dad. since I hadnt followed the career path he wanted, he would enter raging fits around me and call me a waste of life and a failure. I started having panic attacks and frequently thought about suicide at this point. meanwhile, while I was so torn over asking that girl out, of course she got a boyfriend and I just lost it... shortly thereafter, one time when I was around her I had a bad panic attack, and this caused her to say that she couldn't talk to me anymore at all

This was the low point.... but I'll never forget the moment she said that to me because it was like someone flipped a switch in my head... of course I felt terrible, but meanwhile I just said to myself, "Look at what your SA has done! I AM GOING TO END THIS ANXIETY BEFORE IT RUINS MY LIFE"

Somehow, motivation came from somewhere deep within me.... I applied techniques the therapist had taught me and started making myself confront every single social fear I had all the time... I had the philosophy, "If I'm afraid of it, I'm doing it"

You know what I found from doing this... all the perceived threats from social interaction that plagued me all of my life were in fact mole hills when I had treated them like mountains.... this is the one message I hope that my story can convey to everyone that reads this.

You know what happened the next year in college? I pledged a fraternity, joined the club baseball team, started going to parties (and danced like crazy when I could), and even went on a few dates with a girl that I met though all this fun

I still have to cope with SA every day, but now I have an idea of how to handle it.... it's not easy to keep up that philosophy I mentioned earlier, trust me, but I do the best i can. And most importantly, if I can come from where I was at my low points to where I am now.... I know anyone can. I also know someday I will find my true peace of mind

Hello,
I am a 33 yr old woman with no history of anxiety or depression. Exactly a year ago, my husband and I went on a trip to San Francisco during a very stressful time in my life. I was struggling with school and working way too much. We sat down at a restaurant to eat and that is when it started. I felt like something was pulling me away from reality and my heart started pounding. My husband was trying to talk to me and I didn't feel any connection to him, where I was, or even who I was. I found out later what I was experiencing is called a "depersonalization attack". We got back to the hotel, and the feeling never stopped.

We got an early flight home and long story short, I could not leave the house for 2 months without having an attack. The worst was eating at a restaurant for some reason. My doctor prescribed 20mg daily of Lexapro, but I had terrible nausea and strange sensations down my arms. It was just too strong to start out on. I was so sick and scared, I started thinking I was going to go crazy, and ended up at the emergency room in desperation. The nurse told me she had social anxiety and she takes Citalopram and it worked for her. I had sworn off trying any other meds due to my bad experience, but I needed to do something. I saw my doctor and went on Citalopran, starting at 10mg a day, working slowly up to 20mg. I must be very sensitive to SSRI's because it was not easy. I was nauseous, emotional, anxious and shaky for about 2 months before I started to feel a difference. I can say now this is a Miracle drug! A year later, I can go anywhere and do anything I want without anxiety! I'm not saying that I don't "check" how I'm feeling every day and worry about another attack, but even that's getting better. I don't care if I'm on this drug for the rest of my life!

My advice to anyone going through what I did is keep trying! If one drug is not working for you, try another. There is one out there that will work for you. And no matter how strong, smart or determined you are, you may need medication to get through this, and that is ok! It might be difficult to start, but hang in there and give it a chance to work - I promise you it is so much better on the other side!

I think I'm heading down this path but from the male side. I'm finishing up my AA because I've been confused about what I really want to do with my life but now with that I feel I'm out of time and need to pick something now. My relationships at the moment with women have been nothing but small talk and today I opened up somewhat to a woman who doesn't seem confused at all about what shes going to be doing, after today I'm pretty sure this relationship is going to be romantic but I want to strongly maintain a relationship with her because otherwise I'll feel like I'm going backwards. Other women I've talked to recently have been very kind but when it comes to guy talk I fail completely. I can't relate to the way they talk or the things they talk about. sometimes I play with the idea that I have a lesbian female brain in a male body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyqU6...el_video_title

The solution for me was to ignore the thoughts and seeing things clearly. For further explanation...pm me.

May we all come out of this rut...and help others too.

When I was growing up I barely had any friends extremely shy and awkward around girls. My brother was very helpful but I got into talking to people over the internet and even into online dating. I know it has a bad perception to some people but I found it gave me confidence to talk to girls. Anyways down the line a few years i had met people over the internet and i got better but was still shy but when I was 17 I started talking to this girl over the internet from Canada and I just knew I really liked her but I was so shy about my private life because this just seems so odd. I knew Simone for 3 years and she actually came over to Ireland on holiday and I had to take a chance I mean meeting over the internet in the same area is one thing but different countries is competely different. It just became so real that I took a huge chance a huge step to go and met up with her. There I was walking down the street to met her in the morning practically my old shy self like I was doing this for the first time and i seen her and she saw me and ran towards me and I just hugged her. Nothing needed to be said and it was like a rush of me finally crossing a milestone greatest feeling I have ever had.

I just want people to know you can create your own happiness just take it one step at a time and you will no doubt reach your own milestone! All the best to you guys.

I spoke in front of 70 people today, of course I was blushing throughout the whole thing but I didn't let it bother me. So it was a small win for me today

I had social anxiety for most of my life. I went to therapy. Although the therapy didnt help much, it proved to myself I could do things I fear. start small. raise your hand in class. then do something else. build slowly. you will have good days and days, dont give up.

How im overcoming my social anxiety
it all started in year 11 where i said to my self im going to stop playing sport and start studying i was indoor just studying not going out at all i remember one day in class my teacher picked on me to get up infront of the class i was so nervous my cheeks were trembling i couldn't smile they tremble and after that my life was hell its been 2 years now i was like to my self now way im going doctors to get meds f*** that it makes it worse
my best friend has SA too i gave him 8 mag tablets and 4 st johns wort tablets for 2 days he took them for days and he started exercising for those 2 days he said he feels so good tomorrow me and him are going tomorrow to buy him same supplements that im taking and we will jog together and do gym together to keep him going because he will quit he told me the other day i dont know how can i thank you for helping me out so i wanna help you guys too

i started taking magnesium complete 200mg 2 in the morning 2 at night and anti stress st johns worth 1 at night 1 in the morning
i started jogging with 1km now i jog 5km its been 1 week i feel wonderful it feels like its almost gone im still going to keep going i have so much motivation right now i have a job interview in few days im bit nervous but ill be alright i used to love soccer that passion for soccer is coming back i feel like playing soccer right now and yeah guys thats how im overcoming mine trust me do that i guarantee you that you will overcome it )

that was really nice and well written. I'm glad for you!

I got over my social anixety last year September after watching an episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. The episode was Call of the Cutie. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. I am so outgoing now and many people have commented on it. I've started talking to new people and have really come out of my shell.

I recently made a group of friends too but they're all 9th graders, while I'm in 11th. Honestly, all my 11th grade friends dropped out or moved away and I don't like anybody else in that grade. I have a few 12th grade friends. My 9th grade friends think this is really weird and I must agree. :/ But I'm not done making friends though. I have classmates I see sitting by themselves at lunch. I need to approach them.

I REALLY recommend watching that episode even if you think you're too old. It helped me, which is why I worship the show now and nothing anyone says can shift my love for the show <3. It helped me so maybe it will help one of you guys too. You can easily find all of the episodes on youtube. Good luck to everyone still trying to overcame SAD. Keep trying, the results are definitely worth the struggle.

In fact, it's been really hard communicating with these new friends of mine. I haven't really had much human interaction, e.g. talking with another person since 8th grade really, so I'm finding it hard re-assimilating(not sure if that's the right word) myself back into being social. :o

I just seem to have gotten better since leaving school and coming to uni.
I'm def not the life of the party, but I feel more confident as I am in a football team, and feel reasonably accepted by flatmates.

Sorry, but I thought your name was kind of funny.