[illlaymedown]

I looked up afraid to work/get a job on the internet and it came up so I read through the defintion and symptoms and researched and knew that was me. I was just looking to see if other people were afraid to as well and found out I had a disorder! My doc. just thought I was depressed and would get angry at me and give me looooong speeches about getting a job.

 

[JMX]

I was "forced" into dancing with a girl at a frat party one night. I felt so uncomfortable, and I knew that couldn't be right. After that I started doing a little research, and started to realize that I have some kind of SA, and that I'm "love shy".

 

[Emerald3]

During the summer I was looking round the internet, and stumbled onto a website that explained all the symptoms of SA (http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/define.html) and started reading it. Ended up crying because the more I read, the more I was convinced this website was explaining me.

I actually have no idea what I was searching for on the internet, that made me find this website. Must have just been fate?

 

[secretlyshecries]

illlaymedown, I feel afraid to work too. It can be horrible because people think you're just being lazy. :|

Anyway, I always knew there was something not-quite-right with me socially. I had depression and some anxiety issues in the past, but I never really knew about SA. At some point my panicked feelings overtook my depression and suddenly being around people was my biggest worry. So I called it a 'social phobia' in my head. Only recently did I find out that in someone like my case, it's actually called social anxiety.

 

[Cool SAD sufferer]

Well, this one week I had a big oral presentation coming up and I also had parents evening, which my mum insisted that I went with her. I had my first big panic attack at parent evening in frotn of everyone. When I got home I researched how to deal with presentations etc and came across SA.

 

[illlaymedown]

illlaymedown, I feel afraid to work too. It can be horrible because people think you're just being lazy. :|

Anyway, I always knew there was something not-quite-right with me socially. I had depression and some anxiety issues in the past, but I never really knew about SA. At some point my panicked feelings overtook my depression and suddenly being around people was my biggest worry. So I called it a 'social phobia' in my head. Only recently did I find out that in someone like my case, it's actually called social anxiety.

yeah, everytime I see my family they ask if I've gotten a job yet and tend to think I'm lazy which is not true. I even heard about my aunt telling my mom I shouldn't be living with her and she should throw me out. I have zero support and the worst family ever, especially having something like SA...

 

[secretlyshecries]

Aww that's horrible. I live with my mum and sister and they're always trying to find me jobs and act as though they have to do it for me because I'm apparently too lazy to do it myself. :| I feel like I can't say I have SA at this point though because they'll just think it's another excuse.

 

[supersoshychick]

researching online

 

[Rixy]

Aww that's horrible. I live with my mum and sister and they're always trying to find me jobs and act as though they have to do it for me because I'm apparently too lazy to do it myself. :| I feel like I can't say I have SA at this point though because they'll just think it's another excuse.

That's the exact reason why I'm too afraid to tell anyone I have SA

 

[shyvr6]

Google

 

[TheVoid]

Google

ditto

I thought it was a weakness of mine that I always freaked out when I was a kid but as I got older I knew something wasn't right... So I googled, found answers I can relate to, went to see a doctor and she confirmed... :afr

 

[Scrub-Zero]

An old friend who has OCD, asperger and SA told me i had the symtoms of SA and Depression. Turned out he was right. I kinda knew about Depression, but didn't suspect SA at all.

 

[Toad Licker]

I found out through my counselor, I was actually diagnosed with agoraphobia before SA.

 

[Zombie Sheep]

I was "forced" into dancing with a girl at a frat party one night. I felt so uncomfortable, and I knew that couldn't be right. After that I started doing a little research, and started to realize that I have some kind of SA, and that I'm "love shy".

Hi!

Sorry, another long post from SAS's resident thread-killer.

I was the 'class clown' at school. But as soon as I hit 17 and went to 6th form I became mute, paranoid and completely terrified of everybody. I fell into depression and started comfort eating, I ballooned to 14 stone (I'm five foot eight) but assumed I was just shy and I'd grow out of it.

I took a job at a convenience store at the age of 22 and very nearly went mental. I started self-harming - I remember serving customers one day with blood pouring out of my arm - and everybody there was talking about me behind my back. I went to my doctor and got diagnosed with Social Phobia. More recently I was told I am Borderline as well, with chronic depression.

JMX - I quoted your post because it's interesting to meet another 'love shy' man. Sucks doesn't it? I was going to post on their forum... But I had a look and a very vocal minority of them are sad, bitter, woman-hating psychopathic trolls. It'd be nice to find a *friendly* forum to discuss stuff like that.

 

[illlaymedown]

Aww that's horrible. I live with my mum and sister and they're always trying to find me jobs and act as though they have to do it for me because I'm apparently too lazy to do it myself. :| I feel like I can't say I have SA at this point though because they'll just think it's another excuse.

Only my mom and aa few friends know I have SA. I read some info to my mom about what it was and she just thinks I'm being silly and over-reacting, partly cus my SA doesn't act out at home other than if strangers come over and if I'm alone I don't answer the door and if I'm not I wait for someone else to or go tell them someone's at the door. They also have talked about(my family not living here)my not driving often...I don't go to see them often cus I know I'm getting judged the entire time and adding that to my SA, it's almost torture. I wish someone would go with me to put in applications but have no one.

 

[BlueBamboo]

I've been shy ever since I can remember, and once I was old enough to really think about such things (maybe onset of middle school?) I kept saying to myself that there was standard shyness and then there was some sort of super-powered extra shyness, which is what I had. I kept seeing people call themselves shy who seemed totally outgoing and unafraid to me a lot of the time.

I'm not entirely sure when I found out that a disorder called social anxiety existed. I took a psychology class in high school, it may have been then. Or I may have come across the term on a forum somewhere. I didn't purposely research it, but I found it, and basically said, ahh see I was right, and there's a name for it.

 

[TheForgotten]

I just had enough and started researching online, I looked up anxious and one thing led to another.

 

[Banzai]

I think it was during my GCSEs, did I become more depressed probably due to the stress and everything else did I suddenly become much more paranoid about things. I was always shy and paranoid (along with a string of other problems) about things before but I think it was only then did it become more noticeable. I would just suddenly constantly look out the window seeing if it was "ok" to go out (I hardly went out that summer holidays), start sweating in certain situations etc etc and then realised that something wasn't right, did a search on Google and came across the term "social anxiety" and voilla! Along came along SAS as well. After that, things in my life suddenly seemed to make much more sense and I realise that I have probably had SA for most of my life but just a very light form of it because I could still force myself to get along with society (I can make friends, have conversations for example etc). I think in late year 10 or sometime did I begin to realise that I wasn't "normal" anyway.

 

[Sarah106]

Online researching, although I had suspiciouns when Paxil fist came out advertising SAD.

 

[toffee]

I've always knew that i wasn't like most people around me.. always the kid who sat at the back of class and felt too scared to speak, always had trouble in social situations..this time last yr i thought i was the only person on earth who felt like this, after abit of research i came across SA, and after reading about it, and looking into it, everything just clicked... it is tough but it feels good knowing that i'm not the only person who feels like this, i'm not alone..