[jonesy0039]

This time last year i thought my life would never change, i believed that i would never get a job, have a proper relationship or any friends, i believed i was destined to spend the rest of my life alone, bored and depressed. Then on new years ever i vowed to change everything i vowed i would get over my anxiety and work towards having the life i wanted.

So i began my horrifyingly painful journey on the road to recovery, spent many weeks suffering however i spent just as many having the best time of my life. I have finially arrived at the place i want to be, I have several groups of friends that i see almost daily, i have a girlfriend, i havent spent a weekend at mine in about a month as i am constantly out at parties or with my friends, I also have a full time job which even though it is not what i want to do exaclty it is allowing me to save up so i can live out my dream of opening a company later in life.

The best thing of all is that i no longer feel any anxiety around people. I can happliy just walk up to a random stranger and start a conversation, I can do things that i find fun such as photography in the middle of the city (something i used to avoid due to the fact i thought people would shout at me if they somehow ended up on the wrong side of my camera)

I can finially say with confidence that I am happy with my life and that i am looking forward to the future.

if it helps anyone.. all i did was throw myself headfirst into every situation that came to me.. took every opportunity offered and did what i felt was acceptable.. i found that people acctually liked me for me and that gave me a huge confidence boost which helped me greatly

 

[SloopjohnB]

great to hear man. Keep doing what you do and you will be where you want to be.

 

[bbarn]

wow, congrats. Great story, i felt exactly like you in the beginning. I'm not where i want to be but i know it takes time and patience to be where i wanna be.

 

[help me]

so i have some questions for you, since you already conquered SAD. can you answer them for me, please?
question 1: how should i bring it up with my doctor (who is also my mom)?
and question 2: to get tested for SAD, do you have to get blood drawn or get any shots or poked with anything?

 

[Freedom2010]

Wow! Congrats on the life change! It shows that with the right mindset and the rignt amount of determiniation, you can accomplish anything. I am so happy for you!

 

[Sabu]

Wow nice going!

 

[Happ2beme]

Dang, Your an inspiration for us all!

 

[pboy]

if it helps anyone.. all i did was throw myself headfirst into every situation that came to me.. took every opportunity offered and did what i felt was acceptable.. i found that people acctually liked me for me and that gave me a huge confidence boost which helped me greatly

This sounds very much like what I've suspected might be the answer all along. A combo of approaching rather than avoiding, self acceptance and just being yourself...rather than 'trying-to-change-yourself-to-fit-with-what-you-think-others-want'.

Well done

 

[leonardess]

that is fantastic, I am happy that you've achieved all that, and only at 21. You have a lot of time ahead of you to enjoy life.

However, when I read these successes, I often suspect it is somehow easier the younger you are.

I think opportunities dwindle with age. Just a niggling thought at the back of my mind.

 

[pboy]

I think opportunities dwindle with age. Just a niggling thought at the back of my mind.

I think it's just an ingrained myth of popular culture. Scientists are discovering that the brain is more changeable than people previously thought.

 

[leonardess]

^ good - thanks for that, I need all the reassurance I can get on this.

 

[jonesy0039]

so i have some questions for you, since you already conquered SAD. can you answer them for me, please?
question 1: how should i bring it up with my doctor (who is also my mom)?
and question 2: to get tested for SAD, do you have to get blood drawn or get any shots or poked with anything?

i was diagnosed with SAD when i was in college.. i got refered to a pshyciatrist because i didnt particpate much in classes and i was showing signs of depression.. i had a couple of
"chats", more like me sitting there answering her questions with short vauge replies, and she came to the conclusion that i had SAD

 

[bsd3355]

I'm almost where you are myself except I don't have a girlfriend lol, but that's ok it just motivates me more.

Interesting thing I've noticed about what you said was that now that you have got the reactions from others it has given you a major confidence boost. It's so true! It's pretty amazing how your perception of things change once you start accomplishing the things that have been holding you down. Great job and very inspiring!

 

[_AJ_]

I tried throwing myself headfirst into every situation. It turns out everyone doesnt like me for me

 

[_AJ_]

ok, if jonesy can do it, we all can do it!!

 

[gold132]

This time last year i thought my life would never change, i believed that i would never get a job, have a proper relationship or any friends, i believed i was destined to spend the rest of my life alone, bored and depressed. Then on new years ever i vowed to change everything i vowed i would get over my anxiety and work towards having the life i wanted.

So i began my horrifyingly painful journey on the road to recovery, spent many weeks suffering however i spent just as many having the best time of my life. I have finially arrived at the place i want to be, I have several groups of friends that i see almost daily, i have a girlfriend, i havent spent a weekend at mine in about a month as i am constantly out at parties or with my friends, I also have a full time job which even though it is not what i want to do exaclty it is allowing me to save up so i can live out my dream of opening a company later in life.

The best thing of all is that i no longer feel any anxiety around people. I can happliy just walk up to a random stranger and start a conversation, I can do things that i find fun such as photography in the middle of the city (something i used to avoid due to the fact i thought people would shout at me if they somehow ended up on the wrong side of my camera)

I can finially say with confidence that I am happy with my life and that i am looking forward to the future.

if it helps anyone.. all i did was throw myself headfirst into every situation that came to me.. took every opportunity offered and did what i felt was acceptable.. i found that people acctually liked me for me and that gave me a huge confidence boost which helped me greatly

That part is really encouraging to me
I'm sick of reading countless techniques and advice on beating SA i think everyone should try doing this, i know i will (well maybe not every single situation) but most situations

I've just started college so its pretty much a new start for me. There's only a couple of people in my whole college that i know so its like clean slate for me and so far its going well, i'm sure the more risks i take the more confidence i will gain

 

[Steve123]

Thanks so much for sharing with us! It makes me feel better to know that success of that kind is actually possible.

Would you care to share some more details of how you did it?

 

[Catching Fire]

I've been throwing myself into every situation and taking every oppurtunity so it looks like I'm doing the right thing. That's great that you overcame SA and can live your life without fear.

 

[steve p.]

if it helps anyone.. all i did was throw myself headfirst into every situation that came to me.. took every opportunity offered and did what i felt was acceptable.. i found that people acctually liked me for me and that gave me a huge confidence boost which helped me greatly

Congratulations on overcoming your anxiety jonesy!

That's great news, and I particularly like what you share about putting yourself into every situation possible. This is one of the keys to recovery. As the self-help guru Dr. Wayne Dyer says,

"It's not the things that we do that control us, it's the things we don't do."

Congrats again!