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Is this social anxiety?

645 views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Otherside  
#1 ·
Hello everyone I'm 15 and I would just like to clarify if this is in fact social anxiety.
First of all in social situations I feel like I can talk to people only I like which is quite a lot , I find I am extremely anxious. this is not the case however that bugs me, it's the fact that when in school I constantly feel as though teachers are always judging me for whatever reason, I have the constant feeling of teachers always talking behind my back and staring at me from a far distance. When I'm in lesson they always tend to stare at me and when I stare back they look away in a fast motion which leads to me believing that there's something wrong with me. When I am talking to a teacher i find it very awkward and tend to avoid eye contact. I always have an impression that many people don't like me at all and for all the times that they do I feel really down and depressed asking myself what's wrong with me?

There are some situations in which I feel are really awkward for example when my friend is talking with a girl in a hall waiting for a teacher I find it rather awkward and my other friends are staring at me laughing because they know what situation I'm in, don't get me wrong we all laugh about it as they have the same problems too however, it seems as teachers know what is happening for me and they start to stare at me too. I always think it's about me, oh it forgot- the girl's friends know what is happening too which doesn't help either. In despair, I always think of these social situations for quite a while thinking of how much of an idiot I am and feeling exactly what I felt that day thinking about it. I have exams soon and I don't feel like seeing people I think hate me, I don't want to go in lessons because I think teachers hate me which could affect my grades I know. I just feel like I'm a freak. help. Is this social anxiety? Is it all in my head?
 
#3 ·
Hi, welcome to SAS. :)

It does sound like SA. And just because things are in your head, doesn't make them any less of a problem. It can be a serious problem in some cases.

SA does cause people to be paranoid though in that way, or at least in the way you are describing. I doubt people are staring at you or laughing at you. And unless you have told anyone IRL about your SA, then I doubt people know. I also doubt people hate you. I do know though with SA, things seem that way. I get it so often. It sucks. :)

I have exams too so I wish you luck, and all you can really do is your best really. I have them to, and I know that it won't be helping the situation. Ben of the teachers hate you, it's unlikely that will affect your grade the way it does in movies and such. It is illegal for that to happen, they can get fired for that, and they don't want that to happen.

I can't give you a yes or no answer because I am not a doctor. There's other reasons why people have problems like this that could be the cause of it. If its bothering you, then Id say go to the doctor. Sometimes knowing for sure what's wrong helps. But it sounds like SA. And if you ever want to PM me and ask anything, go ahead. :)
 
#4 ·
I constantly feel as though teachers are always judging me for whatever reason, I have the constant feeling of teachers always talking behind my back and staring at me from a far distance.
The definition of SA is

Social anxiety is a discomfort or a fear when a person is in social interactions that involve a concern about being judged or evaluated by others. It is typically characterized by an intense fear of what others are thinking about them (specifically fear of embarrassment, criticism, or rejection), which results in the individual feeling insecure, and that they are not good enough for other people. The results of this are fear and anxiety within social situations, and the assumption that peers will automatically reject them in the social situations.
Taking that a step further to thinking people are talking about you behind your back is more like paranoia. I believe some paranoia is common in people with anxiety problems.
 
#5 ·
Hey fabbob123 welcome. :hyper
 
#6 ·
I feel the same way, I'm 14 and in the past few months I've started to feel like more and more people are staring and laughing at me. I also feel people think there is something wrong with me. It's so horrible:'( when I'm sat in my room I feel there is a camera somewhere, I've felt like this for as long as I can remember, I've searched my room for a camera too many times to count. I can never be myself where ever I am.