In what areas does social anxiety/phobia, affect you?

[Idahocalypse]

My social anxiety is so bad I not only have it in real life but also over the Internet.

Examples:

"I keep making posts on every update on the Visual Novel Maker facebook page, but I'm not getting any likes or responses. I wonder if I'm coming across as a desperate loser. I wonder if everyone, including the devs, secretly hates me."

"I wish I were brave enough to write fanfiction and post it on fanfiction.net, but I'm extremely worried that I won't be able to handle negative reviews. I can't even write stories for a silly show like Spongebob without being scared to death that people are going to hate my work. And more serious shows? I might as well forget it; I'll never have the guts."

"I could never battle another Pokemon player, because I would almost certainly lose. I'd be so humiliated by my defeat that I could never pick up the game and play it again. And even worse, what if the other person recorded our battle and posted it on Youtube? I'd be the laughingstock of the entire Pokemon community."

 

[celestialregale]

I can barely leave my house and it's driving me crazy. It started with anxiety in check out lines a few years ago and escalated from there. I don't go anywhere with out my hubby, and leave all the interacting to him. This is a major issue for me.

 

[Beverly Kamin]

For me, it affects going out alone and thus, doing things on my own, when others are around.

I hate the idea that I am being scrutinized and thus, have to do major psyching up to just pop down my road for something and I mean: I can see my chemist, from my drive and thus, literally a 2 minute work and yet, it might as well be hours away!

We have a bar/tobac as our neighbours ( live in France and so, not like your usual rowdy pub etc) and to go to our bins, which is again, 2 mins away, I have to walk passed and because there is a no smoking ban, inside the building, all congregate outside and so, I usually go on a monday, because the pub is closed.

The bus stop is again, just a few feet away and yet, for the life of me, I cannot cope getting on it!

It high lights very much my stupidity and shame!

It all comes down to be looked at, which I honestly cannot cope with!

When it comes to social anxiety for me, I get anxious right before an event because I don't know what to expect. It is always the fear of the unknown that freaks me out. New things can be challenging for me. But once I experience something, it is not as terrifying.

 

[Suzanne]

When it comes to social anxiety for me, I get anxious right before an event because I don't know what to expect. It is always the fear of the unknown that freaks me out. New things can be challenging for me. But once I experience something, it is not as terrifying.

Yes, that happens to me too and actually, I do not consider that fear of people is called: social anxiety; but social phobia.

If I do feel comfortable where I am going, I find that anxiety is not there.

I am like that ie once I know about something, I am ok, if I know it is going to be ok.

 

[Suzanne]

I can barely leave my house and it's driving me crazy. It started with anxiety in check out lines a few years ago and escalated from there. I don't go anywhere with out my hubby, and leave all the interacting to him. This is a major issue for me.

I am exactly the same way. When with my hubby, I am ok; when on my own, that is a totally different ball game.