Anxiety

[onmywaytoshine]

Can social anxiety fade naturally? I feel like no matter how much i force myself to talk and do things it just never gets better. Im not getting better

 

[cgrtt.brns]

when i did cbt my therapist always told me that anxiety is the worst before you do something and then as you keep doing it ur anxiety gradually goes down, like the first time you go on a roller coaster youre scared bc you dont know what its going to be like but as you keep going back to the roller coaster you get less scared bc you know what to expect. but ive always felt my anxiety is the same every time no matter how many times i do it.
i guess it might be worth asking yourself what exactly causes your anxiety, bc for me its mostly bc im autistic and im really bad at any kind of social interaction so i get scared to talk to people, and since i cant change being autistic its always the same unless i rehearse what i have to say but thats not reliable for every kind of interaction. theres ways to cope but at least for me its never going to go away. i hope this made sense and was somewhat helpful. i wish you all the best.

 

[onmywaytoshine]

when i did cbt my therapist always told me that anxiety is the worst before you do something and then as you keep doing it ur anxiety gradually goes down, like the first time you go on a roller coaster youre scared bc you dont know what its going to be like but as you keep going back to the roller coaster you get less scared bc you know what to expect. but ive always felt my anxiety is the same every time no matter how many times i do it.
i guess it might be worth asking yourself what exactly causes your anxiety, bc for me its mostly bc im autistic and im really bad at any kind of social interaction so i get scared to talk to people, and since i cant change being autistic its always the same unless i rehearse what i have to say but thats not reliable for every kind of interaction. theres ways to cope but at least for me its never going to go away. i hope this made sense and was somewhat helpful. i wish you all the best.

Thank u for answering! Sending hugs

 

[FungusButler]

This post doesn't go into a lot of specific detail, so what I have to say might not actually be all that helpful to you specifically, but I felt like throwing it out there anyway, as this was something that would have helped me a lot back when I was struggling with my own AD:

You obviously have to take responsibility for treating your own anxiety, but that doesn't mean you're to blame if that 'treatment' doesn't go entirely well.

Unlike the vast majority of problems in life, a social anxiety disorder is not a type of problem one can simply solve by themselves. It takes the active involvement of other people, some of which are simply NOT going to act in the best interest of helping you with your body's chemical dysfunctions.

I.E. a therapy group is a good place to get exposure therapy for an AD, whereas a job in the service industry definitely isn't.

People will often claim that doubling down on human interaction is the key to treating social anxiety, but that isn't actually the case.

POSITIVE social interaction is the key to treating social anxiety, and that is a two-way street for which you can only ever be responsible for your side of the equation.

If the people you interact with treat you poorly (which is sadly just the norm in many professional situations) your anxiety is not going to improve, it's often going to get worse, because avoiding those situations is exactly what social anxiety evolved to help you do in the first place. This is why treatment for social anxiety is best done in a closed, emotionally-healthy environment. You have to learn to tolerate positive environments BEFORE you can learn to tolerate negative ones.

Just remember to treat your anxiety for what it is: a natural set of bodily sensations. Don't get hung up on yourself when it spikes out of your control, just acknowledge it for what it is.

Best of luck! <3

 

[onmywaytoshine]

This post doesn't go into a lot of specific detail, so what I have to say might not actually be all that helpful to you specifically, but I felt like throwing it out there anyway, as this was something that would have helped me a lot back when I was struggling with my own AD:

You obviously have to take responsibility for treating your own anxiety, but that doesn't mean you're to blame if that 'treatment' doesn't go entirely well.

Unlike the vast majority of problems in life, a social anxiety disorder is not a type of problem one can simply solve by themselves. It takes the active involvement of other people, some of which are simply NOT going to act in the best interest of helping you with your body's chemical dysfunctions.

I.E. a therapy group is a good place to get exposure therapy for an AD, whereas a job in the service industry definitely isn't.

People will often claim that doubling down on human interaction is the key to treating social anxiety, but that isn't actually the case.

POSITIVE social interaction is the key to treating social anxiety, and that is a two-way street for which you can only ever be responsible for your side of the equation.

If the people you interact with treat you poorly (which is sadly just the norm in many professional situations) your anxiety is not going to improve, it's often going to get worse, because avoiding those situations is exactly what social anxiety evolved to help you do in the first place. This is why treatment for social anxiety is best done in a closed, emotionally-healthy environment. You have to learn to tolerate positive environments BEFORE you can learn to tolerate negative ones.

Just remember to treat your anxiety for what it is: a natural set of bodily sensations. Don't get hung up on yourself when it spikes out of your control, just acknowledge it for what it is.

Best of luck! <3

Thank you for answering!! It is very helpful