Dealing with Social Anxiety

[magicwiccan1]

How do you all deal with a social anxiety? I want to be able to go out and enjoy myself and be around people but being in crowed situations makes me feel so anxious. I start thinking everyone is staring at me, juding me or thinking I'm strange. Even at family occasions and get togethers I just dread going to them as I'll end up talking to someone who will ask me how I've been and if I have any news, it's then when I start to panic as I feel their attention is on me talking and listening to me, and then I start thinking of not panicking which of course makes me panic and then I feel myself go red and start to sweat and the more I think about trying to calm down the worse it get. It feels like I'm acting guilty about something when I'm not guilty about anything. Like going through airport security knowing you are ok but feeling like you've something to hide.
Even paying for grocery shopping I dread going to the till and having to interact with the person there, again I feel myself going red and blushing and starting to sweat. You'd swear I was reacting like I robbed the shop but I didn't.
I feel myself getting light headed and wanting to pass out and I feel they all think I've done something.
It has got much worse over the last few years, when I was younger it was the total opposite and I was an attention seeker. Now I just don't want to be seen by anyone.
At times I wish lockdown would come back as then I'd have an excuse not to be at any social events as they'd all be banned.
Is propranolol any good? I read it's good for the physical symptoms such as fast heart and blushing but doesn't help with the mental anxiety.
How do you all cope with social anxiety?

 

[ogerpon]

I take propranolol and recommend it

 

[magicwiccan1]

I take propranolol and recommend it

Thanks. I've been on it before as a migraine treatment and going to go on it again for social anxiety, I remember it just made me really tired and groggy all the time but that's worth it is it works.

 

[ogerpon]

Thanks. I've been on it before as a migraine treatment and going to go on it again for social anxiety, I remember it just made me really tired and groggy all the time but that's worth it is it works.

Maybe only take it before social events/whenever you know you'll get anxious? I take 40mg every day and then an extra 20mg for stressful situations. It makes me tired too, but I'm tired by default so I barely notice.

 

[CrazyDiamond04]

I deal with it terribly lol. I feel like it's almost impossible to initiate any type of conversation and I have a bad habit of motor mouthing my way through conversations I find stressful (which is most of them).

 

[magicwiccan1]

Maybe only take it before social events/whenever you know you'll get anxious? I take 40mg every day and then an extra 20mg for stressful situations. It makes me tired too, but I'm tired by default so I barely notice.

Yeah I'll try that and see if it helps, when I was in 10mg it didn't help with the social anxiety so I might up the dose. Thanks.

I deal with it terribly lol. I feel like it's almost impossible to initiate any type of conversation and I have a bad habit of motor mouthing my way through conversations I find stressful (which is most of them).

It's horrible isn't it. It gets so bad when in a group of people and you say something and someone corrects you or challenges you and everyone then looks at you waiting for your reaction or come back and all you can think about is "don't panic" and then boom you feel your face go red and hot and beads of sweat start forming and you clothes start to show sweat patches and you just want the ground below you to open up and swallow you.
I think part of it if over thinking everything too instead of just going with the flow.
Seems to be worse around strangers than people you know but can happen with both.

 

[AlouA]

How do you all deal with a social anxiety? I want to be able to go out and enjoy myself and be around people but being in crowed situations makes me feel so anxious. I start thinking everyone is staring at me, juding me or thinking I'm strange. Even at family occasions and get togethers I just dread going to them as I'll end up talking to someone who will ask me how I've been and if I have any news, it's then when I start to panic as I feel their attention is on me talking and listening to me, and then I start thinking of not panicking which of course makes me panic and then I feel myself go red and start to sweat and the more I think about trying to calm down the worse it get. It feels like I'm acting guilty about something when I'm not guilty about anything. Like going through airport security knowing you are ok but feeling like you've something to hide.
Even paying for grocery shopping I dread going to the till and having to interact with the person there, again I feel myself going red and blushing and starting to sweat. You'd swear I was reacting like I robbed the shop but I didn't.
I feel myself getting light headed and wanting to pass out and I feel they all think I've done something.
It has got much worse over the last few years, when I was younger it was the total opposite and I was an attention seeker. Now I just don't want to be seen by anyone.
At times I wish lockdown would come back as then I'd have an excuse not to be at any social events as they'd all be banned.
Is propranolol any good? I read it's good for the physical symptoms such as fast heart and blushing but doesn't help with the mental anxiety.
How do you all cope with social anxiety?

I was prescribed escitalopram for my social anxiety after recently getting diagnosed.. The things you mentioned were so relatable!.. Also I haven't really noticed any changes up till now, read someone saying that it takes 2-3 months to really work... a part of me just wish lockdown would come again and I wouldn't have to go to school physically all the time, not that i am now though cuz I'm on leave for over a month now..

I take propranolol and recommend it

Does i need prescription to buy it?

 

[magicwiccan1]

I was prescribed escitalopram for my social anxiety after recently getting diagnosed.. The things you mentioned were so relatable!.. Also I haven't really noticed any changes up till now, read someone saying that it takes 2-3 months to really work... a part of me just wish lockdown would come again and I wouldn't have to go to school physically all the time, not that i am now though cuz I'm on leave for over a month now..

Thanks for the info, I must look into escitalopram. I hope it ends up working for you.
Lockdown was great, esp for people who are introverts and don't want to deal with social situations.
I wish I was that guy who loved to party and go out and have a good time, but when I get asked to go out I always have to try make up an excuse to stay in, but when i can't get out of it and I do go out I end up sitting on my own while everyone else goes off dancing as I don't dance, it gets worse when people around me end up getting drunk and thinking they can be the one to convince me to dance and I end up getting angry at them to stop and then I end up being the bad guy. It doesn't help either that I sort of suffer from body dysmorphia too.

I don't want to regret it but when I'm 80 and look back on my life I know I'll be thinking to myself how stupid I was to be like that.

 

[AloeGarten]

i have avpd and struggle with it a lot too, the only thing that helps consistently is using benzos. im also starting cbt therapy for the first time soon but im doubtful itll help much

 

[magicwiccan1]

I did try therapy before but it didn't help. I didn't find them any good. I got the standard "baby steps" approach and just stopped going but I think the therapist was just useless and not a specialist in that area. I'd definitely give it another go as I'm sure there are proper therapists out there that are good at what they do. But even the thought of going to see them is anxious enough too. I wonder would hypnotherapy be any good. Anything is worth a try I guess.

 

[simulatingpenfart]

Is propranolol any good? I read it's good for the physical symptoms such as fast heart and blushing but doesn't help with the mental anxiety.

Beta blockers like propranolol and clonidine are like a miracle drug for me. Had I known about it years ago I would have never made it on this forum lol.

Now don't get me wrong, I still have generalized anxiety and worry about things more than I should, but knowing that your body won't betray you is amazing and was the crux of 90% of my anxiety.

One thing tho, I'd recommend finding another therapist if do consider medication. These things often work in tandem. For me at least, trying to deal with my cognitive anxiety with just a therapist was useless, as was trying to deal with my physiological anxiety using solely meds. Maybe's that just me tho.

so tldr, basically 10/10 would recommend.

 

[sserafim]

I take propranolol and recommend it

I used to take it back in the day for social anxiety. I think it worked pretty well. I wanted to try to manage my anxiety on my own though so I stopped taking it.

Now I cope by avoidance, and by being a shut-in/hikikomori. That way I won't have to see or interact with other people irl, yay!

I went to the supermarket the other day (I guess for self-induced exposure therapy) and I literally was so nervous. My hands were sweating and my shoulders were so tense. I was just standing there awkwardly, waiting (browsing SS in public lmao, screen dark ofc). I felt like ppl kept looking at me weirdly cuz I was so stiff and tense. Ugh I hate crowds or being in public or even seeing other people. I'd rather stay home

Same! I wish lockdown would come back as well. Honestly I really enjoyed lockdown and not having to interact with ppl in person

 

[catperson]

Relatable