online social anxiety

[Zaya]

i know some people here suffer from social anxiety and i guess i am one of them but for me personaly the entire onine world doesnt exactly help with that

for example i have written like a handfull of posts on here already but didn't post them because i was just like "fuck it, no on cares"

I cant even find friends online, everytime i try to meet new people on discord or other social media they are either super weird or want nothing to to with me,

Now my question is how many people can relate to that.

Does the anonymity online help with your social anxiety or is it just as bad as irl?

 

[sserafim]

The anonymity online helps with my social anxiety. My social anxiety stems from people themselves. Seeing, talking to and interacting with people in person stresses me out. I like online communication though

 

[Meteora]

Does the anonymity online help with your social anxiety or is it just as bad as irl?

It is easier until you want to meet these people in real life

 

[_AllCatsAreGrey_]

for example i have written like a handful of posts on here already but didn't post them because i was just like "fuck it, no on cares"

I do that a lot here. I often start writing, hoping to share my thoughts and then just delete it. I have a lot of self doubt.

I will also say that I'd like to encourage you to post, if you feel inclined to. I think the more you're able to do that, the more natural it could feel.

Possibly you could turn that "fuck it" to a feeling of why *not* post it? No one cares! (in a positive sense, like no one will judge )

 

[dragonofenvy]

Yeah I get you I feel like I make some dumb posts on here, but I also know that even if I'm being super dumb nobody knows who I am so be it. It's embarrassing, but when I see dumb stuff online I forget about it within a few minutes and don't judge them for a couple of dumb things they say. I have tried to find other friends outside the small group I've got on discord since I'm not a fan of them but when I try it's just super bad I can't meet new people on my own. I never know what to say or how to carry a conversation or make basic introductions. I find though, that online interactions are a lot easier for me to project a better version of myself rather than the "real" version. It does get tiring but at least the won't see just how awkward I really am. IRL, that's a hurdle I still can't overcome.

 

[Zaya]

Possibly you could turn that "fuck it" to a feeling of why *not* post it? No one cares! (in a positive sense, like no one will judge )

never thought about it that way, hopefully that will help, thank you

 

[Malaria]

I have a lot of anxiety even with socializing online due to many negative online experiences I've had. It's hell, talking to people IRL makes me anxious, talking to people online makes me anxious. Even talking in this forum makes me anxious sometimes, I know it's irrational, but I can't help it.

 

[theboy]

because sometimes it's easier to make friends online than in real life. anything pm

 

[cgrtt.brns]

yeah i still get affected by anxiety online, especially in one-to-one situations bc im fucking awful at talking to ppl, and also in the chat thing i get so worked up just trying to get the courage to say hi, but also posting stuff/commenting on others posts too. i think i fear being perceived/observed i guess, like the thought of people seeing my existence in any way just makes me super anxious and uncomfortable. i go through periods where i dont post or comment on here for weeks bc of that fear, but then other times it doesnt effect me as much and im able to just think "fuck it no one who reads my bullshit knows who i am and ill never know who they are so who gives a shit". the annoying thing is when i go back to periods of anxiety and see posts ive made it makes me want to crumple up into a ball and die, and for some reason i have little to no memory of even making them. im also terrified of making new posts/threads even more than i am of replying to existing ones, bc i feel bad taking up space on peoples timelines, and what if no one reads it or responds and its just a waste of space, but also what if people do read it and respond - i couldnt handle the uncomfortable feeling of being perceived by so many people and having so many people take time out of their day to read and respond to something i said, like what the fuck. and all of that is even while im completely anonymous. that being said this site and community means a lot to me and i owe a lot to it, its helped me a lot over the short time ive been here despite how terrified i am of everything sometimes lol

 

[Unhumanly.]

I feel the same things, offline or online, I always think about anything I said could be getting an unexpected reaction from others, eventually I overthink about people reaction, having inner monologue, imagining different scenarios of how people will react, until I forgot what I'm trying to tell or vent out, and cancel everything

 

[bugs_for_brains]

I relate a lot, I've tried a few times to make online friends but it's never successful. I used to be too anxious to comment on YouTube videos (not even talking about replies) regardless of how many other comments there already were lol

 

[druggedonsurvival]

I know how you feel. I don't make any effort to make online friends because I just don't see it happening. I will say though that you shouldn't feel afraid to post here. Most of us won't be judgemental.

 

[ApparentlyNot]

I'd recommend checking out the general chat function and just saying hello in there. It's helped me overcome my social anxiety on this forum.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I actually find it much easier online but, struggle in real life. I mean- I find it easy here anyway- I don't really post anywhere else. The way I figure it is- the majority of people here are at least open and friendly. If my posts bore them, they can just skip past them.

I think people here do care though. I expect most of us have experienced being the outsider, so I think people often make more effort to be more welcoming here.

 

[nofunclub]

I totally relate to this. I've tried to participate in a fandom on Twitter these last few months and I like, can't make myself post… I feel like anything I could say would be dumb, even though everyone's really friendly. I end up leaving most posts in drafts to just like and retweet things… it's a special kind of loneliness lmao.

On here it's a little different? Since although I enjoy seeing people I recognize in off-topic threads and stuff, I didn't join this forum to make friends. So it's lower pressure for me. But I do still self-censor most of the time, often wonder if what I'm about to say is dumb, and can't bring myself to start a thread lol.

 

[NoLoveNoHope]

I experience social anxiety online and in person (worse in IRL). I often fear that people will judge me for anything no matter how small of a detail it is or bring up a mistake I've made in the past to make fun of me. There have been many times I delete something I wrote out even if it would add valuable information, interesting viewpoint etc just because I fear other people will react negatively even if there is nothing to make fun of or insult me for. Even in the times I fight against my fears I will constantly be checking whether someone has talked about or reacted to whatever I said for usually 1-2 hours.