how to overcome social anxiety issues?

[C.C]

I am doing better than I did in high school so I'm confident I can overcome this in time but I still had bad social anxiety issues. (I'm 22) I can't talk to groups of more than 2-3 even people I know or work with. Sometimes after work i wait about 10 minutes because I can't handle the rush of people leaving. I won't goto new locations (I.e new grocery store, pet market anything) alone. I have to psych myself up to even goto normal places like getting gas myself. Its really hard day to day and I'm so envious when I see people who can do those things or are outgoing. Mostly it seems I'm so scared of what people will think/say that I don't talk and if I do I'm so scared I mess up my words and look dumb. Now I want to go back to college but 2 years were SO difficult for me to complete that I don't know if I can even handle the next 2 years. Does anyone have advice on what I could do? I'm poor so I can't get professional help unfortunately.

[vettech]

i am 26 ,i have the exact same problem,and as you are i am getting better, i have some days were social anxiety in not that bad of a problem and other days its really bad, on one of my confident day i applied for a job as an animal control officer and got the job , which forces me every day to be assertive and social and deal with difficult people, so what i am saying is do the behavior modifycation called flooding , it works for me stick yourself out there and then you realize that nothing will happen, and if you are at a gas station and say something dumb, that person doesnt know you, you may never see them again so what do you care what they think, and everyone is entitled to mistakes and if you are confident in your self then that will also make a diffences with your anxiety, also check out the psych dept at university's my brother in law got free therapy because students were helping up under supervison of a instructor, be picky some pyshcologists are not good some are great, also check with your place of employement they may offer discount therapy with some one they contract with....... i hope this helps..........................................also spend a little more time each day in situations that you may not like and you might get used to, meditation helps me and positive thinking along with confidance, also i think drinking caffeen or engery drinks helps, also excercise helps.....any more questions email me at vettech111@yahoo. com

[Gilles H]

Read some of my articles at
http://themeaningisyou.com
especially the one entitle Why can't I speak.

[hadenuff]

hey there, your not alone millions of people have anxiety and social anxiety. being poor does not mean that you cant get any professional help. do you have healthcare if not you are eligible for state healthcare. Also there are clinics that have a sliding scale or no fee for people without insurance. Everyone deals with this differently, depending on the extent it is affecting your daily living. Counseling is always recommended. sometimes it is all it takes and you can learn about social anxiety and how to manage it. Sometimes counseling and medication are recommended depending on the person. As a sufferer of anxiety and many family members with it I can say you should seek help whether a support group online or off, talking about it with people who genuinely understand in itself can make such a difference. Learning about anxiety and coping skills are essential to dealing with it. Sometimes people overcome it and sometimes people learn to manage it each individual is different. I found online support groups very effective, counseling can be effective, if it is a daily issue than short-term medication so you are be able to do necessaties such as school work driving grocery shopping, until you have found the way to overcome or manage it is the most effective in my opinion. My advice to you would be know that you are definitely not the only person with this, dont be embarrased, professional help and if required medication are not to be ashamed of as many people believe, seek the options available as soon as possible so that the anxiety does not have the opportunity to expand. I hope this helps. e-mail me anytime, unfortunately im very knowledgeable on this! : )

[bluesun]

talk to me i can guide you dogmicjoe@yahoo.com. try seeing others feel like you at times. call anxiety line 1888 826 9438. try socialanxietyfriends.com, socialanxietyassist.com, socialanxietysupport.com, try anxietyandfears.com, and adaa.org.