Social Anxiety Disorder - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology 

Social anxiety makes you anxious even around your closest friends. You think *everyone* judges you, no matter who they are.

Living with social anxiety, when you succesfully speak with a stranger it feels like a big accomplishment, but if you fail it feels like the world is ending

The problem with social anxiety is that you're not just afraid of social interaction, you're afraid that if you fail/embarrass yourself your already non-existent confidence will shrink even more. I've actually considered suicide when a conversation didn't go well.

School is a nightmare when you have social anxiety. Who else can agree?

The worst part is when people around you dont understand social anxiety and think you are being ridiculous and that "its not that hard to talk to somebody"

I can't do even simple things because of social anxiety ,its ruining my life.

I miss the old days. I can talk to everyone,i can go out, I didn't think I was ugly, I wasn't afraid of people judging me.The pandemic changed everything. at least i can talk to people in my dreams

I feel stupid. Even when I walk im thinking "am I walking in a weird way? Are they looking at me?"

I feel like I’m constantly being judged by people when I hear people laughing or whispering and it really makes me nervous 😬 and want to run away without feeling embarrassed 😳

Reading these comments make me realize that I'm not alone. And that is such a relieving thought.

I have had social anxiety since I was 3 or 4, now I'm 14 and nothing has changed. Every day at school I just watch my classmates live their lives, have fun and make memories. I have always wished I could talk more but social anxiety makes it impossible. I tried telling my mom that it's very hard for me to talk to people and raise my hand in class (even though I know the answer) but she told me ''just talk'' and other stuff like that which made my blood boil. I just suffer alone, cry myself to sleep because of this stupid social anxiety and the fact that no one cares, no one wants to understand, thinking that my life could have been so much better if I were more social... Edit: Thank you all so much for all your positive comments! To this day I still have social anxiety but I've come a long way in my growth journey and I feel much more capable of changing myself. Remember, every little thing that you do matters, I'm telling you this from experience, because for so long I used to think that I wasn't making any change in my life, yet, looking back at who I was a year ago, for example (that's when I first made this comment), I realise that I've actually evolved so much! For whoever has social anxiety, don't give up! You have potential and are just as capable as anyone else! It takes a lot of hard work but you can do it! ❤❤

For me, one of the strangest symptoms was that I was afraid of listening to things at a normal volume level, and it would make me think that people are judging me. Usually, when I listen to things, I either keep the volume extremely low and turn on subtitles (if there are subtitles), or plug in headphones and keep the volume low. Which, I know headphones exist so that people don't hear, but I still kinda fear that they can hear somehow. Oh well.

I'm watching this during quarantine I have social anxiety and i wish quarantine never ends

I'm afraid of even talking in the group chat with my classmates because I think that they will judge me for whatever I say or do. Once i accidentally sent an emoji and i panicked so bad i tried to remove it as faster as possible (while I was sweating and shaking)

I've had social anxiety since intermediate... and she's right I have a fear of being judged negatively. I think it was from when I was a kid and I was neglected and mocked for how I looked and other things. Now I'm 21 and I just want to live a normal life. Glad to see other people who have had similar issues. I hope everyone with social anxiety can eventually overcome it, and not care about these little things so much. 💛

Lord, please help me🙏 and all the people having this social anxiety out there. Please give us strength and courage. Amen

I can’t even go for walks/runs on my own street without feeling embarrassed or judged.

Social anxiety doesnt just ruin your life , it stops you from living it , i've been socially anxious for as long as i can remember , probably since i was 12 (im 18 now and nothing has changed , if anything it got worse ) ! My parents obviously dont know anything about what im going through and they're always pushing me to do stuff that are pretty casual and normal to others but So tough and complicated to me , such as : Order some food on the phone , go to the grocery store , Speak up in family gatherings , not lock myself up in my room forever ... It honesly feels like the weight of the world , It has gotten to the point where i envy and resent everyone who's Confident and outgoing and i just wonder to myself ... These people should never be upset , how could they ? How dare they ? They are blessed ! I think that the hardest thing about social anxiety is comparing yourself to others , And obviously with social anxiety comes Other cruel issues like self-pity , depression and OCD ... This comment is already too long so ill just sum it up : F**k my life Update: Hi, This is me 2 years later , my anxiety has significantly dropped, i dont feel as tense in social situations anymore. I've been forced to socialize due to my major in college and that's exactly what i needed . It gets better with time and practise, running away from what you're anxious about is the biggest mistake you could possibly make. FACE YOUR FEARS PEOPLE, YOU GOT THIS .

For someone who 'almost' overcame social anxiety, I will tell you that you have to keep going. Never stop. Because when u do it it all comes back. I had childhood trauma that was the root cause. It's also important to find it so you can strategically address it. I really hope u fight that pesky SA and shine like the moon..that you are...not just some star ❤️

I used to have really bad social anxiety, got depressed thinking everyone hated me and constantly had suicidal thoughts. I think it's cause my parents never taught me how to deal with my emotions, or rather they didn't really let me express myself. For example being angry or in a bad mood should always be hidden, since it made them uncomfortable. I also experienced verbal abuse from my father, constantly telling me I was useless. But I finally managed to get help from outside and got therapy, now I can talk to strangers without feeling like crying and even joke around sometimes. 🙃

That moment you realize you need therapy, but therapy requires social interaction

I can't even have a regular conversation without my heart rate increasing and heavy breathing

I was a confident teen, never was afraid to talk to girls, on the wrestling team, big group of friends, didn’t fear no one etc. As I’ve gotten older and had kids. Few traumatic experiences I was struggling with anxiety and social anxiety for years. In the last couple of years I really don’t suffer anymore. My advice is that you must not hide away, keep putting yourself in socially uncomfortable situations, yea sometimes you feel awkward or have intense adrenaline which makes you speechless, which makes you look weird, I always just thought as them conversations as repetitions and not focused on how bad it felt or went it can help you get over the fear of judgement. If someone is taking advantage of you, speak up. If you feel someone is wrong, tell them. If someone is trying to beat you, stand your ground and fight. You have to keep pushing yourself because you’re just have rough life letting fear control you. Trust me I did it for years.

i think the hardest part for me has been, growing up and never "growing out of it", watching my quiet friends from school open up and become "normal", im in college now and no one else is as quiet as me in classes, and i stick out like a sore thumb. everyone keeps asking me why i never speak. it probably wont be long before the professors start noticing too. im so done with this.

social anxiety started developing in middle school, ofc.

Social Anxiety thoughts: Am I trembling? They know! They are all staring at me! They are laughing at me. Can they hear my thoughts? Help

I’m turning 30 this year and I’ve suffered from this all my life. I’ve finally started taking anxiety medication about a year ago and I’m still upping my dose. However, it’s been 30 years of suffering and I feel like others don’t understand me. Yes, I constantly try to please others because I’m scared of being judged. I’ve had to drop multiple programs in college because the confrontation broke me over and over. I just started a new job and my anxiety has never been higher.

I didn't have social anxiety when I was little but school ruined everything for me.

This feeling as if it's your first day everyday and everyone is judging you is the perfect definition.

I just want to live a normal life.

Since this comment section makes me feel a lot better I want to try and make someone that they are not alone as well... Here's my story: Yesterday was the first day of my new school and when my dad drove me in front of the entry I immediately felt my heart pounding... there were at least a thousand people there! And everyone had friends to talk to and walk together while I was trying to keep calm and find where my class is (we were outside of the school and there was no organization where the 8th graders were!!) I was terrified and scared so I just stood there looking around so confused and uncomfortable (my dad wasn't with me, he had to go to work). At the end I managed to find my class and that was the worst first school day of my life. New school, new people to deal with, also new teachers. We went into our classroom everything was kind of good I was calm and sitting alone on my desk... I think everyone had a friend who they sat with. After a while one of the new teachers showed up to introduce herself to the class and she was really strict that I got really scared because she said that all of us need to be active no matter what. When I left school and called my mom I told her that everything went well... but it actually didn't. At night when I was going to sleep I started crying how I just want to stay locked up in my room and not go anywhere.. I said to myself that I even want to change schools because of the class and teachers. I just have a bad feeling about this school.. and I found out I'm suffering from social anxiety.... My emotions make me feel like I am someone else and I can't be myself. Just when I'm alone. Anyone reading this who suffers from social anxiety.. you are not alone. God bless you and if you need someone to listen then I'm here for you.

In my case when I'm with a group of people that aren't really close to me it's like my body is paralysed and my brain is telling me to participate in the conversation but I just can't because I'm scared. And it makes me sad because I could be making friends but now they all think I'm a quiet person even though I'm not

I’ve always felt embarrassed whenever people look at me, I feel like im always being judged or laughed at and makes me uncomfortable, whereby the point I can’t even place my order in restaurants and hard to engage in conversations. I tend to stay home, it makes me feel comfortable and happy. I just wish sometimes I wasn’t like this..

Social anxiety is not just the fear and paranoia of being judge by others. It's also the fear of everyone assuming things on you, assuming your actions and thinking, the fear of everyone putting you in a box. It is very aweful overthinking that a lot. You make irrational things when social anxiety hits you. And everything you say and act is always planned in your head so you don't get to embarass your self. And after interracting to people you get depressed thinking it was not the right response. You them think they'll gonna hate you, dislike you, look down on you, disrespect you, judge you, weirded on you, laugh at you, get away from you. Social anxiety is not as easy as you think it is humiliating and physically mentally draining. If you think you knew someone who have social anxiety please dont give them a hard time. ❤️

I have social anxiety. I wss bullied and was psychologically abused by family members growing up. I have trust issues and I assume everyone has bad intentions with me and will laugh at my mistakes. Idk if I will ever leave the trauma aside and be myself in public finally but in my opinion, you can never get over trauma.

This comment section is the most comforting thing to someone who just found out they have all these problems too

I have this disorder. It's the absolute worst.

It really sucks having social anxiety, and I don’t think this will be something that ever goes away from my sadly. I’ve had anxiety ever since I was literally in 1st grade (from what I remember) and it’s so hard to talk to people to the point where I barely have any friends. I have one of my friends that I’ve known forever and am super close to, but I still get so scared of hanging out and dread it so much and I really wish I didn’t feel that way but Ik it won’t go away :/

As a person who has it, i must say social anxiety makes your life not life. In fact, it feels like as if you're standing in the middle of circus so that tons of people could laugh at you and judge you for who you are and what you wear. It makes you have trust issues since you have trouble being around people. It doesn't matter if it's your friends or a really good person or your partner. You would still feel anxious around them and become alert about the words you say in case they would hurt you. Social anxiety, for me, makes me double question myself about my close friends even though i've been friends with them for 7 years.

It’s basically the fear of being judged and not good enough.

My parents just say “your just shy, just be more confident.” Wow like i have not thought of that before just remember its easier said than done

Derealization is real!! I started doing this a few years ago. I’ll zone out and can’t hear what people are saying and I have trouble recalling peoples name or I completely go blank. Started Lexapro 2months ago and now I can sing in front of others and dance again . I still avoid places sometimes but not people. I can walk into a room by myself and simile and greet people now.

I've had social anxiety for 7 years since I was 15. I haven't overcome it yet and I still need medicine everyday, but now I don't care about it as much as I used to before. I wish I could tell this to myself when I was younger and when I didn't even feel alive. And I want to tell you that I'm sure you can get better even if it's a long load! Especially if you're around my age or younger, it's natural to compare yourself with others and hate yourself for that. I believe any hardships mean something. Probably it's a gift that can make you stronger and better. I believe the purpose of my life is not to be happy, it is just to live my life to the fullest.

I can't look people in the eye

that awkward moment when you can’t tell if you’re constantly anxious because it feels normal now

Social anxiety makes life almost unmanageable. Family gatherings would practically be traumatizing for me. There's plenty id like to do but I just can't.

The way I started sweating and my heart rate increased while just watching this video... I can even hear the heartbeat in my head. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression and I'm taking antidepressants for 1 year. I think I feel better, but it's hard to compare because I mostly forgot how I felt one year ago. In kindergarten, I didn't have friends and was alone, so I stopped going there. I was a sick child, so I couldn't make friends with my classmates, but I had 6 friends from my neighborhood with whom I spent a good time. As time passed, I had fewer and fewer friends. At 12 years I've got really severe acne and ppl were saying bad things about my appearance just into my face, so maybe I developed anxiety at that moment, I don't know. I tried to treat acne, but it didn't disappear even now. At 12 years I got transferred to a boarding school, in which I also had problems with peers and did self-harm to lessen my pain. In 10 class in high school, I was so afraid to talk to my classmates and teachers, that I couldn't say a word and if I tried to say, I was stuttering at the beginning of the sentence, which was so embarrassing, so I stopped my attempts to talk to anyone. Fortunately, my chemistry teacher and therapist at the same time helped me with this issue by recommending I sing to exercise my speaking. At the university, having been 16-17 years old, I attempted to make friends, but due to social anxiety my behavior caused misunderstandings, so I lost friends again. For example, I was late for the lecture and was afraid to be scolded, so I didn't say hello to my friend to not make any sound, and we stopped talking after that. I had a few online friends, with whom I also lost contact later. Now I'm 22 years old and for the last 1-2 years I didn't have friends and actually I avoid social interactions because I don't want to be involved in relationships with ppl and be hurt again and I feel like I would put more effort into this relationship than another person, so it wouldn't be fair. Considering the history of my relationships, I'm hesitant to make new friends because I feel that our relationships would end up as previous ones and I feel like I'd be obligated to do things I wouldn't like to do. What makes it worse, is that I attended therapy several times and I would cry a lot after the sessions at home, so I had to quit the therapy. I'll try to look for the other therapist and see if it helps.

I like how everyone here is telling stories I want to like all of them

I’m 20 yrs old dealing with this sh*t I literally quit my job and dropped out of college because of it😤 I don’t even go outside.I constantly tell myself that no one is judging I try my hardest to think positively but it doesn’t work.I’m getting help now and I hope everything works out because living in constant fear is not living at all. Wish me luck and good luck to all of you that are dealing with Social anxiety, social phobia, etc.

As someone studying psychology, this was very helpful to gain a better understanding so that I can understand the people who are going through something so challenging. Hang in there guys. ❤️

Social anxiety disorder is typing out your message in Notepad instead of in the instant messaging app. That way, in the off chance the recipient is looking at your DMs, they won't see the "User is typing..." message, so you can check and revise it 20 times to make sure the message doesn't look offensive or weird to them and so they don't actively wait on you to type out your message.

Is there a cure? because sometimes I see my future so blurred and isolated.

anyone else get really scared of online meetings? even if i turn off the camera i always feel like it hasnt turn off so i always have to cover my camera...

My social anxiety is quite different from everyone. I avoid going to places that i don't know how things work. For instance, like finding my seat at the movie theater. If i know how, then i don't care how many people are there, I'm okay because i know how things work and don't get embarrassed in front of everyone. This social anxiety started when i was embarrassed of not knowing simple things in front of group of friends. So, i avoid going to places where i don't know how things work. I rather get embarrassed in front of strangers than people i know.

I have no Friends, No Girlfriend, no Job, no Money, no Children, and No Self esteem. I just have this Curse called Social Anxiety. I can't do anything, I haven't left the house for years, I can't live, I feel palpitations in my body, stress EVERY SINGLE DAY,Before, I was just sad for not being able to have friends, but now I just feel Anger and Hate, I can't feel anything anymore , when anxiety starts I get so angry that I start banging my head against the wall for feeling it.NOBODY ever understands you, but they love to tell you how weird you are, how "pretending" you are, but nobody wants to help YOU. NOBODY. Before I was happy that everyone got to be Normal, but now I'm starting to feel Anger and Envy, and I understand that I'm wrong. But I can't get this feeling out of me. I've even gotten to feel Disgusted, because other people are normal, and I'm not.I don't know how my Social Anxiety came about, I can't remember, I just know that I've always been like this My only company are my dogs, they don't judge me, they are always happy and always there for me, i love them more than anything I hate being like this, my Life would definitely be MUCH better than this miserable life I have, I can't even go to the Supermarket without feeling sick. I HATE THIS Sorry for my bad English

Yep..I can't even order Chinese food.. over the phone.

Me: *opens up to my mother* Mom: "just stop thinking about it" Wow I never thought it was that easy to deal with

As someone who has lived with social anxiety for as long as I can remember, I know it can be really tough and really alienating. It’s so easy to feel like there is something innately wrong with you and that other people just have something figured out that you don’t. Recently I think I’ve been able to convert some of my anxiety into ambivalence, like if I just don’t care about people then there’s nothing to be nervous about… like if people are exhausting to meet and be around then I won’t bother…but I’m pretty sure that’s just a coping mechanism. I really hope that someday I can have more moments where the mask comes off and I can just be comfortably myself around people

I want to get check by a psychiatrist to know if I really have social anxiety but I just can't afford it. I'm so so tired of it.

I’ve always been the “quiet, shy girl” for almost my whole life, it been getting a little worse. At school I feel like people secretly make fun of me and judge me all the time and every time I have those thoughts I just want to burst out crying. I always avoid social gatherings/parties even of my close family members/friends. My family thinks it’s nothing and that I’m weird and boring bc I avoid parties or gatherings but they just don’t understand how I feel and I wish they did understand. 💔

I’m so pathetically awkward that when I have a casual conversation with some one, & it doesn’t end with pure cringe then I’m proud of myself.

I literally thought something was wrong with me. Every time I want to do or say something I get overwhelmed. Talking to people is so hard and I always feel like everyone is looking at me. I started a new job last week and I still get nervous just thinking about having to walk in or just being around other people. Ruined many potential relationships and all from being so nervous and scared to speak or DO. It’s terrible and I’m hoping I can get some help soon. I don’t talk to people about my problems so I’m using a RU-vid comment 😭

after living 18 years in this world i learnt that nothing is easy . but after the hard times you realize that how strong you were .i always thought social anxiety is just something that is destroying my life and im just the most stupid person that ever existed .but i learnt that its actually a gift .i realized that if i overcome this im very stronger than all of this people that i see every day .all this people that i felt they are better than me wouldnt survive one day with my problem. i have seen the beauty of fighting . you are lucky to have this because if you overcome this . this problem will be gone and the life wont be so challenging your life will be so glorios . stay hard💪

This social anxiety is making me so unlucky. Sometimes i don’t even know what to do with myself

i dealt with really bad social anxiety for 2 years and now im getting so much better and i am so proud of myself on where i’ve come

what really pisses me off is that one day i was a normal person i was really confident and happy but over the years it kept getting worse until i've become anxious around my own family and this shit really hurts it feels like you're a prisoner in your own body

I’m soo sad.... having no close friends and literally no one want to talk to be just because I’m too” quiet and nice”. I don’t want to be judge like that. Just want some friends that can trust ;(

I always get labeled as "the quite girl" since middle school and i hate it.

I’ve only started realising I have social anxiety about 2 years ago. I always thought that being anxious and scared when meeting new people was normal, until I almost had a panic attack on my first day of college, and when I had to talk to strangers my heart was beating so hard and I was in cold sweat and trembling. I’m still currently trying to get professionally evaluated as proof for university applications, and I also hope to be able to get some treatment. It’s honestly so good to see that I’m not alone in this. We can all get through this!

My social anxiety got worse when I let other people control me always, like telling me " this is sin, this is that" to the point that I became paranoid if what I'm doing is right or wrong. My advice is that don't let other people rob the person that you are. I wasn't really aware that I have social anxiety but since it got worse I do a research and I came here. It really sucks because my head feels like exploding because I kept on thinking how to act property because maybe I'm doing some inappropriate things. I want to overcome this anxiety and will interact with people normally.

imagine the feeling you get when u accidentally miss a step on a flight of stairs, that pit in your stomach. that feeling of dread for a split second. Now imagine having that feeling for hours, days or weeks at a time and your only escape is unconsciousness with the hope that when u awaken the feeling is gone.

It’s even worse when everyone around you doesn’t understand and just thinks you’re being dramatic

It’s funny when I think about how stupid it is and realize it doesn’t matter what people think of you and you’re not that interesting to everyone and yet the anxiety still kicks in, this is a powerful disorder. It doesn’t end with worrying about people judging you but speaking in a way that doesn’t hurt people’s feelings, it’s insane how much this effects lives. I’ve had it since the 6th grade and it does get in the way of making your life better, it’s frustrating.

My social skills are getting worse and worse, I can't even hold a conversation with a child just imagine:( , This is the reason I migh be dropping out of college soon :/

I can’t phone people, talk to new people, present in front of people, talk to old friends, talk to ANY adults (not even my friends’s parents), and I can’t even talk to my,own grandparents .-. Idk if this is social anxiety or just extreme shyness...? >.

The quarantine has been a blessing but imagining having to go back to my everyday life has started to give me major anxiety

The other day I went bar hopping with some friends who invited me out and I basically couldn’t say no. I just started college and felt up to the challenge of going out even though I really did not want too. Every single bar I walked into felt like a horror movie of sorts. I didn’t know where to stand, what to say or how to act. I felt awkward even though I was doing what everyone else was doing. I usually ended up finding a chill corner to sit and drink or stood close to my friends. Social anxiety quite literally makes having fun in public impossible. What makes it worse is when you see videos of parties full of people having fun, but you know if you were there you would be hiding away somewhere.

I have this and it’s the worst thing ever. I feel like I’m trapped inside and can’t express myself when I get in social situations. I absolutely hate myself for it

To those people who have social anxiety like me, just keep on fighting. We can win this battle someday!

Sadly that disorder can lead to depression... It's a hell :(

My brother also had severe social anxiety, he always struggled to make friends and never got a girlfriend. He took his life at 25 after a chain of events , i still miss him :/

I had a good cry during this video. It was reading me wholeheartedly and I felt it. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.

Having social anxiety as a 13 year old is so hard, I can't even pay at the cash register without counting my money at least 15 times and whenever my teacher says get into groups of 3 or something I feel sick and think I am gonna crap myself no joke it's horrible, I also have fear of exclusion too.

As a teen I can’t find a job because I have a panic attack in social situations and cry it sucks cause for people my age your 1st jobs are generally customer service

My face turns red. My mind goes blank. I become overly self aware of myself and overthink. I start messing up and fumbling whatever I’m doing. I feel like I’m not good at anything. And It affects my life on the daily. I talk myself out of going and doing stuff I need to do, I talk myself out of events, and when I do force myself to just go ahead and do it, i can never enjoy myself. And it’s uncontrollable. I’ve gave up jobs, quit school, I’ve even isolated myself at times and let myself go. Sometimes it can look like mania or even psychosis.. it’s unmanageable.

I was very shy and introverted for most of my life due to a lot of bullying in 2th-7th grade, but for the last 4 years I have been more extroverted and pushing myself to start conversations and be talkative (I am in college now). However, while I have made good friends and do generally decently talking to new people, I am always worried that I said something wrong or came off in a bad way. I will hyperfocus on every awkward moment and feel like I have the worst social skills and am just emotionally ignorant and stupid. The fact that, unlike all of my friends, I have never even dated let alone lost my virginity makes me insecure and like I will never be desirable to someone because I come off so negatively to people. I feel like I will never change and I don't know what to do. I feel like I can only feel socially confident when I have a few drinks or some kratom. I use various soft drugs to try to cope with my poor self-esteem from all this, but this was just as much of a problem for me before I touched any drug. I feel like I am better at pretending im confident now and acting normal, but i never feel good about myself

There’s a lot of shit people have said to me in the past telling me I’m “weird” “quiet “u gotta be more like this” and basically making me feel like I’m worthless, it sticks with me now even tho it was in the past but I can’t get rid of that and leave it behind... it bothers me everyday and all day long. I can’t move on and I need help. I hope I made someone who’s reading this feel at ease and making them feel like they’re not alone.

I can’t even have a normal conversation with my mom

I have a huge social anxiety every time I’m out I’m so uncomfortable cuz so many people are surrounding me …. Somehow I can’t stand people

I try to avoid school just because of this... I hate my school as anxiety started here.. 😢Its hard.. But, ill come back..

I have social anxiety and i never told anyone about it because i don't want them to think i just want attention or i'm just saying it i have a friend or two but i barely talk to them i told my parents that i want to be homeschool but they say no and i will have to be leader for p.e soon and i'll have to say the stretches out loud so the students can hear and i just know my p.e teachers are just going to yell at me for not being loud and i'll just feel embarass after sometimes i would come back from school and rethink about the day and regret what i do and sometimes i wish i can just disappear in a social situation. In group talking i want to share my ideas but i'm afraid of my idea not being good enough or being ignored i always worry about things that people find normal and i wish i never had social anxiety because it might affect my future and stop me from doing things that i want to do and if i don't try then i might end up alone

I love the fact that none of us are alone.I wish the best for everyone who has anxiety , you are amazing no matter what

We people with social anxiety we spend our whole life with overthinking, depression. We can't enjoy the things other people enjoy. And we don't feel comfortable with people outside our home. A human is a social animal, his happiness is in social interactions and we people with social anxiety we are afraid of people so we are craving for this happiness .

I can’t talk with people I hesitate to talk or say something. I’ve kept things bottled up for a while, if they talk back I talk too but I just answer what they say. I want to be able to say everything I have in my mind about them. I want to be free from the chains.

For me, I will suddenly cry. Like now I’m at a wedding, I just cried :/

This makes my life harder to live.

God, I've been feeling this way for years and I'm finally understanding what's going on in my head. I don't want to develope a self-diagnosis - I'm looking for psychological help these days - but I'm pretty sure I'm affected by social anxiety. I've been involved in a lot of social events recently, and this feeling is destroying my life. I cannot live a normal school morning without thinking a hundred times how I look like. When people laugh, they're laughing at me. When they look at me - like, all the time - they're instantaneously thinking about how weird, embarrassing and ridiculous I am. Whenever I move a wrong muscle of my face or body, I get panicked. Plus, I can't have a normal talk with other people apart from my closest friends: I always blush and stammer and laugh due to angst. Above all, my head MUST plan every single word I'm going to utter, including the exact tone and facial expression. When this doesn't happen, the world seems to cave in. In my everyday life, I can't even think about entering a shop alone and paying at the cash register, unless counting my money one million times per minute, as well as going to the restaurant without knowing where to seat. Scrolling the comment section is really helping me understand that I'm not alone. We can face it guys, let's keep going❤

As someone who has social anxiety this is 100% accurate I never told my family though only my friends

I always tell them and they just like “don’t be shy” NO SUSAN THATS DIFFERENT

S- Social A- Anxiety D- Disorder Sad :(