You’re Not Awkward: how I fixed my social anxiety 

I use to be extroverted at a young age. But around high school i went through some things that led me to isolate myself. At the time i though I became "introverted" as in I literally didn't want to talk to anyone. In the end it was just me responding to social trauma which eventually led to me developing social anxiety. Now im trying to overcome it by trying to talk to people more. It hasnt been an easy nor consistent but i will not give up

It’s weird cause I know most people say they dont like social interactions because people might think that they are weird but for me it’s the opposite. I feel like people would know I’m not weird if I could just be me but I somehow can’t

I still get so touched by just seeing people not being rejectful, like those two nice strangers who agreed to take a photo together in such a nice and open manner 🥺

I ate a loaf of bread in my dorm so I don’t need to ask people to go to the dining hall with me 😂

Love this, I suffered with such low self esteem as a kid but self love and belief changed all that 🙌🏽

I have social anxiety too, and I could feel it spiking leading up to the moment you asked those girls to take a photo with you!! It was genuinely secondhand stressful 🤣Props to you for doing it and excellent video as always!

Y’all ever realize your anxiety leaves when you become really happy💀😊

You are so authentic when you showed us you were trying step by steps wanting to get a photo taken and struggling a bit in between. I don't know why but I chuckled several times watching you telling the story. Maybe because I sometimes could feel that social anxiety as well, and what you said and how you felt resonated with me a lot : )

Gonna be braver and post a comment here: I had this video recommended to me randomly, but so many of the personal details of your own story resonated with me as someone who used to struggle more deeply with self-esteem and anxiety. I especially like how you touch upon the realities of anxiety and choose not to frame it as an enemy or problem to be "fixed" because that was very important for me to learn too. It's never easy to be honest about your struggles, so thank you for sharing! 🙌

Great video thanks for sharing this ! cuz social anxiety rarely has been discussed in a scientific way. Those points mentioned in this video are consistent with what my previous therapist taught me.

I really needed this video today - connecting acceptance with social anxiety.

This is exactly the thing i am dealing with inside my heart, thanks

loved this! trying to face my social anxiety, this was relatable

Thank you for sharing this Em. As a fellow lawyer I often feel social anxiety when going to networking events and found this really help. I also wanted to say that I really appreciate the whole channel in general! Thank you both for making such high quality content. I love your structure and concision (your inner lawyers truly do shine!)

love this video thank you! so many good points!

Thank you for this!

Em, this video resonate with me so much. I’m very introverted and now I guess I actually have higher level of social anxiety then others. I get extremely stiff and clumsy when I’m in a very social setting and am way more comfortable and talkative at a safer smaller group gathering. I try to force myself showing up as “extroverted introvert” in situations where I have to talk and make connections, but I hate it so much and didn’t now this is actually social anxiety. I can relate to so much “inner thoughts” that you have in the video and appreciate you sharing with us❤ for all of us to learn to live with it better

This is the most useful video ever!! Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu sooo much❤❤

Have been watching your videos since you quit the law, good videos as always, keep it up and you guys definitely deserve more subscribers !

Thank you so much for this video

I love this video. You just made me confirm that I DO have social anxiety. I have always been wondering whether I'm just shy, socially awkward or just straight up have social anxiety. I think my question is answered after watching this and another video before. I'm gonna read that book you mentioned in the video

Glad I found this video, everything you point I can relate to, the only time I feel more confident, and less care about what others think etc, is when I have had a few drinks of alcohol, not to the extent where I am staggering or slurring my words, but enough to put me over the driving limit. Have always thought for sometime I am different in the way I have conversation around people and see notice often when I talk with someone its usually only small talk yet ill see that same person engage in full conversation with others.

Thank you for providing how to face it

Hooray! Well done Em :)

Super helpful to me. Likewise, I don’t speak English fluently but work in US. I have same feelings every day. Just had a self judgement day. I will try your advices ❤

Awesome... thx

Life saver❤

great video!

I have less problems with people I never see again, like strangers on the street, but once it comes to talking to someone I'm likely to meet again, I just shut down and avoid it. Still don't really know how to get over that.

For people who hav social anxiety have to work even more harder to make friends than other people who easily make friends which is sad and good at the same time.

Back at my elementary school, i. e. long time ago, I was quite uncool to put it mildly. I didnt have much friends (actually I had zero friends) and I was much more satisfied with book or comics (it was pre internet era) than with my peers outdoors. Nevertheless I felt quite much social pressure from school as well as from my parents that this is not OK. And consequently, I was eventually unsatisfied with the fact that I have no friends. But it was a consequence of social pressure, not my own mind. Than I changed my school when I was 11 years old (it was unrelated to my (un)interaction with my peers) and I view this as opportunity to completely change myself and ultimately have friends and be cool. The result was absolute failure. The next years until my early adulthood was one constant fear and stress, that I will do something wrong in interaction with my peers. I actually hated all social events and I desperatelly waited to the end of every such event. Eventually when I was in my early twenties I realized that so much fear and stress (and virtually nothing else) is not worthy of effort. So I ceased social interaction completely and now I am in my late thirties and I live basically without any friend. Of course I have colleagues in my job, but not a single friend. Am I finally satisfied with my life? I am not sure. Actually I am still quite depressed. Life sucks.

I love this small and sweet exposure therapy. 🤗

Hey there i really appreciate how you approached this topic in a non medical/ pathologused way. I found it very helpful. Im curious as to whether your choice to travel solo was related to dealing with this too (could you explain why travelling with your partner wouldnt be the same ), and did it help? I ask because im thinking about it too. Thanks a lot again

That ending was so scary. It gave me second hand social anxiety

thanks

Same here, I thought I am the only one with Social anxiety, watching your this video some what makes me feel I am not the only one....haha... I agree I dont think much about it or give importance towards my aniexty, I just accept it and know its there, if I try to get rid of it then it will make me miserable and worse so I just accept it as part of me.

You’re the best😬

When I was 4 yrs I had snot running down my face i was too shy to ask for a tissue . So i started to get bullied and it had affected me having social anxiety

Cool ❤

How do I like this video more than once?

i can relate to this so hard, there’s sth abt the genes!

I had no idea

Which law firm were you at Em ?

Awesome, great job! I can really relate to this video, and actually just got the audiobook you mentioned

I try to make up a conversation with people but I feel like they are ignoring and I am overly nice. Mostly I have to go through this with the people I less interact with. However it is much easier to talk with the people I know personally. My parents say that I always live in a another world and that is the reason but that s not true. Sometimes I can t even answer to a very simple question and I overthink it. Is this social awekwardness?

You never know. I may bump into you in the future and ask you to take a photo with one of your subscribers. 🙂

You're enough, Emily. We have open arms for you, for all the good and bad. If you hadn't thrown up, you wouldn't have met Lloyd. Enjoy your trip in Taiwan!

I don’t really believe you have it. I do and I’m over 50 years old. You can’t get over it like that. I’m crying now thinking about this.

What if I'm on the spectrum

Have you done the mbti test personality? I think you may be IXXJ.

I have social anxiety and taking xanax helps

🫡

it's a ⚠️ warning sign. your body cueing you something. it's not a feeling to suppress.

Taipei people know some English of course to take ur order no ?