Im gonna me this short and sweet
How do i overcome my social anxiety? Preferably without meds.
Alcohol
>>17228645
Afraid i can't do that.
Practice. Put yourself in social situations, force yourself to stay in them, and react to what happens.
Can you be more specific about what you want help with?
You have to practice, it sucks but it's the only way to get less awkward. Go out and talk to another person(stranger or friend) at least once a day, and try to maintain a conversation if they seem willing. Not everyone will be receptive towards you, and that is something you will have to deal with. Good luck
Mediation. Watch the movie Revolver on tips to control your emotions. Korean mint in your tea. Excersize. Sunight daily. Try staring at people in the eyes more often. Create hobbies that make you go outsode even if it's in your backyard or near your house. I do wood carving in my garage. We all have our own limitat ions just learn how to cope best with it so that you can libe your life how you want. I was a agoraphobic and suffered such sevre social anxiety that it controlled my life to the point where I saw no point in living. I was in constand fear of others seeing me weak. I am happy now. You just need to figure out what makes you happy even in anxious situations, for me it's dogs, birds, generally all animals, meditation and my hobbies. What helped the most was learning not to care what others thought of me. Maybe look into getting a service dog Op, dogs are so great for anxiety I love my dog taking him for walks calms me down and it makes him happy.
If you ever need anyone to talk to feel free to email me. [email protected] I am an empath abs I love to try my best to help.
>>17228893
If OP was born with it practicing social situations will not help. Op will need to understand their emotions better and not be controlled by them as much.
Sorry for the late reply guys. I forgot how slow this board can be.
>>17228862
Mostly with interacting with strangers. Irl or online. Its one reason i could never get into MMOs
>>17228893
Your right. I think im just really afraid of rejection or something
>>17228896
Thank you for this post! Id love to have someone to talk to about this!
>>17228906
Can you elaborate please? I do tend to be a very emotional person though i do my best to hide them. Is that what it is?
>>17229005
Have you had an anxiety disorder since birth or did you develop it over the past couple years? What do you see in yourself that you are lacking? If you were born with it you will just have to figure out how to deal with it without it controlling you because it is not leaving anytime soon. People are more open minded now a days about disabilities do not feel bad about it and if someone makes you feel bad about it they are just lacling empathy and not worth your time. Moat people are controlled by their emotions and are robots they do not think before they talk or they run away hiding both are deadly for someone with extreme social anxiety. Try getting rid of simple words when you type and talk like "I" you use it a lot and it will cause you to think more before you act and question yourself of those emotions are really you.
>>17229050
Well i did have a tough time in middle school and think thats when it started developing. So now my attitude is just to avoid people that way i dont get hurt like i did.
>>17229061
I think your should seek therapy becase you are trappend in the past. Make then aware you do not want medication. Therapy helps a lot trust me.
>>17228906
No one is born with social anxiety lmao. Even if they were (not possible), it can be unlearned.
OP, read this. Long but very, very worth it.
http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/counseling/resources/David%20Burns%20-%20Feeling%20Good.pdf
>>17229099
What are you talking about? Some people do not just develop social anxiety some people are born with it. Genetics play a factor in mental conditions. To just sum up a condition with one meaning is not very open minded. Science is constantly changing and there is already evidence that mental conditions can be passed down. Go research more.
>>17229111
i was born with hair trigger anxiety, shyness as a kid shyness as an adult
parents were negligent and abusive, so they can enjoy the fact that i'm not doing anything with my life in my 30's while seeing a therapist
hopefully they'll be dead by the time i make something of myself... well maybe not my dad
OP, I had a similar situation to your growing up in school. I think one of the biggest things is to gain the confidence (for example to be able to make decent eye contact in a conversation). Not to belittle you but what are you afraid of?
>Think you're not smart enough?
>Think they are constantly judging you?
>Think you will make a mistake?
>Think girls will find you weak?
What is it that causes your anxiety? You should do some serious introspection on that. Perhaps talking to someone who knows you well or a therapist may help with this.
Ultimately, I think you need to overcome the root of your anxiety and gain the confidence to "be on the level" with other humans in your day-to-day interactions. Also, make small steps, this won't be instant. You should try once a day to have a decent conversation with someone, the less-related the better.
