Social Anxiety Disorder

I don't understand how any of this is relevant to weed, but i had this a bit in my teens, and trust me, once you realise that people are just people, and even if they are talking about you, seriously who gives a fuck, just learn to not give a fuck, if someone is talking about you.. erm, so what? what now? You gonna cry about it?

 

wow. I'm just like you. sadly I don't have many tips for you, I just call my self a pussy over and over until I do whatever

 

Just remember nobody is talking about you.. it's in your head.

 

I'm similar but I feel as though mine comes from not wanting to participate in 'small talk'

like... i'd rather sit there and listen to myself think then talk about a jersey shore episode or what betty sue did when she was hammered.

 

Don't use it as a crutch. Or to withdraw more.

Need to change the core of your mentality, situations shouldn't be seen like that.

 

Too true.

The average societal person couldn't care less about those around them unless those around them are menacing in some way.

Just chill and go with the flow.

 

I have the same exact disorder to the same extent it seems. Unfortunately, I had to go to the pharmaceutical route to cure it. I take Ativan as needed and always clean up well and wear nice clothes. This boosts my *personal* self esteem which relaxes me a little, and the ativan does the rest. When I'm on it, not a single fuck is ever given about others. Without it, I'm the same as you. I can't even go get a soda at a gas station easily. I'm currently also in therapy for it and I can see very good gradual improvement.

 

as posts above have said that its just something you have to get over and its all in your mind, its not as easy for some people to just get up and erase their anxiety as easy as that. for more direct and immediate results i would recommend talking to your doctor about drugs you could take, hypnosis, or natural herbs and supplements like omega3 for some, phenibut, st johns wort etc...

 

I have the same thing to a lesser extent. I found that just having good posture and keeping your head high (pun not intended) helps alot. Good luck man

 

I have SAD and I go to therapy once a week for it, plus depression and bi-polar disorder. Therapy really hasn't helped at all and I don't have many more options anyways but I would try it regardless.

 

Listen, I know exactly what you are going through. I can't help you on interacting with people, but to control your anxiety in a public place, I do a thing that I slowly learned.

It takes some practice before you can use it effectively, but here it is:
Close your eyes.
Focus on your breathing.
Now imagine an outline of your body.
There is a bright wispy color in your stomach(in your imagination, I usually use orange, but it doesn't matter the color) that represents your anxiety.
Every time you breathe in, imagine that you are drawing up the will to expel this wispy anxiety, and when you breathe out, imagine a tiny bit of that wisp exiting your body, and a white wisp(peace of mind) taking its place. Do this until you feel calm(it may take anywhere from 10 seconds to 5 minutes depending on how stressed you're feeling).
It sounds stupid, but you are practicing taking your mind off of what is troubling you and visualizing yourself in a peaceful state.
Like I said, it'll take some concentration and time alone to practice, but if you do it enough you'll be able to do it quickly in public.
PM me if you don't understand.

Edit: Another thing: you are you, not anybody else, so don't set any expectations about how you SHOULD be, just work with what you have.

 

Belive us when we say we all go thru this, especially when were teens or in that scocial stage early20s, I guess most stoners isolate themselves even further, best advise i ever took, NEVE B AFRAID OF BEING YOUR SELF BECAUSE WHATS THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN? DEATH? Also self medication might be counterproductive(mj) could cause paranoid thoughts and amplyfi the situation, i used alcohol to self medicate and it worked but then i was dependent on drinking to have a good time. So i really had to do some self searching.
I would defenetly try to do some self help, i did take a weed break and drinking break, i did however started to heal my mind, body, and soul, i started by working out taking long joggs around my neighborhood, also reading,self meditating and just reaffirming the fact that i was human again.
Try it yourself, u will find your self again

 

I, too, have experienced this issue....
I present;


My cure

 

My doctor diagnosed me with a social anxiety disorder this past summer and gave me a somewhat small-dosage of Effexor. After a week or two, I noticed improvement, but my doctor failed to inform me that you shouldn't drink more than a beer or two while on the meds so I ended up blacking out every time I drank...Also, it felt wrong to be so reliant on a pill to live a 'normal', anxiety-free life. I have since decided to stop taking the medication and have been looking into meditation practices (similar to a post above). Another thing to keep in mind is that a healthy diet and regular exercise can go a long way!

 

dude, you think your not "normal."

bullshit.

The only people who are "normal" are the ones who repress their emotions to the point where they aren't even aware they have them. This is a bad thing.

Anyway, no one is normal. If you try to change who you are because of what you think other people think of you...it won't work. You have to be the way you are.

Personally I think it's all about your thought processes. if you can change them, then things will start to fall into place. It's really difficult, and a medical professional might disagree, but whatever.

You shouldn't care what other people think because if you don't then it won't matter.

 

Fact.
Be yourself. Then, if people hate you, at least they hate you for who you are, and not something your trying to be.

And then people who are cool to you aren't doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

I have general anxiety more than social, meaning I get for absolutely no or any reason. I handle social situations fine but anything can start it up. I understand how it can be, normally you would think there's no reason you shouldn't be able to go out to your car but it's hard to explain the panic or mental wall. Oddly enough this is what made me fall in love with psychology.

First, I would see your doctor and let them know how severe your anxiety is. It could be something behavioral or neurological. Try to find the root of your anxiety then address it accordingly.

Discuss with your doctor if it's something you're willing to medicate to help or if you want to try something natural first. The most important thing to your mental health is REM sleep. This is when your brain generates and replenishes neurotransmitters and all your happy juices. Healthy diet and exercise only help this.

Medicinally there are many options. The most common are benzos which I've been on for around 6 years. However there are tons of safer options such as Buspar and Welbutrine.

You need to want to help you more than anything. Anxiety is a nasty negative spiral, the more you avoid it the more socially withdrawn you may become.

You can P.M. me if you want to talk, have questions or anything.