What triggers your social anxiety?

[crazycatlady13]

As someone who is living with SA... I like hearing from other people with social anxiety because it makes me feel like I'm not the only one going through this horrible feeling (I hope that didn't sound bad...)

I'm just curious to know what triggers your social anxiety? My triggers include:

• Public speaking/presentations
• Being the centre of attention
• Job interviews!
• People watching me while I am doing something
• Being teased/criticized by others (this is probably the worst)
• Answering the phone if it is a number I don't recognize
• Answering questions in class
• Talking to people in authority, like professors or managers
• Speaking up in a meeting (especially if I have to criticize or add on to another person's idea - I don't want them to dislike me)

After I experience some of the aforementioned activities, I always go for a walk, earphones in, put my favourite music on and try to forget what happened. It's like a terrifying roller coaster ride I am trying to get off.

[geoff]

hello, I can assure you that I also have these fears where I always hated someone watch what I was doing when I was a handyman/builder, it made me nervous, especially when I asked if they could go away and said they would but didn't at all.
Answering the phone is another big hate, purely because when I was depressed and in financial trouble, the creditors would keep ringing not once but several times a day, until I didn't pick up the phone, thankfully Anglicare stopped all of this for me.
Anxious about answering questions in class also frightened me, but as I have got older I have overcome this to a certain extent, but only if I am confident about the topic being discussed.
Rest assured there are so many people out there in the world that also suffer from this type of anxiety, some you may know of and others you may not know, but these people still suffer in silence.
Don't be afraid for feeling this way, because there are celebrities that entertain people on the stage or even sing that are themselves always nervous. Geoff.

[Muddlee]

Hi crazycatlady13,

As geoff said, social anxiety is so common, probably more common than you think, which is why I think talking about it can be the best way to manage it and challenge some of the fears we may have in social situations.

Here are some of my main trigger situations:

- when it's just me and someone else going out etc (usually after an hour or two it passes really easily though)

- when I'm buying something at a shop and have to talk to the teller

- small talk at work or uni

Ironically, public speaking for me is one of my favourite things to do and I don't struggle with it at all. Its just the casual day to day chatter and banter I get nervous about. Just goes to show symptoms are really variable from person to person.

Hope this helps :))

Muddleee

[laurajayne74]

I don't have social anxiety persay, but I do have GAD. I find it really hard to make phone calls to people I don't know (which is strange as I am a receptionist). I also struggle with public speaking.

[Skywatcher]

Crazycatlady13, wow your list is so similar to what I experience. I am 42 and didn't really know there was such a thing until recently. If I have to speak to more than a few people at a time my mind just goes blank, I try and cover and it gets worse. I am a manger and it is holding my career back in a big way. I am also going through what is shaping up to be a separation from my wife and the counsellor I saw last week wants me to join some clubs to help cope and that terrify me.

All the the best to you.