Social Anxiety Disorder and beginning college.

ShaunaD13

Ok, I really don't like posting on this thing because of my disorder. I have suffered with social anxiety for years and only in the past two years discovered how high on the spectrum my anxiety is. I have been on medication and have been referred to see a therapist (which I passed up on due to having the disorder) but... I'll spare all the details anyways.

I have S.A.D and I'm starting college this year..
I don't know how I'm going to react or how or if I'll cope very well. (I'm the person who gets their mam to answer questions and talk to people for her)

I'm just wondering if there happens to be anybody who's in a position to give advice or offer any kind of knowledge on the matter.
Or if there's anybody in the same position as me who needs someone to talk to (someone who actually understands)

Ps. Please bare in mind how difficult this is for someone with S.A.D to post so please any negativity or harsh comments, please keep to yourself.

dandc357

My best advice would be to seek out support from the counsellors in your college. Set up an appointment straight away when you start, let them know your concerns. They will not only point you in the best direction if you run into any problems and ask as a voice for you, but will also just be someone to listen and to help you to stay on track!

I 100% understand how difficult it is to talk to someone about anxiety, as I suffer quite severely myself. However, I kept on putting off making an appointment this year and my anxiety unfortunately really affected my first year in college. I find it really difficult to talk to anyone about my problems, even my parents. I tend to pretend nothing is wrong and let it built up. I ended up having a severe panic attack on campus and the counsellors office was the only place I could think of going to (mid-panic). Was it difficult? Yes I won't lie it was! She had to spend 30 minutes just calming me down to the point where I could tell her my name. But I felt so much better afterwards having talked to her, and much less alone. I wish I had gone earlier in the year as it made me realise how much it would have helped me to get used to the college environment and to settle in. There really is support out there, the first step takes a lot of courage but once you take it you will be so glad.

You will more than likely end up loving it, but you really should avail of the support systems that are out there if you're worried about not coping etc, it will help more than you can imagine! If you need any more help or advice in more detail, feel free to message me

red_barn

Hi all

I suffer from terrible social anxiety. I have had it as long as I can remember. I am 26 now and it is only recently that I have fully seen how this has affected and is currently affecting my life .

For example, in school or college I absolutely hated presentations or reading in class or anything that would involve me being the centre of attention.

I feel extremely uncomfortable around groups and hate speaking at meetings in work. I often avoid social events because I think I will say something stupid. I never feel calm at them and don't feel comfortable.

I have tried lots of things to overcome this. Meditation. . Public speaking courses. Yoga. . Hypnotherapy. Confidence books. . Beta blockers. . Nothing has enabled me to overcome it. I can't explain how frustrating it is. . On the outside it appears that I have everything. . A decent job. A good degree. A nice place to live. . And people have often said I seem very calm and confident. . However on the inside i feel terrible. I feel week and brittle and it's like an act i am putting up to the rest of the world. . Sometimes I am afraid that I can't keep it up much longer and will just have a massive panic attack in front of lots of people. .

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am not sure how to feel better.

Meadhbus

Barn, have you talked to a medical someone?

If not, I think the best thing to do would be to talk to a counsellor/your GP/ect. I was in sort of the same boat - undiagnosed mental illness, effected everything I did. I'm not magically cured now, by any means, but I think getting help, and even, sort of, officially recognising that I had it helped me a lot.

red_barn

Hi Meadhbus

Thanks for your message. Yes i have been seeing a therapist.

I had a panic attack last weekend and I was feeling very down about myself following this for the next few days... However, I started attending a group during the week and imediately following this i felt much better.. Like you said, I am not cured by any means but this did make me feel much better and even being able to talk to a group in a positive environment was a big help.

Just going to try and take little positive steps each day to keep making progress and not be too hard on myself if I feel uncomfortable in certain situations.

Thanks again