Hi, I've been struggling to deal with being in social situations my entire life. Recently my mom said I may have social anxiety. I told my boyfriend about it and he agreed that I could have it. Curious, I looked it up online and ended up taking a quiz. The results I got were 12/14. The quiz said the closer to 14 you got, the more likely it is to have high levels of social anxiety. Ever since this was brought up a, I've been really scared, I would just really love some advice. Thank you.
Hello Anon! Thank you so much for writing to us :)First, please don’t be scared of a new “diagnosis” (I say diagnosis like that because you haven’t been formally diagnosed by a doctor). I too used to have high anxiety…it was never really social anxiety, but I did have slight social anxiety, and I still do sometimes. Just know that this does NOT mean you’re strange, abnormal, weird, etc. All social anxiety means is you might not adjust to social situations as easily as someone without social anxiety.
Second, social anxiety is something that CAN be worked on over time, so thats good news, right? :) I recommend looking up some tips and tricks on getting out of your comfort zone via Google. I know it might make you anxious, but facing the anxiety head on is one of the best ways to treat it.
Third, take things one step at a time. Thats also another way to help with anxiety. Don’t try all the tips and tricks you find in one day…that could make you very anxious and might make you reluctant to trying out new social situations again. So take things slowly. And its ok if you feel like you take one step forward and two steps back sometimes. Slow progress is STILL progress. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare who were running against each other in a race? The tortoise won because he had a slow, steady pace. You too will win this battle with anxiety if you take things slow and steady! I believe in you! :)
