Shit day

[Madarame]

I don't usually like to whine but I really feel I have to right now.

Basically I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder around seven years ago but had been suffering from it at least two or three years before that. I'd finally started to get over it a bit , going to some college classes and stuff and thought I was doing alright but today it feels like that all fell apart. I had a speaking and listening exam for English, managed to speak only about three times in twenty minutes and then had an anxiety attack and had to leave the room.

I'm quite pissed off right now, seven years of trying to overcome this shit and that's the best I can fucking do? Pretty fucking pathetic. Makes me feel like there's no point even trying and I'm stuck with this problem.
Anyway, thank for reading this crap and letting me vent.

[Tam Li Hua]

Dude, even folks who don't have social anxiety disorder get hella nervous when they have to give speeches.

I would say your reaction is pretty normal, and wouldn't write off all those years of therapy -just- yet.

[Madarame]

Wasn't a speech it was just a discussion, about five of us sat around a table.
I know others get nervous doing stuff like that but not like with me, my reactions are far from normal.
I'm just a little annoyed and typing a load of crap, I'm not really thinking of giving up. just feeling a bit stressed out.

[Lady_Alyce]

You are not alone. I suffer from social phobias and social anxiety disorder. When I was twelve, I couldn't walk into a room full of people or with a few people in it. If someone tried to talk to me, I'd begin to sweat like nuts, stammer, and have a panic attack. It's not so bad now because I'm recieving treatment, but I still have panic attacks and not look at anyone or speak when people I'm not close to enter the room. But yeah, I know exactly how you feel.

[HumanePain]

You need some rewarding experiences. Nothing like a roomful of applause and cheers after giving a speech to build confidence. Set your self up for success, then soak up the glory!

I know, I make it sound too easy.

The best of luck to you.

[Mr E Nigma]

Yeah keep working at it, when I was in high school this one girl in our english class cried whenever the teacher made her get up in front of everyone and give a speech, like literally, cried her eyes out through the entire speech, no one could really understand half of what she said and she always felt 10 kinds of embarrassment, but the teacher threatened to fail her if she didn't do the assignment in the alloted amount of time they had to speak for. Personally, while I don't appreciate favoritism to others, I do accept that other people have problems, whether physical or mental, and I think that's pretty fucked up.

Anyways, the upside to that story, (i was one of her class friends and our close knit group of art friends all went to the same college) in our public speaking class our teacher, (motherfucking genius, at least as far as this girl was concerned). This is also in my opinion the merit of a teacher/person who cares. He went out and bought blindfolds and earplugs for everyone except for himself. he told her it'd be a step by step process.

He had everyone wear them while he stepped out of the room and had her stand up in front of the class, (basically talking to no one, but the people were there, they just had ear plugs and blindfolds on) and after the first 3 times she stopped crying while she was in front of everyone, the teacher would come back in when she'd knock on the door outside, so after she stopped crying, one day he told everyone to not put in the ear plugs, she didn't cry that time... and then he came in the room as the only person she was giving a speech too, and she didn't cry, then for the final speech, no one wore blindfolds and afterwards she was ecstatic that her anxiety about public speaking went away. She hasn't had a problem ever since that class.

We all asked him, while she wasn't around, how he knew that would work. And he said he didn't know if it would, but he said he has at least 1 kid every other semester who has problems, and that's the only thing he's ever found to help.


Anyways, long story, but I'm just trying to say it is possible to overcome things like that. It just takes some sort of push, and you do seem to have been doing quite well with what you've gone through. So keep at it.

[Opteron_Man]

I say Madarame, you will do okay, it is not uncommon to be nervious. Don't worry.

I happen to be pretty good at it now, but back when I was a kid, I was a bundle of nerves.