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12-01-2023 03:34 AM
12-01-2023 03:34 AM
Hello! I’m new here!
Hello, I’m new here. I guess I’ve been feeling really down and I want to talk to people that understand me. I haven’t been diagnosed with anxiety however I have been feeling anxious for a while now and find it hard to talk to people. I’m not a very confident person, but my confidence has dropped dramatically.
I’m starting to care more about what people think of me and I suppose I have a fear of getting judged. A lot of people stare at me which has lowered my confidence. I don’t like myself as it is. I also feel alone sometimes and find it so hard to talk to people so this is a really big step for me because I’m really shy.
This is a really brief introduction but I’m really happy to be here!
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12-01-2023 08:14 AM
12-01-2023 08:14 AM
Re: Hello! I’m new here!
Hi @TK23 welcome to the forum and its great that you have joined for support.
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12-01-2023 01:13 PM
12-01-2023 01:13 PM
Re: Hello! I’m new here!
Hey @TK23
Yay for joining our forums and for reaching out about what you're experiencing, it takes a lot of courage to do that so I just wanted to say how amazing of a step it is! I am someone that has been diagnosed with anxiety and experience a lot of racing thoughts myself, so I just wanted to reply to say that what you're experiencing is not uncommon, and that you are not alone in any of this.
I have found that a lot of what happens (for example; when I am out in public and think that everyone is looking at me or talking about me) is in my own head and rarely the case of what is actually happening. By reminding myself this it brings me a lot of closure and makes me feel a lot less 'in the middle' of everything going on, one of my goals moving into the new year is to try not to take everything so personally. A saying that I like to go by is 'if you don't know them personally, don't take it personally' which is really applicable to my life because I often wonder what others are thinking and then get into a spiral that they are thinking negative thoughts about me (even if they are strangers).
I also have found that keeping myself busy in periods that I am overthinking, or diverting my thinking to something more productive has really helped me. This will vary to the person you are but for me personally I think that distracting my brain when I am spiralling is the best thing that I can do for myself. I also try and interrupt the thoughts with 'but who said that' which is often followed by 'no one actually said that, I am just making it up' which brings me back to the ground a lot of the time.
Are you currently seeing anyone for your anxiety? Or have you found any specific techniques or strategies that might help you? The good thing about knowing what triggers you and what you are most likely to feel anxious about is that you can tailor your techniques and your strategies to exactly what would work for you. Then you can start to find ways to put yourself out there after that.
All the best,
Amber22