Social Anxiety poll

[LilPima]

I voted 2, I can start and maintain a conversation withnearly anyone for at least a few minutes, but still get nervous once in a blue.

 

[shortylickens]

I said 2.
Women dont make me nervous, but I'd still feel weird hitting on a gal with her boyfriend right there.

 

[CKent]

High (7+).

I've seen various shrinks, they're all a crock of shit. There's a great deal of promise in the mental health field, but as with the field of law, all of its practitioners are worthless fucking societal parasites who should be euthanized for the greater good of our species.

Oddly enough I don't have much of a problem talking with exceedingly attractive women because there's zero chance.

 

[CRXican]

I voted a 6. Not so much anxiety but the lack of a desire to talk to people I don't know for no good reason. I hate fake, small talk but can fake it if necessary.

Yes it's morning, no it's not good. Yes we all know it's Friday, big fking deal. etc etc.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Like 7 or 8 if I have never seen the person before... but once I actually start talking, it drops to like 4 or 5... and if the awkward silence comes up... "I'll be right back I'm getting another drink". With small talk, I don't like it, but really what else is there when you first meet someone?

And like someone else said, I'd say there's a huge difference between 5-10, as opposed to 1-5. Because really once I started talking the anxiety drops exponentially as time passes but I don't really know how to rate that.

The weather is a horrible topic I will not bring up ever.

Haha... "older people" parties. Though I've done it myself. But when it's 60 degrees for a week straight in the winter, you have to at least mention it hehe.

 

[StormRider]

I rated myself as a 9. In the past, I have only felt "comfortable" in class or work situations. So, if I was in a study group in school, then I was fine. And if I'm working on a project at work with a group of people, then I'm fine.

But when it starts getting "social" then I will have great anxiety because I don't know how to act or talk. I've never really had a social life (had to help out in my parent's restaurant) so I've got nothing to talk about socially. And I get very anxious when people start talking socially because I'm afraid they will ask a little about me and my answers will reveal that I have no friends or social life and it will be very embarrassing. When people start talking about their wives, husbands, or girlfriends I clam up -- I can't relate at all since I've never dated or anything. I'm 45 years old so things will get worse and worse.

I think the root cause of social anxiety is fear of embarrassment.

Right now, the thing that is worrying me is that I heard that security clearances must be renewed every 10 years and it's coming up on my 10th year at work. I had a hard time 10 years ago coming up with personal references and I haven't really kept in touch with the people I put down as personal references so I'm worrying about who to put down as personal references when my renewal comes up. Also, you have to put down a neighbor and I would feel really uncomfortable doing this because I don't really socialize with my neighbors -- I usually just say "hi" or wave and dart inside.

 

[waggy]

as a teenager/young adult i had no anxiety. not much bothered me.

now that im 35 i have it pretty bad.

 

[Lonyo]

I voted 8.
I currently work in a hotel.
It's almost a form of therapy.

 

[2Xtreme21]

I'm around a 6. I'd rather sit in silence with someone on an elevator, etc. than have to awkwardly respond to anything they might say. That being said, when the situation calls for it, I can be the life of the party, and be so outspoken to the point where I'm one of a few hundred people that interviewed to have landed my current job.

It definitely is more about not wanting to talk to everyone than any kind of social anxiety.

 

[clamum]

Probably about a 5. It used to be higher.

 

[knawlejj]

Voted a 4. Having a good sense of humor and quick wits can really help you in awkward positions.

If this poll had showed up while i was about a junior in high-school, then I would have voted a 7 or 8. I was really self-conscious about myself and was not happy about my weight. I still had a great sense of humor but nothing more.

I took some initiative and lost 100lbs in a little under a year (right before college) and it has helped my self confidence tremendously. Now when I look back on it, it was a little ridiculous that I was always nervous to deposit a check, talk to a cashier, order my own food over the phone, etc.

 

[AmdEmAll]

I am around a 7 or 8. However if I am with people I know then I don't really have any anxiety my issue is just with new people. And I have also found that after I workout I usually have no anxiety and I am much more out going. Not sure why this is.

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: AmdEmAll
I am around a 7 or 8. However if I am with people I know then I don't really have any anxiety my issue is just with new people. And I have also found that after I workout I usually have no anxiety and I am much more out going. Not sure why this is.

Working out tends to cause the release of endorphins, resulting in mild euphoric feelings. Might be one reason for the reduction of anxiety. It's also one of many reasons why a physical fitness routine can aid in the remediation of depressive symptoms.

 

[Kyle]

Originally posted by: StormRider
I rated myself as a 9. In the past, I have only felt "comfortable" in class or work situations. So, if I was in a study group in school, then I was fine. And if I'm working on a project at work with a group of people, then I'm fine.

But when it starts getting "social" then I will have great anxiety because I don't know how to act or talk. I've never really had a social life (had to help out in my parent's restaurant) so I've got nothing to talk about socially. And I get very anxious when people start talking socially because I'm afraid they will ask a little about me and my answers will reveal that I have no friends or social life and it will be very embarrassing. When people start talking about their wives, husbands, or girlfriends I clam up -- I can't relate at all since I've never dated or anything. I'm 45 years old so things will get worse and worse.

I think the root cause of social anxiety is fear of embarrassment.

Right now, the thing that is worrying me is that I heard that security clearances must be renewed every 10 years and it's coming up on my 10th year at work. I had a hard time 10 years ago coming up with personal references and I haven't really kept in touch with the people I put down as personal references so I'm worrying about who to put down as personal references when my renewal comes up. Also, you have to put down a neighbor and I would feel really uncomfortable doing this because I don't really socialize with my neighbors -- I usually just say "hi" or wave and dart inside.

I can really relate to 99% of your post- I am very similar in a lot of ways.
I used to be a 9 maybe about 6+ years ago- I did see a shrink for about 6 months and actually had positive results- I felt incredibly comfterble talking to him, and found it helpful to be able to just talk on end about the anxiety I'd struggled with, and know that he understood (or at least was good at pretending =). He also challenged me to go outside my comfort level- during one session he insisted we walk to the 7-11 and that I make small talk w/ the cashier- I was terrified. Looking back, I did horrible . I actually pulled the "wow, the weather's really nice outside" thing. And because the psychiatrist knew that, like StormRider said, a lot of it stems from fear of embarrassment, he came up behind me and very loudly asked the casheir where they kept their bowties, or something like that.
Anyways- I did find it helpful. the other thing I found helpful was forcing myself to work in social situations- I worked at radio shack for a while, now I'm on the phone talking to people all day. I'd rate myself around a 6 now- still some anxiety, but nothing that really interferes much w/ my day to day life- fear of random encounters is gone, same w/ phone conversations which used to really bother me (calling in for pizza, tech support etc). There is one antidepressant that is approved for social anxiety disorder that I took for a few days, but decided against relying on pills. I'd still consider it if things got a lot worse, but I didnt think it was *quite* bad enough to justify medication.

 

[sandorski]

Just voted 5, cause I really don't know how I rate. When I was younger I was easily an 8. Nowadays I wouldn't go out of my way to chat it up with the Hot chick, but if we ended up chatting I'd go with it no problem.

I'm not much of a conversationalist though. So if she wasn't into Computers, Gaming, Lost, or Hockey, we'd both get bored quickly. :laugh:

 

[xSauronx]

i voted 6. i used to be a 10 but ive been working on it a lot in the last year or so. thing is, im not really convinced that most people are worth bothering with (in fact, most of my experience suggests they really arent) so im kinda slow-going sometimes. i do much better in a new group or situation if im with someone i already know, even if i dont know them really well.

 

[imported_Imp]

I said around 8, but it really goes from 2-10 depending on my mood.

If you put me one on one with some people, or even two on two, I won't shut up. I could carry the entire conversation, speak loudly, confidently and have a boatload of shit to say. And this is with certain total strangers that I just met.

Put me in another group or infront of another individual, and suddenly, I unconsciously soften my voice, tone everything down, start second guessing everything, and can't think of anything beyond "yes", "uh-huh", "great, that's good" and "ok".

Fear of embarassment probably has something to do with it. The times when I just let it all out infront of entire groups, I felt like I was being put on the spot, or already so shamed that I couldn't get worse.

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: StormRider
I rated myself as a 9. In the past, I have only felt "comfortable" in class or work situations. So, if I was in a study group in school, then I was fine. And if I'm working on a project at work with a group of people, then I'm fine.

But when it starts getting "social" then I will have great anxiety because I don't know how to act or talk. I've never really had a social life (had to help out in my parent's restaurant) so I've got nothing to talk about socially. And I get very anxious when people start talking socially because I'm afraid they will ask a little about me and my answers will reveal that I have no friends or social life and it will be very embarrassing. When people start talking about their wives, husbands, or girlfriends I clam up -- I can't relate at all since I've never dated or anything. I'm 45 years old so things will get worse and worse.

I think the root cause of social anxiety is fear of embarrassment.

Right now, the thing that is worrying me is that I heard that security clearances must be renewed every 10 years and it's coming up on my 10th year at work. I had a hard time 10 years ago coming up with personal references and I haven't really kept in touch with the people I put down as personal references so I'm worrying about who to put down as personal references when my renewal comes up. Also, you have to put down a neighbor and I would feel really uncomfortable doing this because I don't really socialize with my neighbors -- I usually just say "hi" or wave and dart inside.

I can really relate to 99% of your post- I am very similar in a lot of ways.
I used to be a 9 maybe about 6+ years ago- I did see a shrink for about 6 months and actually had positive results- I felt incredibly comfterble talking to him, and found it helpful to be able to just talk on end about the anxiety I'd struggled with, and know that he understood (or at least was good at pretending =). He also challenged me to go outside my comfort level- during one session he insisted we walk to the 7-11 and that I make small talk w/ the cashier- I was terrified. Looking back, I did horrible . I actually pulled the "wow, the weather's really nice outside" thing. And because the psychiatrist knew that, like StormRider said, a lot of it stems from fear of embarrassment, he came up behind me and very loudly asked the casheir where they kept their bowties, or something like that.
Anyways- I did find it helpful. the other thing I found helpful was forcing myself to work in social situations- I worked at radio shack for a while, now I'm on the phone talking to people all day. I'd rate myself around a 6 now- still some anxiety, but nothing that really interferes much w/ my day to day life- fear of random encounters is gone, same w/ phone conversations which used to really bother me (calling in for pizza, tech support etc). There is one antidepressant that is approved for social anxiety disorder that I took for a few days, but decided against relying on pills. I'd still consider it if things got a lot worse, but I didnt think it was *quite* bad enough to justify medication.

A central component of most social anxiety is a fear of negative evaluation from others, thus fear of embarrassment certainly falls under this category. There definitely are treatments other than medication that work (and work very well). In fact, the treatment of anxiety-related disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, various phobias, posttraumatic stress disorder, etc.) via psychotherapy is one of the most empirically-supported types of "talk therapy" available.

It sounds like your psychiatrist had, at the very least, some familiarity with the components of this type of treatment. Those mental health professionals who specialize in anxiety disorder work would use some similar processes while also usually providing you with an anticipated and specific time line.

 

[nixium]

Between 7 and 1, depending on the amount of drink I've had and how much I feel like talking to people. Sometimes, I want to get away from civilization completely, and sometimes I talk to everyone I meet. It depends a lot on my mental energy levels.

As for approaching hot girls, I can do it with no fear, but my "game" is terrible.

 

[Perknose]

OP, I think your example of no anxiety, #1 is stupid. Hitting on a girl in front of her boyfriend is more ignorant than it is anything else.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I voted 6 as an average.

I have days where I want to shut myself in and not talk to anybody except people I have to (work, etc.), and days where I go out with friends and have a good time.

I don't mind approaching new people (guys or girls), but I don't exactly have a huge amount of confidence.

I was definitely more anxious during school than I am now.

 

[krazydimund]

bell shaped curve with a negative skew, mode at 7. i chose 7 as well. the fact that i can analyze these statistics shows just how nerdy and/or socially inept i am
EDIT: corrected statistics term error. nerdiness +2.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: astroidea

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
I think your ratings are not properly scaled. The gap between 1 and 5 is much smaller than 5 and 10.

I think it's fine as it is... 5 is average, 1 is no anxiety, 10 is as bad as it gets.

yes, that part is fine.. but the descriptions are off. tho, that might be subjective. I wouldn't call anyone that goes to parties and meets new people as having any anxiety problems. that would be mild anxiety to me.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

I'd say I'm about a 4. I'm usually pretty social, but if you put me in a room with people who I don't have much in common with, I'll probably be a bit awkward (but that's probably true for everyone). At a party, I don't really have any reservations about approaching people. It can be intimidating to approach a really hot girl, though.

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: Perknose
OP, I think your example of no anxiety, #1 is stupid. Hitting on a girl in front of her boyfriend is more ignorant than it is anything else.

Perhaps. I was trying to think of two examples at either extreme. Perhaps that's not the most realistic example. However there are plenty of people who do hit on women in such situations. Perhaps they are assholes but one thing is for sure they lack any shred of anxiety which was my point.