I made my uni class watch this today. Future paramedics of the U.K. have now seen this. We had a discussion about it too ♥️

Anxiety sucks makes your life a living hell

Hate having social anxiety, don’t u just wish u could be like that person that can talk to anyone anytime anywhere

The thing is: I'm so confident in my bedroom. I just feel like I could achieve all my goals, be charismatic and happy. But a soon as I'm outside I can't even walk in peace, if I see any human being P.S.: thx for the likes ^3 I know it's selfish, but it feels nice to know that there are other people that can relate to this and that I'm not the only one struggling.. I wish y'all the best though. I'm getting better actually :) I don't know if I'm ever going to get rid of all this someday, but better is better

When you have anxiety talking to your own family members, that’s when I realized the severity.

When did life get so funcking complicated

I hate feeling like this. Everyone around me seems to be so confident i dont know how they do it

Social anxiety makes you feel trapped. You’re heart feels like it will pound out of your chest whenever you’re in the center of spotlight or are expected to do something... perfectly. Practicing in real life isn’t that easy when you have the choice. Socially anxious people will definitely choose to not put themselves out there, because it makes us uncomfortable. I hope anyone experiencing the same will become confident one day! Keep the faith ❤️

My social anxiety has literally taken over my life. I can’t keep a job because of how stressful it becomes when I’m constantly feeling like I’m being judged and made fun of.

I hate having social anxiety I always think someone is talking about me.

My social anxiety kept me away from high school activities and making friends and working with others.

I can’t even ask someone “where is the bathroom”, I’m afraid they can’t hear my voice since everyone says they can’t hear me. I’m afraid they’ll ignore me and it’ll feel awkward. My family makes fun of me cause I can’t speak up for myself but really they don’t understand it’s making it worst and worst. I wish I understood why I am like this :(

18 year old here currently battling with social anxiety/ depression... it’s so nice to see other people who relate to how I currently feel 🥲

I think I have trouble putting myself 'out there'. Its like I don't want to be known. I have projects, goals, and dreams, but can't pursue any of them because my own mind is stopping me. Just the act of posting a comment (even this one) is a hurdle. I often delete them when done. "I dont need to say this.." " Im not saying anything important" " this doesn't add anything interesting to the conversation" "whats the point.." "someone will get hostile towards me (etc)" I've been careful and quiet all my life. Keep to myself and stay introverted... like a hermit; a Recluse at times. Accepted myself as I am, but now see that this might be something that I need to change in order to chase my dreams. But thats why any of us are here right? To Change. I may waste my time with this, or might not. But if anyone else reading this is going through this, You're not alone...

I'm 17 and I can't even order something at a cafe. Edit: I'm almost 21 now and doing a whole lot better. I'm surprised I still get replies to this periodically, but I thought I'd let you guys know that I can order things easily now, I still have social anxiety issues when it comes to more personal interaction like at school but I've come a long way. Something I realized recently is that people usually don't care about you - that might sound harsh, but it's actually helped me out. Do you think less of someone when they do or say something awkward? I'm assuming not. And if there is someone who does that, they're a weird or bad person that you shouldn't want to associate with anyway.

At the end of the day, tell yourself gently: ‘I love you, you did the best you could today, and even if you didn’t accomplish all you had planned, I love you anyway.

I miss my childhood. I was the KING of my world, full of joy. IDK where it all went wrong, now i calculate every single moment before. It's soo overbearing I'm feeling like am a slave to myself.

It’s crazy to think about how when I was young I didn’t give a shit about what people thought of me and now it’s all I think of I can’t even be in crowded place or my anxiety will kill me

Its so nice to relate to people in the coment section. I dont feel so alone

literally beating anxienty is so pressure inducing. like having anxiety and beating anxiety causes even more anxiety and its like a loop 😭😭😭

I’m just sad my parents don’t understand I have social axiety, they always force me to talk to people, and I always have to be awkward and embarrassed, and every night I can’t stop thinking about the embarrassing times, like I don’t know what to say

I want to know how it feels to not have social anxiety

My social anxiety is at its peak when I’m at school, or when it involves my current or former classmates. My social anxiety outside of school is kinda manageable. It’s probably because I’ve built up feelings of unease at school, when I was mocked, excluded and bullied.

i love wasting my youth on being afraid of living my life. so great

I always try to imagine the person I would’ve been if I didn’t have social anxiety. That’s always hard.

Social anxiety has ruined my life since 3rd grade.

What I hate about social anxiety the most, more than how nervous you get talking to people, is that people notice it and they look at you so suspicious as though you were a psycho or something and that's really discouraging.

I can't deal with this shit anymore, I'm 21 and it's ruining my life. I just choked up on a presentation yesterday - but my main concern wasn't the presentation itself, but the weeks spent in anxiety anticipating the presentation and waking up countless nights with my heart pounding

i fantasise a lot, the only time i have fun is when im in my head. I get scared when meeting people, my self esteem got crushed a few years back and the same phrase "you're boring" just repeats in my mind. I'm only young but i have to take literal shots before talking to people because i get so scared i wont be enough. :/

“Just talk” are the same people who judge me 😃👍🏻

I'm watching this while waiting for my job interview. I feel like I just wanna go home. I've been avoiding job applications because of my anxiety but I am trying to fight it because I need a job. 😞 Update : I got the job 😭😭 Update: Thanks a lot for the positive replies. It's 2023 and I've been working on the same job for more than 3yrs now. It wasn't a smooth road as I have been struggling keeping up with my workmates in my 1st year. I was constantly targeted by my senior co workers to the point of almost quiting many times. But it is always much harder to quit since I have to go through job interviews again. I have come to love my job but not the office work culture. However, I am now looking for any work from home jobs that pays much more. I am thankful that I did not quit right away regardless of how much I suffered because I have learned a lot and I will use those learnings as my tools to step up on my career. I have to, because I need to feed my cats and save more other cats. 😁 For those like me who struggles to deflect what others might think about us due to our complex and unfortunate experiences growing up, it's hard... yes, but it's not impossible to still live normally. In my case I was just thankful I found a reason not to give up even if I want to and that's my cats. When we find something worth to struggle for we will overcome our own obstacles, even our own selves. Good luck to everyone in all these bad lucks, I hope we can all find inner peace not just success in life. Thank you again. ✌️☺️

I'm 44 with a 4-year-old, today I took her to her second day of school, I had such bad anxiety with all the other mothers I went back home and cried. Pathetic I know. I try and be strong for my daughter, But I just feel so overwhelmed, thank you for this video. xx

ahhh it’s amazing when you feel like everyone around you is constantly judging every little move you make😻👍

One of my biggest issues with social anxiety is speaking to people in my own age group because I feel like they’re judging me. People older than me don’t bother me nearly as much. I’m always worrying about what I look like to other people when I’m speaking to them. Is my face ugly? My smile?? Yuck

Just thinking about working against my social anxiety makes me super anxious, haha. But thank you for the video! :)

I hate having social anxiety. It’s like I know no one really cares that I’m there but at the same time I feel like everyone does and in a negative way. It’s hard to explain

Having social anxiety makes it hard to find a job or want a job

Me at home: I'm gonna talk to everyone in school! I know I can do it! Me at school:

I never thought I was going to be able to overcome my social anxiety, but with exposure i actually did! I used to feel horrible nausea before going to school when I was little, every morning was a struggle. On top of that I was bullied for being so quiet and unsocial. This caused me to constantly miss school days and harm my attendance. Deep down I felt guilty for doing this but staying home was like my safety net because just the thought of having to face people at school was a nightmare. Now with gradual exposure, and CBT therapy I’m able to speak my mind and not worry what others are going to think. if you’re reading this comment and you’re in the same or similar situation, please don’t give up I encourage you to seek help now because nobody deserves to live this way! ❤️

Just when you mentioned exposure therapy and explained what it basically is, my heart rate went up

I am watching this before starting to work in new place with new people😭😭 wanna go back home

this make me cry, even though we are in the quarantine , but when I remembered how anxious I'm in social situations I depressed and really wish to get red of it.

I have anxiety of picking up the phone. It's hard cause my current job involves lots of it. Fucking sucks when my heart beats so fast while I'm talking over the phone and I can feel my throat tightening up and I feel even more extra anxious when I feel like the person who I'm talking to notices up. So I always end up saying only a few words, and putting the phone down while my hands are shaking and checking on everyone if they notice. I hate my life

My anxiety strikes when i have to meet them again constantly ....if its a stranger that i most likely will never see again I can pretty much do anything

Not only having social anxiety ruins everything. But most importantly it ruins the trust you've built for yourself. Having no friends, Trouble when speaking publicly, Not approachable to anyone and at the same time not approaching anyone too. Yeah, It feels easy to watch a KZfaq video and feel good that these few tips might help but in reality we all know right ? That we gonna get fucked when the situation comes right up.

Making myself get out and do things sometimes makes me feel worse.. My anxiety doesn't last for a bit, it lasts for a long time.. it sticks and I can't shake it off.

It’s only when I changed my mindset and started accepting anxiety and working with it that I actually began healing. Never give up on yourself, you are a warrior 💪🏼💚

My social anxiety is under control, I use music and dance therapy as well as meditation. Another way I control my social anxiety is to focus more on the person/people im meeting instead of myself. ♥️

I have been dealing with social anxiety since i was a child. I'm lucky to seek therapy. I know that it's uncomfortable feeling anxious and facing fears, but im studying theatre and was recently in a play. I had to perform in front of an audience. I was nervous, had to take deep breaths, but was also excited. Made me realize you can achieve the impossible, and having self compassion helps. Hope this helps someone! You got this.

I just wanna be like everyone else and always know what to say. I want to not be scared to talk to people anymore. I sometimes am to self conscious to be my self in front of my bff. I'm way quieter than I am with my family around her. I wish I wasn't shy.

Is it odd/not normal to get anxiety when hearing or talking about anxiety? Because whenever I hear something about anxiety... It gives me anxiety XD

I'm 30 years old and i just learned that i have SocialAnxiety! I am so relieve that i finally know what is up with me and now i understand why i'm always reacting some type of way when i talk to people or when everyone is looking at me! I can't believe it took me that long, i just thought i was not normal ! Now i'm ready to fight and find some ways to ease things up 🥺

i can't speak properly if i am with people. i speak very fluent and well with people i know and when i am alone.

Why does it feel so impossible to start socialising????Im 19 and running out of time😭

I have such a bad social anexity that whenever any guest or even my family members visit my home I just lock myself and eat a lot a lot of junk food to cure myself.😫😩

I love that many people are actually trying to deal with this. 😂I’m proud of us all.

My social anxiety was so bad that EVERYTIME I went inside walmart, sweat would show through my clothes 😁 (and then I wondered why are all these people were looking at me), but I've been able to control it and it's getting better 👌✨

I feel so alone. I’ve been struggling with this my whole life and don’t think it’ll ever get better lol

I'm tired of not being able to text someone without having a panic attack when they take 3 minutes to respond.

being out in public is always pure hell and has caused problems in my relationship so this really makes me feel not too alone

I can just feel everybody’s energy and it gets so exhausting and overwhelming

Okay so my story: I'm not scared of really talking to people. But when I do, I just feel that they don't really are interested in the stuff that I say and that they would rather not listen to me, because theyre wasting their time. That's why I don't talk that much and exclude myself out of conversations because I think they just see me as the one boring person that is there but not really at the same time. And that's how I'm being treated, like I don't matter, like I'm just an extra. So I rather to stay out of this whole social thing completely and lose myself in my own world (homework, school work, music, books, writing, my family, films and serieses). These things make everything seems like home, like my own little world and I'm happy with that. But I sometimes feel so awkward when I'm in social situations, like I'm doing literally EVERYTHING wrong and that the other people think I'm such a weirdo. But that's the worst thing I can do and I know that. So from now on I'm going to fight my social anxiety and become a better person!!! ❤️

I literally cried when I clicked on this video.....im trying to accept that I actually need to do stuff for things to get better

I used to be someone with high self esteem, self love, and self confidence. I used to dance, and sing, and perform (badly mostly), and had no problem walking up to a complete stranger and making a fool of myself to make a friendship, go on a date, etc. I had many aquaintances and friends. But I was going through the toughest and most traumatic events in my life. I remember I became that confident because one day I decided that... I didn't have time to be unhappy. I was loosing my life and my childhood to the horrors going on at home... so I decided that no matter what, I was always gonna be happy and find a reason to be happy and enjoy my life and take every opportunity and live every moment-- because I couldn't bear living for nothing as a vicitim and a pawn to someone elses gain, taught that I had no way out and no where else to go... Years passed, I eventually fought and won freedom away from that person. But then more trauma, even more severe, hit me a couple months later when I found out another person in my life was just as bad if not worse... both of these persons were my parents. Now I'm 19. I've lived through more than I can explain. I'm still not free of this person, and hard things have continued to happen, both inside and outside the home. I try and fail everyday to reach a point where I can be independent and get out all on my own, to give myself the life I so badly want to fight for... honestly, I hate my life. I wish I had the hope and strength I had when I was much younger to choose to live and take chances. To fail and succeed... but after too many things, I've lost that thing and now I'm ridden with resentment, severe anxiousness doing things I used to be able to do no problem no matter the scale. Now I'm struggling to fight up the courage to get my first job, convince someone to take a chance on me, to look at me and see me for the potential I pray I still have, so that i can fund my dreams and make my way to a college degree and a new home i can call my home. And yet I stop myself. I cannot face anyone. I am stupid, and frightened, and traumatized, and alone. I don't believe any of this was worth it, wherease once there was a time I did. I dont hold trust for relationships or people, where once I absolutely did... I have goals and dreams that can be made tangible, which is something I had very little of before. But most of all, I have fear-- and that's something I always had but never let control the direction and quality of my life. If you've read my long ass comment, I pray I inspire you to work harder, work smarter, and live happier. I don't know what's going to happen for me or if I'll ever make it past 20. I'm too scared to live but I'm too scared to die. One thing I really pray for is that this isn't my villain backstory lol... No I'm sure I'll be fine. I don't understand it. But thank you for reading what I needed to express. God bless ❤ I pray I find that something again to make me regain my faith and my drive, and my courage to do more than survive. Goodnight 🖐

I space out and feel like i can't see around me when i'm in a place where I feel anxious. Which in turn makes me a million times MORE anxious ☹

I can't even get out into my neighborhood without breathing quickly and thinking everyone is looking at me and judging me.

Last week I went out with group of friends that i am not confident with yet i did not speak a word for the whole 7 hours and i pray to god that i overcome my social anxiety

I thought I had social anxiety, then I looked in the comments and knew I was wrong, hope you guys get through what ur going through. Good luck 👊🏽

After my severe abuse of my past, I withdrew from society while healing. My therapist didn't challenge that at first, but this is exactly how I rejoined society. I started off simply going to a mall and sitting down and staying there, and my homework was talking about both the people I saw (forcing me to notice them) and my own feelings. Then I had to walk with people, then ask questions in the shops, ask a mall employee directions, various types of engagement. The world didn't end at each step.

I’m totally Blind and have Social Anxiety, thing is .. I can’t run away from it due to my worthless eye balls lol but I have just found out today that after 2yrs on a waiting list I have finally got a Guide Dog which I will be meeting on Friday, so looking forward to the next chapter of my Life, going out more, trying to meet new people with my Guide Dog giving me an ice breaker into a conversation. Thanks for the Video, very informative, and by the sounds of your Voice you sound beautiful! Keep the video’s coming, great job x

Having social anxiety is really hard because you always miss the opportunities to socialize, improve your abilities, shine, get the praise you deserve or even just make yourself happy. Even when all the chances and opportunies are infront of your eyes, you just can not reach them because you feel uncomfortable. You just search for your safe zone, a quiet place that you can calm down. You just want to run away. And the treatment is really hard, especially you can not talk to a therapist. You need to push yourself, yourself. But I really want to get rid of this fucking stressful and sad life. So I will try to get over it, myself. I'm really pushing myself, I just want to cry and I just want my safe zone. But I'm hoping I will make it, and shine through my problems.

Something that helped me was acting like everyone is me and just basically feel as if you were talking to yourself

I realized recently that I kept on rejecting invitation to dinners, events etc with a group of "unknown" people to me (strangers). Only thinking of going it just make me feel uncomfortable or maybe ill about it and even restless just on thinking about it. So in the end I would just reject/cancel it. Posting this comment also took me 5 minutes or more on whether should I write this. I know there maybe no ones going to see this or care about it, I'm very nervous about posting ONE comment :/

Today I was my first day of school, as usual everybody already knew each other and I felt like everybody was watching me, I was there, standing alone like a dog while thinking what other people might think of me. In my new class I knew someone but they ignored me because I never talk, everybody sat down with their friends while I was the only one who was alone, eventually a boy sat down next to me because there were no places left, as the teacher was speaking I felt like my heart was going to explode, my mouth got dry and my throat tightened up, I couldn't even speak, when I needed to say a simple "thanks" my voice was all shaky that you could barely hear me, my eyes got all teary that I was about to cry but I pinched my hand so I could distract myself. When I got home I really felt like heaven, alone in my bed, here with my phone writing down all I want, reading and doing what makes me happy hoping that the day would pass by slowly. Tomorrow I need to go back to school, and here I am, crying myself to sleep and scared of going to school and face like 970 people. I just want a therapist to help me overcome my social anxiety or maybe getting home schooled would be even better but I won't dare to ask. People always say "you're not alone" but I really do feel alone.

Mann i just wish i could walk around confidently and talk to anyone without being awkward or anything

I'm 41 and had horrible anxiety for nearly 10 years and then I started smoking weed last year, only on the weekends, and then during the week I'm more social, have nearly no anxiety, and I've had great performance at my job and even got a $1.50 raise. It's not for everyone because some people smoke all day and they are terrible at there job, can't remember a single thing, and all of those things. Works great for me though.

Anxiety is a hell which burn me everytime

I feel so damn isolated all the time. Like I want to make conversation but everytime I say something I’m like “what if i say this wrong” or “they are so much more confident and social than me” its horrible. i feel like i’m so weird because of it and I just want to be able to talk and not have to think of every scenario that could go wrong in my head

I never talk in social situation and the fact that I dont talk makes me hate these situations even more

I didnt imagine myself being 17 years old with no friends and fear of even knowing someone is looking at me. At the same time trying to look and act normal, like im not tearing apart inside. I just wanna be able to talk not just when im asked.

I feel I'm stuck in a toxic environment (everyone claims that it is in my head but it obviously isn't) and I'm just emotionally and mentally destroyed by it. I trying to fix my life and someone is always there to attack me.

One thing I noticed when I’m anxious around people is I start to shiver for some reason. It’s like I feel really cold.

My social anxiety makes me freeze and dissociate from my environment, then I feel more anxious about how weird I look for zoning out or shutting down

this comment section is raily helpful nice to have that feeling that your not alone with social anxiety its extremely hard to deal with it especially in a school environment you feel like no one understands you and you just want to go home and cry, reading these comments makes me feel like all of you are my friends

My social anxiety always comes formal settings in groups. That group dynamic triggers me like crazy, as I’m so in my head that I can’t think properly and have a difficult time articulating...then guilt/shame kicks in after where I beat myself up for how bad it went. A lot of fun! I have no issues in formal settings 1on 1, as I feel calm no matter who that person is...it’s always that second, third pair of eyes that makes me feel that I’m being judged. As I write this, it does feel kind of silly, but I’ve been dealing with this fear for years, and it seems like no amount of exposure helps. Thx for the video none the less.

Eyebrows on fleek

When im in my bed i feel confident, i feel like i can achieve anything i want. Then i go somewhere else, there are so manu thoughts coming in my head that i cant block , like - im not good enough to achieve anything, what if something looks bad about me, im so helpless . And i just lose all mu confidence and it takes a long time to get the confidence back, and it happens again. Just a endless loop, i try to teach myself to stop this and that, but i cant control the thoughts that come my way

Ive realized when I meet new people or when Im in a social setting, my mind only focuses on how they look at me and trying to figure out what they think about me based on their facial gestures. What really helps me to get through these thoughts is to start focusing on the conversation instead and listen to what they are really saying and ignore my unrealistic thoughts. Its seems impossible at the beginning but you must re-train your brain to do the right thing. at some point I had to quit my job because I just couldn't handle it anymore but now Im preparing for a 2 hours job interview. You all got this!

I expose myself all the time and it just gets worse and worse.

This quarantine period made me think and realize how much I missed out on life and wasted some golden opportunities because of this goddarned anxiety. But I don't want to get caught up in the past now! My goal is to make small steps to at least be 1% better than the person I was yesterday. I swear I just want to be better. Wish me luck! 💪

Now idk how to talk face to face with people anymore bcs of studying online.. It makes my social anxiety went up but I'm kinda grateful for it cause I don't have to handle my anxiety.. And I feel really bad for myself for taking that as an advantage. I really hope I can communicate with others freely

Honestly listening to videos like this makes my anxiety feel way worse because I’m thinking about it even more. I think SAD mostly has to do with confidence and self esteem, and not worrying about what other people think of us

I get butterflies in my stomach when I get anxious. Worst feeling ever

Music heals my anxiety a little cause it's very relaxing and good to hear than the people around me

for me it has gotten to the point where i cant even remember how to converse or how to listen. it’s like i just don’t feel interest in what anyone says/ i don’t even hear what they say bc im in my own head and so i don’t know how to respond to them and i just say the easiest and quickest thing i can think of to fit as a reply. i just want to talk normally, freely and feel everything again. im always so impressed by people that know what to say and I wish i could be like that :(

I can’t even talk about my social anxiety without crying. I don’t talk to anyone cause it’s so bad. I shake, sweat, feel faint, my voice croaks. I hate it. I have to give myself a pep talk before I have to socialise. People think I’m stuck up because I don’t talk. My biggest fear is looking like a fool or embarrassing myself. I hope I can get over it one day, it’s really holding me back in life...

I don't get sweaty, and my heart doesn't usually race, but I get fidgety, and my chest gets tight. My anxiety isn't really in the moment, it's pre and post interaction. Before hand when I know I'm going to have to talk to someone, I get super anxious, and I think about just avoiding it or putting it off. I go over in my head what I'm going to say, and then rehearse it over and over till there is no way I can forget or say the wrong thing. Sometimes I do just abort, and never end up doing the things if that is an option. But if I absolutely must have this interaction, I can usually shove the thoughts away out of necessity. But afterwards, even if everything went fine, I have anxious thoughts about what happened. I convince myself that I messed up, was annoying, or acted weird. I get embarrassed and angry at myself. After interactions is when things get more Physiological. Racing heart, out of breath, fidgety. Feeling angry at myself for acting "dumb", and wanting to lash out at myself and things around me...Those thoughts last for weeks to months. It's a horrible cycle, and it never ends. That's why the advice of, "Just try to do it, and you'll see that everything works out fine." doesn't help me. It doesn't MATTER if it's fine. My brain will convince me that I did SOMETHING wrong. It's like being stuck in a hole, and I have no clue how to climb out...

I have practical advice that’s worked for me in the past (I’m in a mess recently so might need to repeat it lol): - Start working out regularly. Seriously, it’s a life changer, however cliche it might sound. Don’t overdo it if you’re a total beginner - go with 3-4 times per week - Start cold showers every morning. I didn’t believe it, but once I tried it, my mind was super sharp and I was able to focus on the present moment. - Start meditation/yoga or both. Meditation is a must imo, but yoga also involves a bit of it so you can combine the two - Start with gradual exposure. Basically, create a list of things to do ( it can be as simple as going to the mall, up to facing your worst fear ever). Then, rank these things. And then you should start doing things that are ranked lower on the list. Once you’re comfortable with that thing, move up until you reach the top. Know that this can take months, so don’t rush it. - Intermittent fasting worked well for me, but I know it’s not for everyone. Combine all of these and you’ll see at least some results, I guarantee.

I can't even walk properly when some one is watching

The thing is my brain or like my conscious self isn’t worried but my body reacts without me knowing it.