Someone tweeted about the true nature of social anxiety and the whole internet joined in
A YouTube star called Jessie Paege took to Twitter to talk about the real nature of social anxiety – rather than some people’s misconceptions of it – and it went clearly struck a chord with people who had wanted to discuss the same thing.
social anxiety is not
“omggg I love netflix and I hate everyone”
it’s
– longing to go to social situations that are easy for other people
– wanting to use your voice, but feeling stifled
– feeling trapped in your thoughtsand so much more
— Jessie Paege (@jessiepaege) April 9, 2018
Her tweet has so far been shared 70,000 times. Here is a flavour of how people responded online.
1.
Anxiety is staying up till four in the morning thinking about how situations could have differed, had you just changed one thing. Anxiety is falling down the rabbit hole of endless “what ifs” and scenarios for all the bad things that *could* happen.
— Morgan Elaine (@EmmySheetz) April 9, 2018
2.
social anxiety in media: “I’m just so painfully shy, it’s adorable”
actual people with social anxiety: “I can’t really enjoy myself in this social situation because I am literally terrified of monopolizing the conversation or saying the wrong thing” https://t.co/wzjc5LA8yi— Catie Hennessey (@catiemolly) April 10, 2018
3.
Anxiety is struggling to catch your breath while you try to assess every little thing “accordingly.” Anxiety is nail-biting, hair-pulling, continuous chills & so much more while you try to figure out what the hell you’re going to do. There’s no band-aid to make it better.—-
— Morgan Elaine (@EmmySheetz) April 9, 2018
4.
It’s also
-not being able to stop obsessing over how people see you
-obsessing over your appearance and behavior
-kicking yourself for anything you say/do that didn’t go over well
-doing anything in your power to not appear inferior to others https://t.co/bgzArrDfrv— indi @ ttrpg bender (@xoindigold) April 10, 2018
5.
Mine stems from an being not confident in my ability. Makes me avoid work tasks and cut short awkward friends meet ups if the conversation starts to run dry. Makes me feel really ill.
— Vegan Dad With Beard Ⓥ (@HumbleVeganDad) April 10, 2018
6.
It doesn’t just go away, and when I hear people tell me or another anxiety sufferer to “stop being anxious,” it makes me livid. You almost find yourself apologizing for the things you can’t control, and that’s not okay. It’s OKAY to not be okay.
— Morgan Elaine (@EmmySheetz) April 9, 2018
7.
It can also be:
•Doing the social thing but crying for hours afterward
•Being really sociable in certain settings but awful in others
•Putting on an emotional mask outside of the houseNot everyone who has Social Anxiety acts like it! It’s still serious. https://t.co/vOcXY32sLm
— Gay & Afraid (@Pixeljade) April 10, 2018
8.
Walking in a room and feeling like everybody talking about you.
Feeling like you annoy ppl if you talk to them https://t.co/BQFzpWoiYx
— Bankroll Barbie ✨ (@hellamellow) April 10, 2018