Social Anxiety/Anxiety and Depression

[tttaylorrr]

thank you for sharing! i shared my own story not too long ago, and it felt really good to open up and get my feelings off my chest. it's nice of you to share, and i think stories like ours help people understand that this is something a LOT of people go through, whether briefly or life-long, and it's OKAY. i'm medicated now and – though i do fall back down sometimes – i'm better and picking myself up again. i'm still working on me right now, but i'm better.

your story matters!

One nice thing is taking a walk, and if you feel up to it, asking someone with a cute dog if you can pet their dog. People love to talk about their dogs with basically no feedback necessary from you, you can always talk directly to the dog, and you get to pet cute dogs. It's pretty great as long as you're into dogs. You also have the easy conversational statements/questions like "what's his/her name?" "how old is (s)he?" and "(s)he's so cute!" that can cover any and all of your required conversational input if there is any necessary.

to add to this: i've found that i love hearing other people talk. i don't like to contribute too much in conversations due to my anxiety, but i'll always ask those follow-up questions to someone else and let them keep talking. it's nice to see those types of people be so comfortable; it helps me relax in social situations.

one thing i've been doing a lot more of is doing things alone. this has helped me focus on ME instead of anyone else, and i also get to learn more about myself since i'm so focused. i've also found being alone in public really helped my social anxiety in a weird way. i feel like i'm floating along, dipping my toe into other peoples' lives for a brief second, then move on. you realize all those people are so focused on themselves, it's like you're not even there. it's oddly comforting! but it took many many years to get there.

stay strong, friend.

[dakski]

I too have suffered with anxiety throughout my life, as has my fiancé. Very brave of you to share!

We have 5 reptile tanks and 5 dogs. A total of 12 animals! We wouldn't have necessarily chosen to have 5 dogs, but she had 3 and I had 2 and reptiles, so we made it work.

Anyway, I find all the animals to be incredibly cathartic and calming. The dogs are awesome to pet and cuddle and they are generally sensitive to us when we are having a bad day.

The reptiles are also awesome and gives us something to focus on. Checking temps, feeding, handling, cleaning. We have a routine every day with them. That helps give us a sense of purpose and pride in taking great care of all of our pets.

A lot of anxiety, I have found anyway, has to do with feeling out of control and "what ifs." Taking care of the animals, especially the reptiles and controlling their eco systems, helps give me a sense of control, and as I mentioned, purpose. If I am full of what ifs and paralyzed by the anxiety, taking care of the animals is something that helps me get on track.

Thank you again for sharing.