Social Anxiety Support (SAS)

Kizzie · August 26, 2014, 06:46:50 PM

I developed Social Anxiety Disorder as a secondary disorder to CPTSD (which is common), and am a member of a great support group Social Anxiety Support - http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/. Here's a description of SA and SAD from the site:

Social anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, dread, or apprehension about social interaction and presentation. Frequently, the primary concern fueling social anxiety is a concern that one will be (or is being) judged negatively by other people, regardless of whether this is actually the case. The experience of occasional, mild social anxiety is quite common, as is the experience of anxiety in general. Social anxiety can range from a relatively benign, infrequent level of severity to being a major hindrance in everyday life.

Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia are mental health diagnoses used to describe a level of social anxiety that is so distressing, excessive, and/or pervasive that it is significantly interfering with an individual's quality of life. The feared or avoided situations in Social Phobia can be very narrow and specific, or may extend to the majority of one's interactions with others.

Badmemories · August 28, 2014, 03:49:42 AM

Ty for posting this. I am going to check it out!

globetrotter · August 28, 2014, 03:12:49 PM

"The feared or avoided situations in Social Phobia can be very narrow and specific," well, this would be me.
It comes out of no where like a Frisbee to the head. I wish I could figure out the trigger(s)! Persistent booger.
I've learned a lot from the SAS site, in addition to the "not alone" reassurance.

Badmemories · August 29, 2014, 04:47:22 PM

I did go to this website. For the moment I am feeling pretty overwhelmed so I am not gong to join right now.. but probably will in the future. When I get some of the information processed that I am reading here and on OOTF.

I am also going to work on the site that I found and listed in websites I want to spend some time on that because I think that it will help me with the depression, That is my immediate concern. I also want to work on MY C-PTSD as I think that drives a lot of my depression. I do feel that I am getting manageable information here. So perhaps as I grow then I will have more time to visit and participate on that site.

I am still trying to recognize different feelings, triggers, etc. that is so hard for me in this process as I have buried so much for so many years!

https://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome

Kizzie · August 29, 2014, 08:31:06 PM

"Persistant boogers" - good one GT! IF I recall yours are related to work? My big one is parties/big social events like weddings. I get a big case of anticipatory anxiety before one - weeks ahead even.

Badmemories - it is a lot to handle so I think you're smart by focusing on one aspect of your CPTSD at a time. I ended up there only because I was just diagnosed in the spring when my SA got out of control. It has since decreased, so I'm now focusing more on the overall CPTSD - tall order!

globetrotter · August 29, 2014, 09:25:10 PM

Work, therapy, and some social situations - the social scenario is completely unpredictable. Sometimes I'm comfortable, sometimes not, depending on the group.

Annegirl · August 29, 2014, 09:25:50 PM

I have this sometimes, my youngest brother has this quite bad

pam · August 31, 2014, 04:13:11 PM

I'm from SAS. I've been there for over 5 yrs. Met a lot of nice people (online, lol). I mainly hang around in the Blog section and the Over 40 group. Consistently talking to some of the same people there has helped me so, so much. At first i could barely post anything at all without feeling self-consciousness to the point I'd have to walk away from the computer. As if people might see me through the screen (not really, but that's how nervous I was). I like it there.

Kizzie · August 31, 2014, 06:08:57 PM

If I recall Pam, you had a really great description on the SAS forum of CPTSD as being the trunk of the tree and SA being a branch or secondary disorder. I liked that analogy - just hope I don't have any more branches on the tree. I'm happy with my Charlie Brown Christmas tree and one droopy branch.

Kizzie · August 31, 2014, 06:26:21 PM

Hey Globetrotter - Do you think it's your SA that flares in therapy or your CPTSD? Or maybe it's both (fear of what your T will think if she sees the real you and fear of having an EF)?

Hopefully I'm not picking fly sh** out of pepper rather than trying to make more sense of the mish mosh we're all dealing with here.

globetrotter · September 01, 2014, 02:51:21 PM

Ha! Flysh*t out of pepper. That's too funny!

What gets me in therapy is being in the spotlight. I have it from having someone sitting across from me, staring at me in anticipation, waiting for me to speak. It's definitely SA in that it feels a bit like performance anxiety; the same kind of pressure that I feel in other situations. I give her great credit in expending so much energy in plying me with questions to keep me talking as when under pressure I get really quiet and my answers are short. I think I'm getting a bit chattier and it helps to dwell on a topic before I go in when my brain is storming rather than freezing.

I'm sure it's making my slow progress even slower but, hey, it's one of the reasons I'm there.

A while back on another board folks advised me to get another T if I couldn't trust her and open up. But the thing is, that's. WHY I'm in therapy...because I don't trust and open up. I used to get crabby about it but know the problem isn't her