I Have Social Anxiety
I've had social anxiety since I was about 13 and I'm now 21, 22 in a few months. A couple of years ago I couldn't even walk across the road and go into the shop outside my house. Over the last couple years I have made a lot of progress though. First I started walking up to the museum near my university building and walking around there for a while every week. Then I started going in Spar (the shop) on the way back and gradually I've been able to go in lots of shops on my own and buy whatever it is I want to buy, without too much anxiety.
I can also leave the house on my own now, just to go for a walk or take the dog to the park. I think getting a dog has helped me the most; that and the Seroxat the doctor put me on, but I've recently come off that and haven't noticed the anxiety increasing much.
It's still there, but no way near as bad as it was when I was 17 or 18. I still get bad anxiety if I'm in a situation where I don't know what to do or I know I'm going to have to speak up (like talking in seminars), but I don't feel the general anxiety I used to get when I was in any kind of social situation. Only the extreme ones are bad now.
The next part of it I need to overcome is the fear of public transport. A year or so ago I wouldn't have thought it possible, but now I think I can probably do it eventually. It is something I need to fix if I'm gonna continue studying or get a job anyway.
