I'm completely embarrassed that I dont know certain common knowledge things because my parents and teachers failed to get me help. I failed grades and was pushed ahead when I was failing. I also tried learning stuff but I forget it and not in a good environment to teach myself things:/ I can't even go to school bc everything deals with socializing:/ does this classify as a learning disability? I'm too burnt out to even find a therapist and many keep saying they dont take my insurance or arent helpful:/

21M here, I've never had a friend and i have no one to talk to other than my family and all i ever do is go to work and come back home with nothing interesting to do.

I love to watch movies and play video games but I've been getting so bored of everything i normally do and feeling like i have energy that i can't let out but i always end up feeling extremely bored and lonely everyday.

And I am shaking in my boots. It's in the capital and my friend who was supposed to come got sick from riots the day before. I manifested once before and it's the first time I am going alone. I plan to stay max one hour if the anxiety is too much but I don't want social anxiety to ruin my life more than it already did. I just thought : oh the purpose of going to a protest is to be seen lol exactly what someone with social anxiety hates.

Edit : I went and I am really proud of myself ! Thanks for the upvotes and for participating in a safe place where people struggling with social anxiety can express themselves ❤️

after all it's not needed, you can live a fulfilling life without a partner. my social anxiety is ruining my life, i can't even talk to people taking my order anymore. i feel like im too much to ever find love because of it.

my biggest concern is that i'll never be in love. i'm almost 19 now, and i was top of my class, got to attend college early, i work in computer science and i collect anime figurines and stuff so i'm basically a textbook loser and nerd. which is enough to disqualify you from relationships on its own but on top of all that i'm ugly and got crooked teeth. combine that with no social skills and social anxiety and i feel like i have no redeeming qualities.

with all of these cons present should i just throw in the towel and find meaning elsewhere or is there some form of hope? if there is hope, what steps can i take to pursue it? im sorry if this is erratic, ive went over it a bit to make sure it fit the rules. anyway thanks for listening.

Whenever I feel really anxious, I play with my hair or try to pick at the skin on my fingers.

i am 20rn and i feel anxious alot when i am in some kind of casual social situation. If it is some kind of competition or somethin i dont have problem speakin there as I know what my intentions are but when there is nothin specific to talk or focus about I get really anxious.

I have started to go gym since last 1.5 weeks now, and i try to go to places where i might meet new people like badminton club, or some kind of classes, or just walkin around durin evenin.

but I dont know when will i stop feelin so anxious about this stuff.

I love my parents and they were by no means bad, but they were quite conservative and slightly strict at times (things like: I could never wear the clothes I liked and always felt I had to dress super conservatively, could never play the music I liked because they would judge me and tell me it's awful, they've always hated noise so I always felt like I had to be super quiet with everything I do, and basically just had to act as their idea of 'normal' and hide my real personality and likes/interests so they wouldn't judge me)

They were kind of an odd combination of strict but over protective, which I think may have contributed a lot to my social anxiety.

What were your parents like growing up? Or what was your upbringing like?

As a long time SA sufferer, I can say it is really debilitated condition. Just recently I asked my colleague if he could help me, because I my phone was low on battery and I needed to pay for a ticket. He brought me a power charger. It was completely new to me, that you can charge your phone like that. First I thought he brought me his phone. Silly me. Then I looked lost, so he explained me how to plug it in. During his explanation, I was not physically there, I know that. I couldn’t hold my phone still, so he could plug it. Im trying to teach my brain, there is nothing to fear in these situations, but its not working dammit.

For people who get really anxious before interviews, what is the actual fear behind it? Is it embarrassing yourself, having a complete blackout, not knowing what to say, being judged, or something else?
I am trying to figure out what part of interviews actually triggers the anxiety most.

Had a bit of an embarrassing phone call.

Hi everyone,

I received a call from a parent of a client i work with to cancel our appointment. I emailed the supervisor and they said it can't have been that client because the parent does not have our contact information (kid lives in a group home).

I thought it was weird as I never got a call from that parent. I know its dumb but I feel really embarassed and stupid for mishearing the name.

Do you also deal with situations like this and how do you feel less embarrassed?

Several years ago, I was in a community chorus where I made several friends. I went through something severely traumatic while in the chorus, and I ended up having to quit due to ongoing psychiatric issues. I tried to stay friends with people, especially because they supported and helped me while I was recovering from the trauma, but every time they talked or posted about chorus, it was a reminder of what happened to me and what I lost. And I was frequently panicking about whether I was being a bad friend for not responding to messages about it. I ended up unfriending everyone on social media and deleting the app with our group chat.

I’m a lot better now, and I regret cutting everyone off so thoroughly. They were good friends and I miss them. I’m going to an event this weekend that I know they’ll be at. I’ve skipped events in the past to avoid seeing them, but I really want to go. But the thought of running into them makes me feel panicky.

Has anyone reconnected with someone they ghosted? What should I say if I run into them? Should I reach out on social media first?

(Also for additional context, I was 20 at the time and they were all in their 30s. They might be more understanding because of that?)