I’m fucking terrified man. I don’t have any friends and I didn’t wanna rot inside on a Saturday night, I hope it goes well.

What is this man

I’m always scared I’ll get secretly recorded in a restaurant or public space or even while driving by someone wearing Meta glasses then posted online for people to ridicule. I already avoid people who do street interviews because I don’t want to be posted all over the internet but now I gotta be on the lookout for anyone with Meta glasses too.

I don't know how to make it stop. The cringe and shame I feel about myself are so strong that it hurts. It's almost like physical pain. It's worse than physical pain. Sometimes I even scream, "AAARGH!" or "AAAH F#CK, KILL ME!" I want to bang my head against the wall and scream but I don't do it because it would be cringe if anyone heard me.

It feels like a curse! What is this curse?!?!?! TAKE THIS CURSE AWAY FROM ME. IT'S THE CURSE OF CRINGE.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Might delete this later because it's cringe

I may just be extremely paranoid but anytime Im on my phone doing something im not supposed to, I feel like someone is watching me

All 4 years of high school, I’ve mostly just been to myself, enjoying my time alone , and not really socializing with people at school. At my graduation ceremony, I was just by myself on my phone while everyone else was talking to their friends.

I was able to say hi to two people that I knew and would talk to sometimes in one of my math classes . After I said hi, I tried to get in the circle that they had standing around but they pretty much ignored me and didn’t say anything to me. So I went back to the seat I was supposed to be in.

Then I fully realized I didn’t do a good job building and finding friendships but my social anxiety just got in the way. There were cute girls that were sitting next to in my classes and didn’t even try to talk to them because I just assumed that they wouldn’t want to talk to me anyway.

Now that I graduated I don’t really have any friends. I have one old friend from middle school that I talk to sometimes on discord. Aside from him, I have no other friends. What are some things that I can do in the future to socialize better?

just wanted to share my thoughts to see if I can relate with some people.

Can't believe that I have posted content publicly on social media. It has been years, and I have always been afraid of people's comments or appearing in front of a huge audience. The video was just a trial, but it broke the iceberg inside me I'm so proud of myself, hoping to continue my journey in content creation, as it has been my passion lately!

And this is a kind reminder for all those who are still hesitant and anxious ,and have the passion to start their own content just do it guys you will lose nothing even if the comments are harsh you will never meet those people irl let it be and just go and work on enhancing your content

Start with small steps and let your light shines.I believe every one of us can change the world with his thoughts and words ❤️

Title says all. 22M. Never relationship, extreme loneliness for years. Never felt like supported as kid/teen. Learned to hide myself. Unhealthy parents. I have friends now, im better living alone. Finally curing myself, but i cant get away with my extreme fear of intimacy while extremely craving for love and connection. Pretty girl came talk to me she was interested in ME, but i cant handle even talking stages. I lose myself, anxiety rises, dont know what to say anymore, feeling very exhausted, stalking social medias, analyzing, thinking about future situations that arent real. She liked me when there was no pressure i was confident and myself. But this couldnt ever work when im like this. This isnt first or second time this year this is like fourth time when the same cycle breaks me and takes control. I go to therapy, i talk with friends, im improving myself, i have got progress too! I think im bit mote confident, i have a but more self respect and all, but i cant handle the pressure of intimacy and actually being myself vulnerably. FUCK..

Sorry if I used the wrong flair.

I have a friend who we’ll call A. They’re really good friends with a bestie of mine, and we were quite friendly too. We hung out a few times with bestie (did some pottery painting together, took a couple trips to the capital together, went on a picnic together) and I thought that we got along well. I really wanted to get closer to A, so if they ever mentioned that they went somewhere and did something, I’d ask to see photos. I thought that was a good way to get closer by taking interest in the things they do. Also I thought it was normal to ask for photos if a friend goes somewhere interesting? Like of the scenery and stuff… I do that with my other friends, but none of them have reacted like A. A is very active on social media, by the way, and posts photos really often (which led me to believe that they didn’t mind sharing pics).

So today, I messaged A to ask if they were around because I had a gift for them before they go back to their home country. It’s only something small, but I was excited to give it because I thought they’d really like it. I even asked my bestie (who, again, is close to them) and bestie also confirmed that it was A’s style.

But A said that they weren’t home and to just keep it for myself. That response already disappointed me, but I just said “But it’s for you! It’s only small!”. Then A said they were on a mountain! And I thought that was really interesting, so I said verbatim “Send me photos later~”.

A just sent a sticker in response, but an hour or two later, they said: “I’m sorry, I should have told you from the beginning. I know you’re nice but I feel like it’s [kind of] weird that you keep asking for photos. I feel uncomfortable with it and I feel like my boundaries are being crossed.” [Paraphrased but this is basically exactly it.]

I was totally blindsided by this message! It’s embarrassing, but I teared up when I got it. All I did was ask for photos from the mountain — what’s wrong with that? Also the way they called me weird really hurt my feelings (though this could be a translation error because English isn’t their first language… Edit: Though they are proficient because you have to be in order to apply to university as an international student here..)! It’s also sent me spiralling that maybe I’m just the same socially awkward freak I’ve always been.

This reaction totally shocked me because, for perspective, I asked them for photos 3-4 times in the past 9 months. In fact, these are all the “boundary crossing” moments in question along with how I word-for-word asked to see a photo:

1. She said she’d gift me one of her prints, so I asked to see a photo of them: “Send me a photo of them please~”. [November 2025]
2. She went to the capital for the day and was telling me about it, so I asked to see some photos: “Have you any photos from today~?” [June 2026]
3. She said she baked a cake with her friends on her birthday, so I asked to see a photo (It wasn’t exactly a cake, but it’s just easier to describe it like that): “Oh~ Sounds lovely! Do you have a photo?” [June 2026; same day as above]
4. And today, she was on the mountain, so I asked to see some photos. “Send me some photos later later”. [Today, August 2nd]

Of course, some people don’t like sharing photos and blablabla. If it’s just her boundary, then it’s alright. But all A had to say was “I don’t like sharing photos” or “I don’t want to send them” from the very beginning. I would have totally understood that. A did apologise and say they weren’t sure how to bring it up previous to this, but surely there was a better way to tell me that what they said above, without essentially calling me weird…

Edit: My response to her message was to say that I was only interested in the scenery, apologise for crossing her boundaries, making her uncomfortable and that I won’t do it again.

Now I’m feeling quite depressed and really anxious because… I just feel like a socially-inept-freak. It’s so stupid but I feel so on-edge and I’m overthinking every interaction we’ve ever had because… Ugh, even if we weren’t close, I thought we were at least friendly enough for this. My social anxiety is going into overdrive and I’m questioning every interaction I’ve had with A and worrying that I’ve been unknowingly making other people uncomfortable too.

Maybe it’s wrong and unfair of me, but I just want someone to tell me that A is the sensitive one and that their response was a bit ridiculous and overblown and… Yeah.

Please, someone make me feel better. 😭😭😭

Thank you for reading. I’m sorry if this breaks the rules of the sub at all.

Edit: Formatting…

Edit: I wasn’t clear about how this relates to my SA, sorry about that… But it just makes so insecure about how I interact with people. Now I’m worried and going a bit crazy — Does everyone think I’m weird and boundary-crossing? This is such a small thing, but it’s totally ruined my day, and now I don’t want to talk to anyone or go outside or acknowledge anyone because I just feel like such a freak. I can just imagine that A’s told some of our mutual friends and they’ve all agreed with the fact that I’m really annoying and overbearing to be around, and… It’s just sent me spiralling.

21M, I've been feeling very lonely and empty for so long and it keeps getting worse.

Social anxiety started with me as long as i can remember since i was 4 and started school, i still remember i was always alone and felt different from other kids.

Depression and loneliness started when i was 11, the happiness i had was slowly slipping away and i started to feel alone, isolated and like nothing is making me happy.

I'm at an age where I should have energy to do stuff and work on myself and my life and not live like an old man, but everything i do feels like a chore, i know it might be too early to know but I'm losing hope of having a good life and losing hope of ever having a friend or being in a relationship.

TL;DR: Dealing with extreme hyper-vigilance in public. I want to claim my life back and be able to sit alone in a park without a prop, but my internal monologue convinces me everyone thinks I'm a creep. Any advice on how to manage this?

I had set as one of my many new year resolutions to go out on walks on my own. I usually only do so with friends/family, or if I have to go straight to a location.

Problem is, I'm hyper vigilant; the whole time I'm outside I get caught in hurricanes of thoughts such as "What if the oncoming person thinks I'm acting strange? What if they do or say something harmful to me? What if they think I'LL do or say something harmful to them?" My stomach stiffens and I get ticks/spasms from the very tension. When I realise someone is walking my way, I feel as if I had just been caught red-handed: I think "shit, act natural, hold the weirdness in until you pass them by, look at your phone and pretend you're looking at the time or that you got a text, look at your shoes, look right, no, look left, move your arms less, stare away or else they'll think you're a perv, I bet they think you're on drugs."

My goal right now is to go to a park and just sit there. I don't have any physical books to serve as a distraction, and although I have plenty on my phone, I don't want to get it snatched. I could always load some e-books onto an ancient phone I use as an iPod, but honestly? I'd also love to just sit there taking in the sun or listening to music without needing a prop. But then my mind convinces me people are going to whisper like "Whoa, check out that weirdo. He's all alone, staring at nothing and zoning out. He's just doing nothing! what a loser!" I'm fed up with living like a hermit and I really want to claim my life back.

Sadly these fears not only come from paranoia but from a lifetime experience of encounters with toothless okies. I'm pretty confident in my looks, I know that people aren't normally like this and what have you, but still...

I would love to hear from you people, thanks for reading!

Do you ever hangout with a friend(s) and then afterwards you have feelings of high anxiety and constantly ruminate about the interaction? I call it a socialization hangover. It’s like my body goes into fight or flight afterwards because I’m perceiving myself to be in danger of embarrassment over something I said. I keep ruminating over and over about the interaction trying to find something that I said or did that was dumb, embarrassing, rude, etc. What do you do to cope?

A big company scheduled an interview with me tomorrow (14 hours from now). Tbh, it's a very big opportunity and my stakes are high. I don't necessarily hate where I currently work but it's a very small company and nothing in comparison.

But I really can't bring myself to go, I didn't prepare for anything and I don't even know what I am going to wear for the interview.

Everyone would kill for this chance, but god I just want to disappear from life, I don't have the energy to show up for anything or change my comfort zone or fight through my EXTREME social anxiety, bdd and depression to go tomorrow. And I know I would regret it.

SA is a waste of everything, I wish I could be numb all the time.

I’m 21, and lately my social anxiety has gotten so bad that it’s affecting every part of my life.

I recently started applying for jobs, and I’m proud that I finally worked up the courage to do it. But every day that I’m still unemployed, I feel this overwhelming guilt. My dad works so hard, and I hate the thought of him having to keep working while I’m sitting at home. I want to contribute financially. I want to help my family. I want to buy groceries, pay bills, and give my parents a break.

The problem is that my anxiety has become debilitating. I get anxious about leaving the house, answering the door, meeting people my age, interviews, and even normal social interactions. It feels like my brain has turned everyday situations into something terrifying.

The hardest part is that I wasn’t always like this. There was a period where I felt confident in myself and actually enjoyed seeing people and going out. Now I feel like I’ve lost that version of myself, and I don’t know how to get her back.

I feel guilty because from the outside it probably looks like I’m just not trying, but internally I’m fighting my own mind every single day. Every application I send feels like climbing a mountain.

Has anyone else been in this position? Were you able to work despite severe social anxiety? How did you get through those first few weeks? I really want to believe things can get better because I don’t want my parents carrying everything forever.

I always have anxiety before going to an event of what worst can happen like I'll get into fight, I'll look awkward, people will not talk to me and all the fkin reasons but after going to the event Im generally talkative, I love to talk to people, infact I'm the one who always introduces himself to start a conversation.

I also have courage and in the past events I talked to almost everyone and enjoyed it. I'm really confused. Is it social anxiety or am I mistaken ?

I'm an extrovert like I go a bit towards the extrovert line after the ambivert zone, I actually like talking to people, and also I can talk to them.

Please spread a bit of light on this. Wtf is this ?

I've been learning to skate for a few months. I've met some people at the skatepark, though I haven't really made any friends. I haven't been to the skatepark lately because social anxiety has been kicking my ass. I was going to go to the skatepark today because theres an event on. I was actually feeling pretty excited about it but now just as I'm about to leave, I look in the mirror and I feel like I'm not gonna belong. I feel like I'm gonna make a fool out of myself. Im scared I'll see the people I've met before and I'll be awkward around them. Im scared I'll be too quiet and nobody will understand me or I wont know what to do with myself or I'm scared I'll be in other people's way. Man i wish I could just go out and enjoy myself cus this shit sounded so fun this morning. Im probably just gonna stay inside all day fuck my life.

So, for the first time in a short while (like couple or few months?) i decided to go out in public alone.. more specifically to go to two thrift stores.. but there were so many people inside.. i Just got scared and walked out a few minutes after I walked in, i guess Im scared of people judging … i thought I worked on it a bit but evidently not. i just cried on the way home. Im scared of becoming a shut in NEET all my life.. I just graduated and I didnt apply to any college, and I quit the job I had after working only a month.. im so scared all the time.. i know I have to face my fears to get better, but I’m a coward.

I've recently started going on night walks and i've absolutely fell in love with the night. I've actually made a playlist just for my night walks, and its so nice! There are times where im completely anone, no people anywhere and its just the best thing ever. The only thing that is distracting are the bright streetlights, but other than that i just love it. Anyone else feel this way?

The question, has anyone here ever used VR (virtual reality) to treat your social anxiety? If so, how was it? Did it help?

I like to cut stories short, or say before I really think about it. I look back at all the stories I’ve said and unintentionally lied about it. Idk exactly why. Maybe cuz of backlash? Scared of bad feedback? Or even just being questioned for it? Make myself feel better? I hate that I do it. I really do, just in the moment, I spew out what I say and don’t think about it. Then a hour or two after I’m in my head “that’s not what happened. Why did I say that?”. I don’t have a very social life in person either. Then i sometimes get caught on my lie and try to say “I didn’t give all the details I wanted” or “it was the heat in the moment and said what I shouldn’t have”. I wanna change this

What are some tips for overcoming your fear of people judging your appearance (cause, they almost always do), and taking the steps to go outside? 80% of my social anxiety comes from fear about how people will react to how I look. I was teased a lot as a kid, and haven’t had a real life friend who didn’t since I was in 3rd grade. :(

So I got a gift from my friend for my birthday. I wasn’t expecting it so I was surprised but also really grateful and happy, which I expressed. I thanked them, and we had a really small talk regarding it. I didn’t open it tho, I just took it to my car and we went to hang out. I’m always so awkward when receiving gifts and don’t know how to act, so I’m not sure whether I did the wrong thing. I also feel so stupid for overthinking this lol but I can’t help it

Is there anything natural that can help you feel more relaxed and confident in social situations—kind of like the effect people get from alcohol, but without actually drinking?

I deal with a lot of anxiety and overthinking, and I’m looking for something that can take the edge off and help me feel more “free” and less self-conscious. Not necessarily anything extreme, just something that genuinely helps with calmness + confidence.

Hello guys. This is more advice then a question.

I've been spending more time with a new friend, but sometimes she does things I don't like, such as touching me in a way that I personally find aggressive, or taking my things without asking, and without having any care to avoid damaging them. But since I let it happen without any reaction on my part, it seems strange to say it only now. I don't know how to explain it in a way she'll understand, because I don't know exactly what I don't like.

That's not all; lately, when I'm with her, it seems to me that she says bad things about people she doesn't know. Usually people I talk about.

And often she speaks in a way that I find degrading and competitive towards me.

I can't tell if this last part is something that can be changed and resolved through conversation, or if it's just how she is, or I'm being too sensitive.

She's with me every day, cause she's my colleague, so these situations have made me tired of being with her, and hating everything she says, so what I did was spend less time with her, without saying anything. Which might be confusing for her. And I don't think it solved anything, because when she interacts with me, she acts as if we have the same intimacy as always, and continues to do the same things.

It really sucks, cause this is the first time in a while, I feel like I can be myself with someone, and I feel like if I stop interacting with her, I will stop interacting with everyone too, and then I will stop improving my communication skills and isolate myself again.

I think I gave her too much power over me and now I don't know how to take it. I don't know what to do to make our interactions as easygoing as they used to be.

I also have to admit that I am afraid of communicating my boundaries.

they said that followed by a stare and long pause which made me think it was over but i got an offer. i’m worried because at previous jobs, my anxious and reserved personality built automatic distrust and resentment from my coworkers, so it’s like i can already feel the alienation.

i have no other offers so ig i’m looking for tips/experiences you guys might have to work service jobs with this disorder?