Hello

[Emm19]

Hi

Hi my name's Emma

I'm not really sure about posting this but I'll give it a go. I've been shy most of my life but have only been diagnosed with social anxiety in the last five years. I have been improving my confidence and ability to interact a significant amount in the last year or two but I've never been able to make friends and therefore struggled with school and college; I moved to university this past Saturday and although it has only been two days I am feeling very uncomfortable. I know that I should give myself time to settle in and adjust but I'm scared that it'll turn out badly
Today was the first official set of classes and it seemed to me that everybody was talking to one another and my seminar only has about 8 people in and they were able to talk to each other very easily and by the end of the day they were friends. I did not talk to anybody and I feel really angry at myself.

Can anybody give me any advice because I'm really scared???

Sorry for the rant, I didn't mean for it to be so long

Thanks, bye

[Standproud]

Hi emm I'm kind of going through similar problems like I'm struggling to even get to class but I'm getting there and as for speaking to other people im sure you'l find that your not the only person struggling to make friends I mean I never had loads of friends In school but now that I'm going college wants I start to go in properly I'm sure I'll make friends. As for your situation just look around or go through your normal school routine and I bet you'll see someone else struggling to make friends. Remember your not alone and I'm sure you'll make some good friends.
Hope this helped good luck and smile and have fun Uni is some of the best times people have in their lives so yeah jus relax and enjoy.
Good luck

[DragonLilly]

Welcome Emm19!

Your not the only one I promise! I am terribly shy and worse still I have a very quiet voice to begin with, so I'm double the quietness. Not even my mum can hear me at times and she (and everyone else) is always telling me to speak up. It can be irritating.

Throughout school I was very slow at making friends, for the first several weeks I would sit on my own away from everyone else and just watch them interact. I hate crowds so classes make it really hard for me to talk, I prefer to wait until someone approaches me first.
Over time I had to speak to others in my class and surely but slowly they got to know me through my small hi's and thankyou's. It takes me a great deal of time to perk up the courage to speak to people, so it may take me months to form any kind of friendship with someone, and even longer to have a real friendship with trust!

I find the easiest way to get past the fact I am shy is to just accept it. Not all of us were built to be strong speakers, we make up for it in other ways though. Many shy people I have met are really interesting people and make the best conversations! Who knew right!? ;)

Well I want you to know your not the only one and with time I am sure you will get to know the others in your class. <3