are you like me?

[moggy]

hi all
i wasn't sure where best to post this, so i put it in the general section as well
recently joined the forum but haven't really told you much about me, so here goes - I guess i've suffered from anxiety for as long as i can remember - the simplest tasks seem to take so much effort - i feel like my whole life is like being an actor in a performance - i'm trying so hard to get my lines right, but waiting to screw up - so i put in lots of effort just to make sure i don't get it wrong (cos that would be just terrible) - i feel like everyone around me is my worst critic, judging me badly and running me down - i rehearse situations in advance to make sure i 'perform' well, i'm completely focussed on me when i'm in the situation, monitoring how i'm doing and trying to suppress any evidence that would give me away to anyone watching (like blushing or trembling) - and then i review the situation afterwards and decide whether i'm happy with my performance. i do this in all sorts of situations, but much more if the situation involves someone i particularly want to impress (the 'cool' kids when i was at school, a girl i really fancy or my boss at work)
i constantly seek reasurrance from everyone that i'm doing okay and everybody else's opinion matters above my own - i feel like a little boy in a man's world, grateful for any scrap of praise i can get and scared to death that one day i'll let my guard down, get found out and be exposed as a worhless fraud - so i spend my life trying hard to be perfect, discounting my achievements and making sure that everyone thinks well of me - no wonder i feel exhuasted!!
so that's me in a nutshell - anyone else relate to this or am i one of a kind?!!

[JennySteal08]

I suffer from that also. I am not as bad as I used to be, but I still find myself believing that people are talking about me, staring at me like I am strange, or whatever. I hate the fact that I do it, but what can I do? So I guess I am trying to say that no, you are not alone. I have gotten better about it, but it is a daily battle. The only advise I have is to just work on it. Try not to let such little things get you down. Remind yourself that if you aren't perfect who cares? Really no one is perfect. It is a really hard thing to do and is a lot easier to say than do (trust me), but once you start, it will help.

I hope I helped you some. I just hope that you will realize that you can get over your social issues. I know I am working on mine. It is hard, but I do find myself getting more and more comfortable in situations that used to be almost impossible to deal with. Just take it one day at a time. That is what I do.

[toughgirl]

Yeah, I feel like that, too mainly at work. I try not to waste soo much energy on it. But it's soo hard. So I know where you are coming from. Don't really have much advice as I am in the same boat but, I laugh things off a lot. That seems to help :)

[MikeJsimon]

Do not make excuses such as, "If only..." or, "I do not have the talent". If you really want to have, be, or do something then you have the ability within you. If the talent needed is hidden you can find it when you look hard enough.

There is much more to such a broad topic and there are many ways to learn how to change your beliefs and change your life.

Quoted from:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Beliefs-Can-Change-Your-Life---4-Things-You-Must-Know-to-Have-a-Successful-Life&id=3465924