Is this social anxiety?

[Carla]

Why is it that sometimes I am really bubbly and outgoing and not shy :D and then other times like earlier tonight, when I bumped into someone that I know when out in the supermarket, do I go bright red, :oops: feel intense panic and the urgent need to run away from them? The panic is like a terror feeling. I stood there chatting away but was not elaborating on my replies and was really short with everything that I said - all I wanted to do was run off. I actually thought at one point that I was going to cry! I was thinking of running to the toilets or just out of the shop.My face was burning hot and it must have been red. I dont know what my friend must have thought!!! They must have thought I was acting really odd! At other times I am fine and can chat away with no problem. I hate feeling like it. I just want to run away and hide sometimes. Is this social anxiety? :(

[joey9]

This is absolutely social anxiety and I can totally relate. I used to get it all the time - the worst was bumping in to someone I knew in a surprise place - then i would blush, then knowing I was blushing would make me want to run away to hide from the shame of blushing at such a stupid thing. There is hope though - I don't get it anymore.

[Carla]

Thanks for your reply! :) I am glad that you dont get it anymore. Did it just go away by itself? how did you overcome it? Its horrible feeling like it isnt it?. Sometimes I am really ougoing and confident and then other times I just want to stay indoors and hide away from the world. I never know when the anxiety is going to strike. I can have a conversation with someone and be fine and relaxed and then I can have another conversation on another day and go into a massive panic. :roll:

[beau111]

I feel like we are in the same place right now. I hav been really depressed and then i started gettin anxiety out of no where. Certain college classes I go to I get so hot and bright red, I always use the bathroom as an excuse to leave. Then jsut like you, I ran into a firend i havnt seen in a while at the grocery store and we were chattin having fun then out of no where i started getting so hot and my face turned bright red,my heart beating fast, my palms sweating, i had to quickly end the conversation and leave. I have been feeling a little better latley, but I'm not compelty good. I was on this birth control that i read up on alot of bad side effects so Im off it now and hoping that might be my problem. If your on any hormones maybe you should try gettin off them. For now thats the only advice I have because I'm still dealing with it. But if you find anything new out that can help..please let me kno! thanks

[Carla]

Hello Beau :)
Thank you for your reply. I hope your depression has or is getting better? i dont get depressed although I have experienced it briefly in the past. Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand. I get anxiety more.I know exactly how you feel. I dont know why I get like I do. I dont take any medication or hormone medication of any type. I just take natural supplements. They do help me with other probs related to my anxiety but they dont stop the awful social anxiety I get. Sometimes I am fine and really relaxed and can chat for ages with people and then on another day I can be in the middle of a conversation and out of nowhere I suddenly get struck with the most awful panic and have to get out of the situation. I feel really hot, I can feel my heart pounding, and I can sense that my face is burning red. People have mentioned before that I go red. Because I dont know why this happens or when it will happen I am now not being as outgoing as I once was. I keep conversations short and will sometimes go out of my way to chat with people. I know I shldnt be avoiding the situation but I cant have a full panic meltdown in front of someone I have just been having a conversation with in public. I really dont know what triggers it or why. I got told to just go with the flow and not worry about it and I try not to but when it strikes it is so horrid isnt it? I hope it all improves for you now that you are off your hormone medication. If I find anything that helps then I will let you know! All the best. :)

[beau111]

Hey thanks for your reply. Yes my depression has gotten better in the last couple weeks but I know im not completey myself yet. It's just aweful to deal with though. For instance, tonight I have a 3 hour night class and my friend that goes with me decided to skip so I had the worst anxiety about it and i skipped it too. I just can't go to this class alone, I have no idea why. Even when my friend is there I still have issues. It really is jsut embarrasing for me. If I could just control the crazy hot flashes I get and the bright red face I wouldn't even have a problem..because all that does is make me feel embarrased and insecure. And also like you I don't know why I get them either, it will jsut be out of the blue. I hate it. Have you tried counseling?
Thanks!
Beau

[culljosh]

This is Classic S.A.D.
I remember when i was younger and it effected me more.
I lived in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

For this reason i always stayed home and when i would go into a store,
I would feel my heart sink in my chest like i just had it broken.

its a weak and awful thing but we must learn to deal and get over it.
We all need help from time to time, so i suppose that is why we are here.

Music is what i always suggest for a relaxant.
Try a music player of some sort in a store while walking.
See if that helps :)

cheers!

[MattJ85]

Hiya Carla.
I had the exact same problem when I was younger. I was soo scared of social interaction because of the fear of going red in the face and having a panic attack. I'd get the exact same symptoms as your describing, and as I'm reading I can only imagine how difficult it is for you. Social anxiety is not an easy thing to get through, because lets face it, socialisation is a major part of life. With social anxiety, the only way to the other side is to go straight through it; as I discovered. Have you spoke to any of your close friends about the problem, or people you know? One of the ways I delt with it was to tell my friends about my problem so they weren't judgmental in any way; then if I did have an attack in front of them they understood.
One thing I found was that once I'd told my friends about the problem, I stopped worrying it about it when I was with them; because they knew about it, I wasn't afraid for it to happen. This proves that most of it is simply fear, the old fight or flight. I know how hard it is for you, and I can empathise with what your going through; but you need to remember that it can and will go away with the right approach. Ask yourself, 'what's the worst that can happen in that situation?' To be honest, if you go have an attack in front of someone, they're probably just going to feel sympathetic towards you. It may be embarrassing but they're probably going to understand and not say anything about it. Fighting the fear and facing it will not only help your social anxiety, but also boots your self-esteem and change your thought process.
I hope you can relate to something here :)

Matt