Dont know what to do!

[Sempron]

Hi all, ill get straight to it.

Basicly ive suffered with what i think is Social Anxiety ever since my last year of high school..i cant take it anymore its realy getting me down and i feel like im just loosing it.

I cant concentrate properly,find it hard to make simple decisions and my memory is bad.

when out in public i always feel like someone is watching me,laughing at me.

Ive been like this since i was 18...now nearly 22.

i just dont know who to turn to,i cant see what a doctor would do other that give me anti-dep....but thats not going to fix me permantly,nor do i want to hav to rely on them.

what you recommend? i appreciate it so much.

[Kia Kaha]

Hi

A couple of thoughts to provide a bit of balance:

1. You are young. One day you'll realize how wonderful your current age is.
2. You are literate. Most of the world ain't.
3. You are articulate. Your post is clear and makes total sense.
4. You obviously live in a country where you have several choices about how you get help. You mentioned medication, which may help you as it helped my wife - she didn't need it to 'fix her permanently', but it helped her get through the darkest bits. You probably also have access to some sort of talking therapy - again you don't need to do it forever. If they sell books where you are, then I'd recommend "The Power Of Now" by Eckhart Tolle and "How To Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Richard Carlson. Both outstanding.
5. You can take it - no matter how bad it gets. You're a lot stronger than you think.
6. Nothing lasts forever (although some things like jogging do feel that way :)
7. Other people really don't watch you and laugh at you - they're too busy worrying about you watching them and laughing at them! It's true!

What I recommend is keep doing exactly what you're doing now ... reaching out for help.

It takes guts to ask so I think you've got all the courage in you that you'll ever need.

Just let go of the garbage that's getting in the way.

BTW kia kaha means 'be strong' in Maori.