Social Anxiety Disorder

It has been awhile…Did you miss me? Today, I am writing a blog that will reveal some very personal things about myself, but I am willing to do it to help others who may be in the same situation.

 I have been diagnosed and treated for depression in the past, but I haven’t had any symptoms in more than 5 years. Recently, I have been dealing with depression again and it is a very lonely disorder. It makes you withdraw from people, when in actuality support is what you really need. The trigger for all of this is my “Social Anxiety Disorder”. Did you know that people with this disorder avoid group situations and even making phone calls? Most people are unaware that I have this disorder and write me off as just being “anti-social”. As a result, I am left with a feeling of being left out and not fitting in. Sometimes it can be very lonely. All of this has caused me to become depressed and not feel very good about myself as a person. 

Social Anxiety makes a person fear social situations because of a fear of being judged by others and humiliating one’s self. It’s that aching fear that you will do or say something “stupid”. This sometimes causes so much fear that you avoid people all together. It takes a lot for me to even pick up the phone to call or talk to people that I don’t know well. I am thankful for the people in my life that have ignored my disorder and picked up the phone or dropped by just to say, “I love you”. It has saved me many times. It amazes me how we always assume the worst about a person without realizing they may have a problem. When a person feels judged, they don’t want to open up to others. So, this causes the person to become even more depressed and can even lead to suicide in some people.

This blog is not only about “Social Anxiety Disorder” as much as it is about not judging others. You never know what someone is dealing with or going through. So, we should embrace each other, get to know each other, and love unconditionally. Your words and actions could heal or hurt a person. We don’t know when a person is standing on the edge of the cliff and how we treat a person could just be the final push or the helping hand that pulls them back up. So, lets walk in love and accept people for who they are. Whether a person is shy or dealing with a disorder, we all have different personalities. Differences should be embraced not shunned.

So, my charge for you today is to read about “Social Anxiety Disorder” and to become more aware about mental illnesses. For more on this disorder read http://www.socialphobia.org/whatis.html.