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TS said 9 years, 6 months ago:

I’m afraid of meeting new people, being judged, and I can’t do crowds. It turns out that even asking questions on here is enough to make me afraid, just like I’ve been too nervous to hit that “Vent/Listen Chat” button even though I’ve wanted to all day long. I’m rarely able to kind of open up, and when I do I usually use that small window of time to make another video for youtube or something, otherwise I’d like to shut myself in with a small group of friends and hide from the rest of society.
Is this strange?

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AmandaBlank said 9 years, 6 months ago:

You most likely have a social anxiety, its pretty common. I used to have one too. Its a pretty common thing that teens have because in a sense, high school is “culture-shock”. All of the upper classmen seem to already have established identities and their connections and what not. If you feel more comfortable with just having a few close friends, then theres nothing wrong with that. Just as long as you are having some sort of social interaction because if you dont then that can lead to depression. Its always good to get out of the house too. Maybe you just havent found the right group to get you out of your shell. I joined a program called youth and government which made me get up, meet new people, and give speeches in front of hundreds of people. I recommend taking a speech class, many people learn techniques to overcome shyness. But if you prefer to stay in your bubble, then by all means do what makes you genuinely happy, but if you’re looking to step outside of that bubble then by all means find something that interests you and go out and do it. Maybe a yoga class or something where a group of people are involved because making new friends and meeting new people is always exciting. It all comes down to what you feel like doing.

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Lissa said 9 years, 6 months ago:

I think that’s pretty normal. I think most people feel anxious getting up in front of people. Especially after you’ve done something you feel is embarrassing. I think there are people around you that feel anxious but they might have different coping mechanisms that make it invisible to you that they are anxious. But like Amanda suggested, the more times you practice, the better you will present yourself when you don’t want to be anxious. I used to practice with little kids teaching sunday school but you can probably find something better suited to you ;)

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