'Social Phobia' A view from Inside (Social Phobia Disorder)

Member Name: TheEliminator

Product:	Social Phobia Disorder
Date:	06/02/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Learned more about myself

Disadvantages: Very restricting

I have suffered from Social Phobia(also known as Social anxiety disorder) for most of my life. Iam now nearly 40 and find myself in the grip of this very disabling condition yet again.

Social Phobia in laymans terms is a fear of social situations where it involves meeting new people, being evaluated negatively thus causing anxiety to build up. The effects on your life can be minimal to the extreme such as affecting your job, your relationships and your mental health.

I'm currently out of work as I had to give up my job as a taxi driver because I could not cope with the job anymore and my anxiety was causing me to become very depressed. I initially put it down to being bored with my job, but soon realised that the anxiety was rearing it's ugly head again. It creeped up on me over a long period, such as avoiding taking on jobs to make me feel better. Avoidance is the key thing with Social phobia that keeps the fear alive.

How to deal with it? I have had many months of therapy over the years that has helped me deal with other aspects of my life, thus eleviating my anxiety to a more manageable level at home. However, you have to keep looking for ways to deal with it rather than just facing your fears. This involves looking at your diet and cutting out things that make anxiety worse, such as coffee which acts as a powerfull stimulant. Foods such as fish contain Omega 3 which have been proven to help with moods and depression. Excercise is something which stimulates the Serotonin in the brain, a chemical which helps you feel good and remain calm. It's just a case of finding what works either through medication and/or lifestyle changes.

As for me Iam learning from this condition all the time so am preparing myself for the long slog ahead to get myself back to work and to some normality at least. It's hard but it can be done!

Summary: It can be overcome!