Social Anxiety

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Is social anxiety really a thing? I used to think my adult son was a pain in the backside when he explained his “social anxiety.”

It seemed to rear its head only when I asked him to complete tasks.  “John call your doctor’s office and get an appointment.”  It didn’t get done.  He claimed that was because of his anxiety.  “John, email so and so about this.”  Nah!  Social Anxiety again.  “You have to get your car in for an oil change.”  It didn’t happen, he was too anxious.  Lazy?  I thought so. It’s difficult to understand these things if you do not experience them.  I’ve always been assertive or aggressive in public, as the situation warrants.  It’s not that I’m not afraid to address authority, it’s just that I know I must do it.  It’s simple, if you want things done, you must push yourself.  I had no clue that John was unable to push himself and that I was pushing him into panic attacks. For the past few years, I’ve been doing online research.  My former nursing career didn’t seem quite as appealing to return to, once my husband died so I never did.  I found many alternative jobs online that I can do.  The more I worked alone online, the more introverted I got; I got a taste of social anxiety for myself. Now, I’m not a big mess of socially anxious plasma, however all the solitary online work has really enhanced my anxiety levels.  Now I hesitate when approaching more powerful figures like the tax guy, or the investment guy.  I feel out of touch, which then increases my anxiety level.  I have just a small taste of what my son experiences daily and I don’t like it!  It’s just awful. John cannot even send an email without reviewing it several times.  Picking up the phone to make a call is something he has to reconsider doing many times over before finally doing it. Whether the call is for work or personal, it is still a challenge. He calls this thing socially awkward, and claims many of his friends have it, too.  They are all programmers.  I get it!  They sit in front of a computer and talk over electronic media.  They all gravitated toward the computer programming field because of this affliction. The affliction then compounded the already-present anxiety.  It’s a downhill snowball! This site is dedicated to sufferers of actual social anxiety, not posers like me.  It’s for those who panic at the thought of doing everyday things, like buying a car, going on a flight, or even getting a library card.  It’s for the ones who are insecure about dealing with authority figures.  It’s for my son and his geek friends who are all on some level socially thwarted.