I have extreme social anxiety to the point where I try to avoid social situations completely. I'm a very shy and introverted person and, as such, find it hard to hold conversations with people.
Last May/June, I got really down and went to speak to my school counsellor. Long story short, I ended up going to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. I've been going there since last June, but I'm 18 now - my sessions are only going to last until August when I get my results, which is probably when I'm going to need the sessions most because a) I don't think I did that good on my exams and b) I botched my uni application this year so am having to reapply in September, which may lead to interviews which my social anxiety caused me to 'fail' this time around.
Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome social anxiety? I just don't feel like I can be myself around a lot of people, I see myself in a negative light and I feel paranoid that other people do as well. I over-analyse situations to the point where I convince myself that everything I said or did, someone interpreted negatively against me.
While I can acknowledge that my feelings are disproportionate, I can't help how I feel, and I'm worried about life without CAMHS. Though the sessions there haven't helped me gain the skills or confidence I had hoped they would last June, and though I don't feel like I will be taking anything away from the sessions, they do help. It's nice to just be able to talk to someone for an hour a fortnight about me and my feelings, and know I'm not being judged. The problem is, I don't have really have any friends that could potentially take the place of my counsellor.
How do I cope in August? How can I overcome my anxiety and paranoia?