Want to go to doctor about potential social anxiety... but I'm too scared to

Ok, so I have thought I had just been shy for most of my life. Everyone just told me I was shy and that was it.
However, ever since I was about 8 I have just had this massive issue with doing anything for fear of how others would perceive me. Complete strangers? Nope can't talk to them in case I see them again and they recognise me. People I know? Don't start.

The trouble is that it is affecting my life so badly now. I can't get to sleep for hours as I just re-live all these conversations in my head that went not quite to plan or I could have said something else. I know you're thinking this is normal, but these thoughts are completely irrational to just what another person has probably forgotten already.
Only my head can't seem to get around that concept. I'm left most often in a sobbing mess as I can't stand the way my head deals with these kind of situations.

Before I was too scared to even knock on a door in school, and even now I refuse to walk into assembly late (I have a library shift at lunch which means I am sometimes late for assembly) as I know people will look at me. I know they won't judge me at all, but it's just the attention.

Giving presentations give me such an adrenaline rush and pounding headache... and I shake like there's no tomorrow which makes me even more ashamed.

I'm terrified of using phones. I don't want to ring anyone for fear of getting the wrong number and seeming like an idiot. I don't want to pick it up as I might not know them.

People tell me just to relax as people don't care, but I can't help but think they do.
I'm too scared to even try to make myself seem attractive to guys (as a bit of a hopeless romantic this is just horrible) or be myself. I always seem to say the wrong thing.

Anyway, I've rambled too long. If you've read this far you are amazing.
I want to go to the doctor's about this as it's interfering with my life too much. However I only went recently about something else unrelated so I worry they'll judge me for coming in too soon.
Or what I'd say. Or how they'd respond. Or if they'd even help at all (last time I went about an eating disorder they thought I was faking it for attention and told me just to eat more fruit...).

So, should I go to the doctor's? How do I get myself to talk about it? And what do I say?
Thank you

Reply 1

Maddie567

I was in a very similar situation not so long ago. It doesn't matter that you've recently been, this is something different and that's fine. Just book an appointment. I had no idea how I was going to come out and say it, I ended up crying before I even sat down and just poured everything out haha. Doctors are used to it. Good luck :smile:

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Reply 2

nic-nac

Sorry, the title does sound a bit ironic ... If you're that anxious about seeing your doctor, then you probably do have anxiety issues and potentially need help. It's more of a mental issue than anything else, so if you can, avoid popping pills to help it. Yes they may stop the symptoms, but with such issues, you need to get t the root of the problem and solve that before you're truly cured, else you become dependant on the medicine. But I'm sure the doctor can recommend/refer you to some kind of cognitive treatment if it's suitable for you. But unfortunately it's cheaper/quicker to just give people some tablets, that half the time only work due to the placebo effect. :sigh:

Reply 3

theoldwoman

I too have bouts of social anxiety. I found counselling helped. Can you access a uni counsellor? They are trained not to judge.

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Thanks for the replies, everyone. :smile:

I will try and sort out an appointment when I can, and the school counsellor suggested I go to my doctor so I can get potentially more recognised help (can't think how to phrase it).
I don't really want to get started on medication if possible as I don't want to be dependent on drugs to be able to get confident or not worry so much.

Reply 5

Anonymous #2

I'm afraid it does sound like social anxiety. I used to have it too when I was younger. I never went to the GP because I was too terrified to ring the surgery to book an appointment! I regret not getting any help, because it had a huge impact on my life and I ended up suffering from other mental health issues as well.

If you feel the same, I strongly advise getting help as soon as possible. If you can't get yourself to book an appointment, maybe ask you parents or one of your friends to sit with you when you make the phone call.

Good luck OP!

Reply 6

xoxAngel_Kxox

It does sound like social anxiety to me, and I feel for you because it's clearly got quite a hold on your life.

I know it can be scary to book an appointment with a doctor, but you have to remember that you have the potential to live such an amazing life, and you're not doing that at the moment. Doctors can be scary, but at the end of the day there is a chance your doctor could gift you the life that you want to live, and free you from this constant cycle of worry.

They will have seen it lots of times, will know what to do and how to help, so you can absolutely remove this anxiety from your life if you can just take this first step.

I wish you the best of luck. Make the phone call ASAP - as then it's over and done with, and you don't have to do it again.

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

Thought I'd give an update- despite me normally hating thread bumpers. (I'm not doing it for new replies- just to sort of finish what I started)

I went to the doctor's today and they said I have anxiety and potentially depression, and I've been referred on to a therapist.
The phone call was horrible to make, but I'm glad it's done, so thank you all again for the help!

Reply 8

Dragonfly07

I was in your boat but I think I was worse because I was completely unable to express myself, so I ended up getting over it by myself without a doctor's help, but it took a few years.

Reply 9

Alice1111111

Hi can I ask how you told the doctor as I am in the same boat and have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I am freaking out.

Reply 10

Kindred

Original post by Alice1111111

Hi can I ask how you told the doctor as I am in the same boat and have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I am freaking out.

Hi. Just FYI it's better to make new threads of you have questions like this as the original poster likely isn't around and you're more likely to get responses from other people of you have your own thread. :smile:

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow. You might find it helpful to write things down and bring that in with you to look at or just pass it to the doctor to read. Getting the right words out in the moment can be quite difficult. You might like to include any questions you have in that note.
You could also do stuff that you find calming before the appointment (I like to listen to music before anything I find stressful).

Reply 11

MickeyJohns

Man what a read. I thought I was the only one that kept re-living these dumb conversations in my head. Each time I relive it just keeps going on and on. In fact everything you've said apart from the headache and sobbing, I have or had.