I don’t get particularly annoyed at it, but it does come up a lot: the idea that social anxiety and introversion are the same thing. While I do need a certain amount of “me time”, I’m primarily an extrovert. However, when I talk about social anxiety, people almost always assume that I’m an introvert.

I tend to prefer gatherings with small groups of friends, or events in familiar environments in order to get my fill of “people time” without triggering my anxiety too badly. I also enjoy meeting and talking to new people, even though it’s a bit nerve-wracking.

“You don’t seem like an introvert!”

“but you’re always so good at talking to others!”

Thanks, it took several public speaking and performance classes, an institutionalized-isolation style leadership seminar, 20 years of public speaking and livestreaming, a degree in psychology, and countless books on self actualization, positivity training, etc. to be able to hide it and keep it from negatively effecting my life most days.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be sitting alone in my room. Tell my wife I said, “Hello.”

First when someone tells me everything is fine mid panic attack… noitsnotfuckingfine.jpg

From the other side…. That it can’t get better. It’s hard and it takes a lot of work but does get better!

I’ll go first (since i forgot to add mine in the post) I dislike it very much when someone thinks they can “cure” my shyness/anxiety by putting a spotlight on me or putting me in a cringy situation. It just makes me wish the earth would swallow me whole.