Article on social anxiety over the festive season (help needed!)

[monkeytastic]

Hi,

A few of you might have seen various posts by me over the last week in which I alluded to a piece I am writing for the BBC website on the prevalence of social anxiety during the festive season. I am a freelance writer, but I pitched this specific idea because I suffer from social anxiety myself, and over the last few years I have found this time of year (with its myriad parties) particularly difficult.

I would really like to include some stories from people on here. I have already asked the site administrators quite a few questions, and they have been a great help.

I am going to break it into the various sections that I would like potentially like to include. As well as being more, well, private, I think it might be easier if anyone who is interested in helping answer the questions via private message to me, as then if I have any follow up questions I can ask them direct.

So yes, if any of you fit the following categories I would just love it if you could help. You will see that I am asking for full names as part of the questions. Of course this is preferable for the piece, but I have already checked with my editor due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter and if you are uncomfortable with your full name being used just let me know:

Christmas Social Anxiety sufferers - social aspect of Christmas
1) What is your full name and age?
2) How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
3) What are your symptoms?
4) What is it that you find particularly difficult about this time of year?
5) Do you start worrying about Christmas early in the year?
6) Do you use avoidance/safety behaviours?


Christmas Social Anxiety sufferers - family aspect of Christmas
1) What is your full name and age?
2) How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
3) What are your symptoms?
4) What is it that you find particularly difficult about this time of year?
5) Do you start worrying about Christmas early in the year?
6) Do you use avoidance/safety behaviours?

Social Anxiety sufferers that love Christmas!
1) What is your full name and age?
2) How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
3) What are your symptoms?
4) What do you love about Christmas?

Social Anxiety sufferers that have had some success with CBT
1) What is your full name and age?
2) How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
3) What are your symptoms?
4) How did you come to undergo CBT?
5) What were the benefits of CBT?

Social Anxiety sufferers that have had NO success with CBT
1) What is your full name and age?
2) How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
3) What are your symptoms?
4) How did you come to undergo CBT?
5) Why do you think that CBT did not work for you?
6) Have you used any other treatments (either therapies or pharmacological) that have proven more successful for you?


Thank you all so much for your time, and hopefully some of you are able to help with this. The article is to be a deliberately accessible 1000 word affair. As cheesy as I am sure it sounds I would love it if someone read it and sought help in the new year rather than thinking they were just 'shy'.

Finally, apologies in advance for anyone whose answers I don't end up using - as I say, it is only 1000 words, and it will be impossible to include too many.

Olly

[Olly.]

^ Lol, thanks for asking what I was thinking biscuits

Sounds like an interesting article Olly, I will try and help out at some point this week if I remember.

[monkeytastic]

Haha...I have always had a passion for the written word, did a course and now am thankfully starting to get some work out of it. In some ways it is an incredibly difficult thing for someone that is socially anxious to attempt, as it involves cold calling editors and interviewing people, but I enjoy the challenge. I still have an office job at the moment, but hopefully in time the freelancing will become the full time profession.

[monkeytastic]

Bump. I have already had a couple of responses which is absolutely great, but I really would appreciate more from anyone who feels willing and able!

Thanks in advance,

Olly

[Azi]

I've stickied your thread, Olly. I hope you get some good responses!

[monkeytastic]

Thank you to everyone that sent me private messages - it has proven incredibly helpful, and I have quoted several of you. The piece is now with the editor, so I will keep you posted..

[Azi]

[monkeytastic]

Thank you so much once again to all who helped me with this - the piece is now live on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25416835

Hopefully I have done the subject matter justice.

[slrrrrp]

Originally Posted by monkeytastic

Thank you so much once again to all who helped me with this - the piece is now live on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25416835

Hopefully I have done the subject matter justice.

Great stuff - although, personally, I don't care what Oliver James thinks about anything:

Oliver James' condescending psychology

Love bombing: Oliver James, Susan Greenfield and the rise of data-free celebrity science

Does Oliver James damage the brain?

[mufasaa]

I have read the article today, this has prompted me to have a look at this website and I have come to realise that SA could be what I am suffering from. Its good to know there are others out there like me. Thanks for opening my eyes.

[Azi]

Welcome aboard, mufasaa