Hello

da1 · #1 26th February 2017, 00:31

Hi everyone. I've suffered with social anxiety for a while now and really struggle with general small talk with people I don't know very well, especially at work with colleagues. Every time I have the opportunity to chat with new people, social anxiety rears it's ugly head again and I freeze up, become an awkward penguin and conversation becomes about the hardest thing in the world. It feels like my mind grinds to a near halt and I can't process conversation in a socially acceptable period of time. I'm a fairly quiet person anyway but the anxiety just compounds this. I also find my face tensing up so smiling and facial expression even becomes difficult. It really sucks because I am actually quite a happy person without the anxiety but I think I just come across as a bit of an arse because of the anxiety. Any suggestions for dealing with this rubbish are welcome.
Thanks for reading.