Hello Fellow Warriors

[Mark Bradley]

There's a quote by someone that says if you can survive the battle against yourself, you can survive anything. I hope everyone who reads this post take that quote to heart! I certainly try to.

I suffer from bipolar disorder and social anxiety, and the one-two punch of these two conditions makes life quite difficult at times. I had a traumatic experience in grad school in my early 20s, which led to a very public mental breakdown and psychiatric hospitalization. This experience has unfortunately haunted me since then.

I've been going to therapy for over a year, which has been somewhat useful, but I sometimes feel as though my therapist doesn't truly understand the daily struggles of someone with these conditions -- particularly the social anxiety piece. I would love to chat with anyone on here about their experiences, particularly those who possess social anxiety.

I look forward to hearing from all of you.

 

[midnightphoenix]

Hi Mark and welcome to the forum, we're happy to have you here

 

[StarryKnight33]

Hi!
I too had a very public mental breakdown, two weeks ago. I keep having flashbacks and the shame/embarrassment is excruciating. I mean even the neighbors got a show so I can empathize with what you're saying completely. I have many forms of anxiety along with depression. Although I do have social anxiety it's not my worst symptom but I'm happy to chat.

 

[R_Sxo]

Welcome!x

 

[losingme1989]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[hicks]

There's a quote by someone that says if you can survive the battle against yourself, you can survive anything. I hope everyone who reads this post take that quote to heart! I certainly try to.

I suffer from bipolar disorder and social anxiety, and the one-two punch of these two conditions makes life quite difficult at times. I had a traumatic experience in grad school in my early 20s, which led to a very public mental breakdown and psychiatric hospitalization. This experience has unfortunately haunted me since then.

I've been going to therapy for over a year, which has been somewhat useful, but I sometimes feel as though my therapist doesn't truly understand the daily struggles of someone with these conditions -- particularly the social anxiety piece. I would love to chat with anyone on here about their experiences, particularly those who possess social anxiety.

I look forward to hearing from all of you.

How old are you? I have social anxiety, it's affected my whole life. I reckon I'm on the autistic side of the spectrum, although never had that diagnosed. The social anxiety though has been hard to live with at times. School was the worst. As I've aged, socialising has become slightly easier, although I'm still uncomfortable with group social situation, and I avoid most social gathering events. I have a crushing level of self-consciousness.
What do you find difficult, and how do you feel?

 

[Foxjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum
You should find it friendly and supportive here
Hugs
Fox

 

[Mark Bradley]

Hi!
I too had a very public mental breakdown, two weeks ago. I keep having flashbacks and the shame/embarrassment is excruciating. I mean even the neighbors got a show so I can empathize with what you're saying completely. I have many forms of anxiety along with depression. Although I do have social anxiety it's not my worst symptom but I'm happy to chat.

Thanks for the reply! I’m really sorry that happened to you. Public humiliation is the worst, especially when one cares too much about what others think (like me). The shame can be unbearable, and I still get waves of it when I have flashbacks. I wish there wasn’t such a stigma attached to mental health.