Social Anxiety

I think this is the right sub for this post but if not I apologize.

Social anxiety has been something I've dealt with since around the age of 14 and got worse overtime. I believe the main cause for me was being bullied when I was younger and isolating myself as a result. I then used PMO in an attempt to numb it which only made things worse for me. I also drank a lot or got high at social events and at school to not be an anxious mess the whole time.

One big thing that made me open my eyes was at Christmas when I flew out to South Africa to visit my family. Being surrounded by people that cared and that I could talk to and also meeting a few new people and making friends. I went for 3 weeks and I can easily say it was the best time of my life. When I flew back home I was in a state of depression for weeks and it was one of the lowest points of my life. Luckily I had my cousin to talk to and without her I'd probably be dead now.

I went to therapy for a while and it helped a tiny bit and I learned a few things but the main thing that helped me was doing my own research and learning to love myself and trying not to give a fuck about other people and their opinions. NoFap has certainly helped too and has given me a surge of confidence for sure. I also recently went on a camping trip with 10 other people. A mix of people from my school and people I've never met before. After that I made a lot of friends which is a huge achievement for me and I've been doing a lot better. I won't lie, I still get anxiety at times but it is a lot better now and much more manageable. I'm also flying to France next month to see my dad who I haven't seen in years and I'm also going to be meeting my step family for the first time. I'm excited about it and shitting bricks at the same time but I feel like it'll definitely help me out and I'll probably meet some other people while I'm there too.

Last year I couldn't even imagine being anywhere near the point I am now but I've been doing a lot better and I couldn't be any happier.

I kind of made this thread to get some shit of my chest but I'm also interested in hearing what y'all have say, your experiences and any tips and advice if you's have any.

~cbsf

 

Thanks man. I definitely learned the hard way that isolating myself made shit worse but at least I don't do that no more and I've started making friends so life is looking on the upside for once!