Social Anxiety Fix?

RebootingProtestant

RebootingProtestant

Fapstronaut
Hey there guys! So, I've had this problem of social anxiety since I've been a teenager, and right along with that, I've also been pmoing to some pretty weird stuff. I have been trying to quit for about 3 ish years and have seen many benifit youtube videos and some of them include the irradication of social anxiety. The social anxiety has been my main complaint by far, to the point that I even debated for a month or so the possibility of being on the spectrum. While I do not beleive that is the case, I've wanted to come to the community and ask for your opinions and experiences. Does nofap help with/cure social anxiety, or is it all placebo? I just want to be able to be sociable and normal like everyone else, but it seems to be so out of reach. Any feedback is appreciated.
 
Getting rid of PMO definitely helps with social anxiety.

For me, when I masturbate or watch porn, it changes the way I look at people. I become more needy and more inclined to try and use people, rather than treat them as dignified human beings in their own right.

It becomes a lot easier to relate with people when your main interest is to see what you can learn from them. (Not that I'm an expert at that, but when I do manage to see people like that then I have the most meaningful connections with people.)
 
I feel your pain bro, social anxiety is a bitch. Nofap for sure helps, but it's not going to cure it. For me what helped a lot was just repeated exposure. Recognize that for whatever reason we have this alert system that people can be potentially dangerous, but it's not necessary for the society within which we live. I try to do a lot of positive self-talk. I do feel anxious at times, I don't think it ever fully goes away, but I promise it gets much better. Also not a magic pill, but I always recommend people to lift weights, it's just great for self-confidence.
 
lol mod corrected *person from bi- tch in case you're confused about the first sentence
 
zusya said:
Getting rid of PMO definitely helps with social anxiety.

For me, when I masturbate or watch porn, it changes the way I look at people. I become more needy and more inclined to try and use people, rather than treat them as dignified human beings in their own right.

It becomes a lot easier to relate with people when your main interest is to see what you can learn from them. (Not that I'm an expert at that, but when I do manage to see people like that then I have the most meaningful connections with people.)
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That’s how I feel but unable to put into words
Thanks alot
 
Personally I notice a huge difference in my social life getting off PMO. I find I am able to talk to people casually, maintain eyecontact, not feel like I’m being weird by talking to people. Its very nice. Knowing that you are not dependent on a shitty habit like PMO will definitely give a boost in your social confidence. Trust the process man, we’re all in this together
 
Along with reducing or completely removing masturbation you should be more assertive in your daily life. If you can put yourself in some type of leadership role this will help tremendously. If you can't be in an official leadership role try to assertive yourself as a leader. For example, you maybe a passenger in someone else's car. If you know where you're going don't allow them to use the GPS tell them "I'll give you directions". Group projects: in the initial stage the roles aren't clearly defined and people aren't sure what to do. In this situation quickly tell what you plan to do and delegate the roles you think the others should do. Leading or even trying to lead will give you more confidence and make you feel better about yourself.
 
RebootingProtestant said:
Hey there guys! So, I've had this problem of social anxiety since I've been a teenager, and right along with that, I've also been pmoing to some pretty weird stuff. I have been trying to quit for about 3 ish years and have seen many benifit youtube videos and some of them include the irradication of social anxiety. The social anxiety has been my main complaint by far, to the point that I even debated for a month or so the possibility of being on the spectrum. While I do not beleive that is the case, I've wanted to come to the community and ask for your opinions and experiences. Does nofap help with/cure social anxiety, or is it all placebo? I just want to be able to be sociable and normal like everyone else, but it seems to be so out of reach. Any feedback is appreciated.
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As a long term mentally ill sufferer, I can say that the cure is going to be two things;
a 90 day hard mode reboot
and
going out to be social every day.

I don't always talk to people when I work much, so I have to make an extra effort, outside of
my normal routine.

Anxiety is a controllable problem. If you stay inside and/or spend your time on solitary pursuits, the anxiety builds up. The more you can get outside of your comfort zone, and spend time around people, talking to people, even if they are strangers, the more the anxiety goes down.

It is a conundrum. To do meaningful work, most people have to do that in solitary conditions. Even if their career ends up being around people a lot, still there is this period where they have to gain skills, like at college.

But being isolated or solitary builds up social anxiety, nervousness, social phobias, agoraphobia and other problems. It makes you less socially intelligent, less situationally intelligent and less of risk taker in real life.

For good mental health you need balance, to progress in life and not be totally anxiety-ridden when you leave.

Just my opinion.
 
NoFap is not only about the physical aspect of being free from PMO, the more important is to free you mind from P. When you dont think constantly about P. and then the release which requires MO, then you can think about all the other wonderfull things in your life which can be used to talk about with other people. You will not talk with people about P. - are you? :-) So the less you think about P. the more its easy to be less anxious talking to people about every day stuff, you will even find how much you like it and want to do it. There are other problems - like going further, making friends - and maintaining such frienships. It depends on personality, and how long you had social anxiety supported by PMO.
 
silentmike said:
NoFap is not only about the physical aspect of being free from PMO, the more important is to free you mind from P. When you dont think constantly about P. and then the release which requires MO, then you can think about all the other wonderfull things in your life which can be used to talk about with other people. You will not talk with people about P. - are you? :) So the less you think about P. the more its easy to be less anxious talking to people about every day stuff, you will even find how much you like it and want to do it. There are other problems - like going further, making friends - and maintaining such frienships. It depends on personality, and how long you had social anxiety supported by PMO.
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Good advice. It's like there is that initial period of suffering in the reboot, up to the first 30 days. And there is a constant urge to use PMO. This urge operates on the psychological level too, telling you that your life is crap, so go ahead and use, since you'll always be a loser. Stuff like that. That voice gets weaker if you persevere, and use discipline. Take it to the full 90 days on hard mode.
 
I don't know if NoFap is the best solution to eliminate social anxiety. I know that some people get rid of anxiety thanks to NoFap, but this is not a very effective solution for me. There are other ways to get rid of anxiety, such as talking to a psychologist. This can help you. And there are other ways that few know about to get rid of any anxiety. I also suffered from anxiety. I was in a pretty serious condition. And when I was looking for solutions to get rid of it, I found the solution to my problem on esaregistration.org. That consisted of a pet that helped me get through that bad period of my life. I would never have thought that an animal would have helped me. So you should analyze several methods.
 
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I noticed a significant correlation between PMO and anxiety/social anxiety. However, I can not be sure if it is a placebo effect or actual due to some internal chemical mechanism.

Now that I am at 26 days without PMO, I am much less anxious about many things. After PMO, I would be nervous just breathing in my own body. I would be worried that some organ was going to fail or my heartbeat would start beating super fast.

As far as social anxiety, I feel more comfortable talking to people. I don't feel as strange about interacting with others.

So I would say that staying away from PMO is a significant benefit in dealing with social anxiety. However, you must not fantasize throughout the day. I think if a person becomes really on edge from an accumulation of sexual tension, that this can actually increase anxiety because you will be messed up in your head
 
Social anxiety can feel like this huge barrier that just won't budge, no matter what we try. It's brave of you to reach out and share your experience here. As someone who's struggled with similar feelings, I can relate to the frustration and the longing for just feeling "normal." Personally, I think it's essential to explore different avenues for managing social anxiety. Whether it's therapy, support groups, or lifestyle changes, finding what works best for you is key. If you ever feel like you need more support or guidance, there are resources out there like addiction hotline and national rehab hotlines that can offer assistance. Hang in there, and keep reaching out.
 
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BrianaHo said:
I've heard a lot about the potential benefits of nofap, but like you, I've wondered if it's all just hype or if there's real substance to it. Honestly, I think it might vary from person to person. Some folks might find that abstaining from certain habits does wonders for their confidence and social anxiety, while others might not notice much of a difference.
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Just try it? What you got to lose?
 
NoFap, abstaining from the addiction, not using porn, not going into mental fantasy, etc do not necessarily lessen social anxiety or make you more confident in social situations. As much as you might want, this is not a "fix" but it is an improvement. If NoFap was the solution to social anxiety, then there wouldn't be so many confident fappers, porn users, and womanizers out there. And inversely, many of us have abstained from porn and other addictions but remain socially anxious (and sometimes more so because the "drug" isn't soothing the underlying pain anymore).

In my experience, I had to go deeper than just addressing the superficial behaviors of porn use to "solve" my social anxiety and confidence issues. I had to go deeply into the roots of my low self-worth and delete the negative programming that I received. I learned how to listen to my heart. I learned more about who I authentically am deep down (an am still learning because it never ends).

My confidence started really building when I started standing up for myself and who I am and what I stand for. This only came after I cleared the porn addiction, however. NoFap is a necessary step towards cultivating real self-love and love with others, but it's just a step to get clear and enable direct access to your channel of self. Once you have a clear and direct channel to yourself, you start accruing more of who you are in the world and expressing it in higher fidelity. People feel that, you feel that, and you can rest confidently in yourself in any situation because you are "in yourself" rather than out of your body in other people or the environment.

Could it be that your social anxiety stems from a deeper fear of not being securely anchored in your sense of self?
 
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