Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

I can’t afford therapy

1

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

social anxiety bad that they gave me a social phobia 🫩 but i’ve been doing small bouts of exposure therapy like go to an event and try to have one conversation or at least go be active / social I recently got into yoga, which was another big trigger because i was super anxious and self conscious. Even though you don’t talk in yoga, it has been super relaxing!

10

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

my campus always has stuff going on so I will go through like the newsletters or the student activities page and we’ll pick out activities that i plan on going to. Even if I don’t talk at those events, it’s been low-key helping me get more out of my comfort zone?

12

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

How on Earth do you have social anxiety

-2

Anonymous #2 5w

How do you go about that conversation? I have a difficult time being vulnerable and I always downplay the stuff I feel. My parents also have an extreme stigma towards mental health and medication so I just feel like i will be shamed further

1

Anonymous OP 5w

I don’t have my therapy workbook with me right now, but tomorrow i can come back with some of the “homework” / prompts my therapist has assigned me with?

2

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

⬆️⬆️this all of this! Sometimes pushing yourself to do stuff like this is easier said than done but if you truly want to get better you need to force yourself to do something and take control❤️

8

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

Thank you. I try to involved myself in campus stuff I’m the president of a club at my university. It forces me to get out of my shell but I still feel lots of shame and it keeps me up at night even minor stutters or mistakes I make in conversation.

13

Anonymous OP 5w

I understand completely. My family was the same way. I straight up just made an appointment with the Dr and told her something along the lines of “I think my anxiety is affecting my day to day life more than it should be” also if you make an appointment an anxiety

5

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

How have you dealt with the anxiety you feel at night because of those things. Recently I have been self medicating with alcohol and sleep medication which I know is terrible but I will be up all night if I don’t which brings more anxiety

13

Anonymous #3 5w

It’s not right to doubt people’s experiences. I feel comfortable talking online but face to face it’s a completely different story. You never know what someone else is dealing with

5

Anonymous OP 5w

I know it’s easier said than done, but I can assure you no one notices or cares that you stuttered or slipped up your words. Everyone slips up, if someone says they don’t- they are lying. The words I’m trying to say aren’t the right ones, but i just “gaslight” (not the word i want to use) myself into being like “it is not that serious” / “everyone does xyz”

10

Anonymous #2 5w

*an appointment for anxiety they will likely give you a paper screening test that will put a numerical value on your anxiety/depression so you don’t have to answer their questions out loud. If it helps you ca also write stuff down and straight up give the paper to your dr if that’s easier than speaking for you!

6

Anonymous #2 5w

Okay thank you. Do you have a recommendation of medication I know it’s different for everyone but I’m just wondering your experience

4

Anonymous OP 5w

I do a lot of journaling, which helps me talk about my day and process it so that i don’t really think about it when i lie down. i think a combo of journaling & meditation/yoga has been helpful. sometimes I am overthinking at night, but not as much as i used to. I know this doesn’t work for everyone but during yoga I like to listen to hz frequencies based on my intention - detox, sleep, clear mind, anxiety relief, etc

8

Anonymous #2 5w

As I got more comfortable with speaking to drs about mental health it became easier to express what I was really feeling but it was hard at first. I just got a new diagnosis of OCD after SIX years because I just recently felt comfortable enough to share my intrusive thoughts that I struggle with with my Dr. Just remember that the Dr is there to help you and that they’re seen people just like you may times before.

8

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

Thank you I truly appreciate your insight on this. It’s nice to know that people are dealing with similar stuff and even though I know it’s a difficult process things get better if you work on them. I have been journaling recently and it has helped. I’m going to try branching out more and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone and dealing with rejection. I hope you continue well on your journey and thank you again for your comments.

10

Anonymous OP 5w

of course! it’s a long path & it’s okay to bad days/weeks, progress isn’t always linear 💓💓i hope you find a way that helps you

12

Anonymous OP 5w

I have been on MANY different medications. They can come with side effects when you start them but that’s a convo to have with the dr. I also don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to push medication! For me personally it just helped to start with meds because they got me to a place where I could actually begin to talk about what I was feeling and then do the therapy work from there .

4

Anonymous #2 5w

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you know that this even tho it’s small has really helped me. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in these feelings and that people who are experiencing or have experienced similar feelings are better off from seeking help. I have been contemplating it for a long time but I know I need to seek it now. I wish you the best on your mental health journey and I hope that I will be where you are in understanding yourself in the future

7

Anonymous OP 5w

🫶🫶good luck to you girl. Im glad we could help you out in this step of your journey. Like someone else has already said here, progress isn’t liner and we all have days where we feel like we’re back at square one but pushing through is key ❤️

8

Anonymous witchy_salem 5w

Also I missed this comment but i would love that if I could. I know it can be personal so don’t feel pressured to share more than what you want but if they are social anxiety related that would be so beneficial to me and I would greatly appreciate that!!

4