How many people here have anxiety?

I get anxious over certain things, nothing life disrupting and certainly nothing 'diagnosable'

My youngest son has social anxieties. (age 12) He is not on any type of meds. We are working with him to deal with them in a more constructive manner and without medication. At the moment he acts out or shuts down when social issues become too much for him.

I think the internet in general is over represented actually. At least in terms of social anxiety. A lot of people have an easier time interacting through the screen than they do face to face. I get a little stressed out over new social situations but I (generally speaking lol) don't worry about that on the internet. There's a niche for everyone.


Disclaimer: I don't really think this applies to Chaz. I was completely intimidated when I first started posting here but this forum is not the norm. Lol.

Yep that's me. Somehow I've gotten a lot better about it in the last 2 years or so, but it used to be I wouldn't even go to Target by myself because, in my mind, everyone is focused on me and judging me. I still won't go alone to places I'm not familiar with though because I feel like I look stupid for not knowing where things are and whatnot.... and that it looks less stupid if you're with someone.

I couldn't live like that.... It would seriously do my head in!!! Funny because I used to be PAINFULLY shy as a child.... I guess I outgrew it.

I dislike people more and more each year, but that's for totally different reasons

This is what I've found as well.

I've battled with social anxiety disorder for my entire life. I can easily trace it back all the way to when I was a little kid. I was diagnosed during college, only because I just quietly dealt with it while growing up.

I am like that....I have a bad fear of making a mistake or doing something stupid. Sounds silly but one reason I was never really good at say, ice skating. My friends would just get out and go...if they fell, they fell. I was PETRIFIED of falling and looking stupid. Makes no sense as I never thought they did. I still really really envy people who are themsleves and make no apologies for it. I am, once I am comfortable. Get me in a new situation though and I tend to freeze.

I have adult ADD (diagnosed by a professional) which does impact my daily life. Its weird to be a human being and just not understand how to interact with other human beings sometimes.

I do have anxiety issues, but I'm not sure if they'd be a diagnosable disorder. It doesn't really impact *daily* life. I don't have anxiety attacks every day, but I have them every week. And I can't be around large groups of people for a long period of time or the anxiety just builds until I'm ready to snap, like a dog who's stress signals have been ignored too long. Of course, the definition of "long period of time" can vary depending on my mood that day and whether or not there are animals present. Animals help a great deal with my anxiety.

This is why first meeting me is awkward LOL.

Seriously, I have a meetup planned with a few members on here, and we figure it'll be super awkward cause we all fail at social settings

You really don't?

It's like asking the validity of ADHD or more recently Aspergers, except, with even more debate as the symptoms can be so widely expressed and many people in this case self diagnose.

In a world where I get calls almost daily asking, "I have a dog, I want to take them with me, I get social anxiety, where do I buy the vest?" You're bound to start a fabulous discussion when you ask a group of dog people online if they have chronic anxiety. Dare I say those with any varying sense of social anxiety often feel most comfortable online and in the company of animals.

I would gamble that most every human alive has had some form of anxiety, it is however a conversation of relativity limiting out those who are truly crippled by their condition.

Some of us have spent years with medications, counseling, special schooling, and special exercises to overcome and assimilate more fluidly. Some, well, they take the minimalist effects of the condition and it as a shield and scape goat. It's actually fascinating when it's not used by society as a means to demean those truly unable to function.

I'm having that problem right now actually lol. I've always been sad that my dad never taught me to ice skate (he taught my brothers and they all played hockey). I made the mistake of telling my friend/roommate and she really wants to teach me. I'm afraid I'm going to run out of excuses pretty soon, right now I can rely on "I don't have any skates" but she keeps telling me we can rent them and whatnot. I can just see myself start crying after maybe two or three falls. Plus I'll start with my excessive smiling and laughing that I do when I'm nervous and that always makes me feel like a real idiot.

Glad we could both be anxious and awkward together :rofl1:

Adrienne, I feel the same way about this thread.

I hate it, but anxiety is definitely something real that I've had to deal with all of my life. I WISH it was something that I was making up. I don't think it's so far fetched to think that a good handful of people on a) an online forum and b) a pet forum at that, have anxiety.

Errr - where did I say people are making it up? I made a clear POINT of ensuring people didn't interpret it that way.

I am commenting on an observation. If people don't feel comfortable answering the question don't answer.

I ask people intimate questions every day in my life, it's not awkward to me to make social observations and ask about them.... you know, because I'm curious. I could have sat here wondering, or I could make a thread and ask.

In fact, 99% of the people who replied on this thread have been happy to explain their experiences, which I have read each and every one.

Oh I don't disagree, I have seen these threads before and they tend to be entertaining one way or the other. You have a ton of people on both ends, the "you're all full of it, suck it up" and the excessively dramatic havers of anxiety.

Like I said.. interesting.

Dizzy, I don't believe my entertainment nor anyone else's has anything to do with what has been posted thus far, more so having to do with the expectation of what is to come.

Now it may be inevitable as it has been predicted... Fate or has a seed been planted?

We'll never know!

Regardless, I posted the thread because I noticed a lot of people talking about their anxiety (over many years of observation) and I wondered about how many people here feel they have a daily problem as it seems disproportional to "real life". I know dogs are particularly therapeutic so perhaps there was a correlation.

I meet more people with depression than anxiety. But then I imagine that sort of goes with the territory of having anxiety or social anxiety

Been there done that didn't work.



I agree with Taqroy that it's not unreasonable to assume a correlation... Years ago I used to hang out in an online chat regularly. This discussion took place, I dunno, it's been over a decade at this point. A large number of people in the chat were horribly bullied when they were in school. Really horribly bullied. I had a few incidents of bullying when I was in school, I think every kid does, but I was never targeted, seriously, and daily, like these people were. I thought it seemed really weird at first. But when I thought about it, it kinda made sense. The internet wasn't as common back when this discussion was taking place, so the existing pool of people who were likely to BE in that discussion were, for lack of a better word, nerds. Who tend to get targeted. So yeah... people with social anxiety more likely to hang out regularly online... not exactly unreasonable to assume.
As for the dog thing, I dunno. I don't think that factors in... think that's more of a coincidence and you would find this same sort of thing just about anywhere online no matter the subject. I can think of a few places where you aren't likely to find it (or find it discussed openly) but I think on the whole it would be an Internet Thing rather than a Dog Thing?

I also think you are more likely to get people to discuss this sort of thing through the "safety" of the internet rather than in real life. =P

One of the reasons i am so thankful for Sheena is that she has enabled me to do some things that though they are still very difficult i can now do more easily. When i enter any social situation instead of feeling overwhelmed that i was being watched/judged, i know sheena is the one being watched more closely. She not only has made social situations possible but she is also a great way to start a social interaction with a stranger which was painfully hard to do before. Now we are on a dart team in busy bars every week. Something i never would have considered before. It is still very difficult but with her it is managgeable.

I think there is a difference/divide among what people think the term/phrase "I have anxiety" means.

For example, according to my psychiatrist, I am ACROPHOBIC lol which basically just means I am scared of heights.
I get vertigo, start breathing heavily, sweating and just freaking out in general. It's totally irrational and have been that way since I was little.

Now, this gives ME anxiety of course, but anxiety is ITSELF is just a normal reaction to stress. I don't like being high up/looking down, I am scared of falling.. my body reacts to that stress more dramatically then people who aren't scared.
So it's not an anxiety disorder.. it's just.. how my body gets anxious when I get stressed over heights.

"The term anxiety covers four aspects of experiences an individual may have: mental apprehension, physical tension, physical symptoms and dissociative anxiety
Anxiety disorder is divided into generalized anxiety disorder, phobic disorder, and panic disorder; each has its own characteristics and symptoms and they require different treatment"

"Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times. Many people feel anxious, or nervous, when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision. Anxiety disorders, however, are different. They can cause such distress that it interferes with a person's ability to lead a normal life.

An anxiety disorder is a serious mental illness. For people with anxiety disorders, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be crippling."

I think that basically covers it
People with anxiety disorders have CONSTANT and OVERWHELMING feelings that affect their day to day lives.
not just general sometimes I get anxious sometimes kind of feelings.

Feel free to correct me, I have no idea.. I just figured it would be useful if I found a definition and just grabbed a few online.

That sounds like me, this past month has been insanely stressful for me with worse than usual stressors in my work life, personal life and our business, I deal with that kind if stress quite regular individually but not all at once... So it's been a bit worse than normal....

I would not call it life affecting other than a bit moodier than normal, I do get "down" and Extremley homesick for NS when my life is a bit overwhelming, I Di get those butterfly, can't sleep type anxiety issues at times, but not enough to say it affects my life other than maybe for that day...

Diagnosed anxiety disorder here.
Presently it manifests itself in the form of agoraphobia. Social anxiety has always been a problem for me, but it's gotten worse since moving to a new country. And in general, I get a lot of bad panic attacks. I can't see a doctor like I used to because I'm not covered by any health insurance, and can't afford to pay out of pocket for a GP, and a clinic won't take me.