I used to be a happy and social kid. I could talk to anyone and now I can’t. Things have been stressful at home with my sister and I haven’t had anyone to talk to. I have a lot of friends, but lately it seems like they don’t want to hang out with me because of how I’ve been. I used to be fine in social situations and now I freeze up and become anxious. I care too much about what other people think of me and I can’t talk to anyone. I’ve become a really awkward person and sometimes I feel like I can’t even hold a conversation with my family. Every time someone talks to me, I just blank out. I have no interests anymore. I want to go back to being the kid everybody liked being around. I’m so wrapped up in my own thoughts I can’t have a conversation. I think part of what triggered this is my older sister having a mental breakdown. She was doing drugs and we now have custody of her son, my nephew. I love him to death and part of what gives me anxiety is the thought of him having to go back to live with her. My family is going to court soon to get custody of him but my parents say that she may get him back. I’m so scared if she gets him back because I love having him around. He’s a brother to me. This led to me having anxiety. Anxiety led to it being hard to meet people because I’ve been so stressed. I used to make friends everywhere I went; I was the life of the party. I still hang out with my friends, but I’m just not the same. When I’m with them, I feel fine but I’m no longer contributing to their conversations. I used to be able to make the whole room laugh. When I’m alone the anxiety starts to kick in. I just need to get myself back together because everyone liked the old me. More importantly, I did too. I haven’t talked to my friends about it because they wouldn’t know what to say. I feel unintelligent since I’ve lost all my confidence. I need to get my confidence back and stop overthinking things. I just don’t know how to do that. I want to get back to my normal self.
CONSIDER THIS:
- Going though depression and social anxiety is very stressful. You are not alone in getting anxious over family issues and this anxiety turning into freezing up in social situations.
- You mentioned that you haven’t talked to your friends about your anxiety. Talking to them, although difficult, could be a great idea. Let them know you are going though a rough time and that you need support.
- Consider talking to a professional about your anxiety. They can suggest coping methods and ways to deal with your anxiety and social anxiety.
- Check out the TeenCentral homepage for more information about depression. Click on the word Learn at the top of the page and a list of topics will drop down. You’ll find depression as one of the topics. Click on depression and you’ll see some great resources that can help you through this difficult time.
HELP YOURSELF:
- What do you think your friends will say if you talk to them about your anxiety?
- What coping methods can you use to calm yourself down during social situations?
- What steps can you take to calm your anxiety?
- Why not check out the information available on the TeenCentral homepage?
