Severe social anxiety and imposter syndrome

[Joseph2]

Hey there I am a 33 year old guy . I don’t know where to start but I noticed I have severe social anxiety when I am out. I try my hardest to ignore my inner voice and thoughts of myself but they are just so loud. I am constantly worried I am annoying everyone and that people are just being nice to me cause they feel sorry for me. I feel so incredibly lonely, I feel like literally no one understands the extent to which I feel these emotions.  My self confidence, my social confidence , the belief that I am actually interesting  or that people like me is so bad. 

I can’t live in the moment , I feel like I am detached from everyone when I am in a crowd of people or even like minded people. 

I do continuously expose myself to social settings as the loneliness is killing me. 

I have such a negative perception of myself.

these feelings have always been there inside me however I feel they have gotten worse ever since my gf broke up with me a few months ago. 

I feel like I annoy the hell out of people at concerts when I try to strike up conversations and make connections. I don’t really have any authentic deep connections with anyone and honestly think I never will unless I’m confident. 

I feel like no one wants to hang out with someone who is emotional and unstable. 

[MyLifesJourney]

To keep putting yourself out there despite your fears is so incredibly brave. Just wanted to say that. 🫶🏻

[Gremlin24]

@Joseph2 firstly hello and welcome to the forums. Thankyou for sharing your story and your feelings that takes alot of strength.

I too have social anxiety and have for the majority of my life, it's hard to live with but it can be managed. Have you considered seeing a gp to get some referrals to speak to a counsellor/psychologist?

Managing social anxiety is all about finding what works for you, it's not a one size fits all situation. But a starting point would be to try different strategies and working out if the anxiety is reduced by them. 

It's great that you still expose yourself to social settings. Losing your gf would definitely have had an impact on you in many ways I'm sure.

You are not alone here and we are here to support you however we can. I hope you can find some connections here and can work out ways that will help you with your social anxiety. Take care of yourself and be gentle, these things take time 😊.

[Joseph2]

Oh thank you , yeah I don’t know I’m really lonely and can’t stand the thought of isolating myself I’m my room after work or on the weekend

[Gremlin24]

@Joseph2 being lonely can be hard so it's great that you still get out so that you are at least around people. I know it can still feel lonely if you aren't actually interacting with anyone but it's better than just sitting in a room by yourself. 

You should be proud of yourself for still getting out there despite your anxiety.