# Goodbye SA! What worked for me!



## Psychologist (Apr 3, 2012)

Well guys as of right now i can say 90% of my SA is gone! and my depression is non-existent! 

For a while i was practicing my own cbt, trying to think positively and forcing myself into social situations. Long story short, grew some balls and was proud of myself for trying hard even when i experienced failures. Experiencing failure made me more comfortable with it and it let me accept myself. So basically, my personal CBT changed my mindset from irrational fear and insecurity to self acceptance with and the acknowledgement that i felt the way i did because of a disorder and that i could change it. So ya i told myself i had a lot to offer as a person and that i would try everything this summer to help.


WHAT WORKED: Im gonna get this one out of the way... I am taking an ssri. The first one that has worked on me. And i truly believe the only reason it is working, is because of the foundation i set with a positive attitude and a new found self acceptance. Putting myself out there is what i feel helped me the most though. It took balls to face my anxiety and i never let failures and rejections discourage me. My determination let me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It gave me something to be proud of and showed me that i am capable. 

With past medications, i did what i feel most unsuccessful people on here do. Relied completely on the pills. However, there are definitely people who seem to just be immune to medication. Anyways im taking lexapro. Been taking it for 2 weeks and i cant explain with words how much my life has changed in the last month. On top of this, im also taking fish oil and b12 (These two supplements are incredibly underrated. Great for depression). And on top of that im still practicing my CBT. Ive noticed that CBT became much much easier as i improved and combines beautifully with lexapro. 

To experience social confidence after years of SA is an incredible feeling. I used to be deathly scared of awkward silences and would either avoid people or say something stupid because i couldnt think, to prevent them from happening. I always used to feel like i was being judged and that people only saw me for the exaggerated faults i thought i had. If theres something that i can appreciate the most though, its that i can finally be myself. For once, my brain isnt completely reserved for depressing thoughts and i feel content. Also i can look back and say i worked hard and accomplish my goal. Anyways enough rambling about how great it is to feel normal.

The one thing i want people to take from this is that, to get rid of a fear, you need to face it. SA is treatable for most people and medication can definitely help but you have to meet it half way especially for SA. Medications should be looked at like tools. They dont do the work for you, but they make it easier. 

SA might have made me feel like **** for a long time, but ive come to realize that it did a lot for me. SA made me an empathetic person. I dont judge anyone. Also it taught me to just be a good person in general. It inspired me to learn about personality as well as philosophy which are my favorite subjects. And after going through it for so many years, i can truly appreciate what it feels like to be normal. 

Good luck all. Never give up and fight with 110%. Get past those first steps and it only gets easier from there. So take from this what you will. Nothing worth fighting for was ever easy.

Guess im done with SAS. I owe every ounce of my recovery to this website and the people on it. Cant everyone enough. Thank you SAS for teaching me everything i know about SA. Also, dont take offense to this, but i found there were 2 types of people that stood out to me on this forum. People who were optimistic and didnt give up. They pushed themselves and thats what inspired me. The other type i noticed are these cynical pissed off guys who just said negative things. They pretty much just gave up and had nothing but bad things to say. Most of them are just benzo hungry pussies. (yes im aware some people actually need benzos. not these people)


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## Psychologist (Apr 3, 2012)

Also just wanted to add something. Ive seen a lot of people on this forum who put a solid effort into their recovery with no success. My heart goes out to you. It takes a strong person to keep pushing even with no light at the end of the tunnel.

And anyways i got a little carried away at the end of my OP. Ive just seen too many people who just have nothing good to say and reject any form of therapy. It makes me angry because it discourages people especially those who are new to the site. They are people that are just too lazy too even put in a solid effort and say benzos are the only cure. These people made no progress at all while those who actually tried showed improvement. 

Peace out


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## Zeeshan (Sep 4, 2011)

"
The one thing i want people to take from this is that, to get rid of a fear, you need to face it."

oh no the truth ahhhh


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## whatdapointyo (Mar 27, 2012)

Congrats, wish I was at that point.


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## peach123 (Dec 13, 2010)

Zeeshan said:


> "
> The one thing i want people to take from this is that, to get rid of a fear, you need to face it."
> 
> oh no the truth ahhhh


You are right Zeeshan, in order for me to rid myself of the fear of social anxiety, I have to face this fear and socialize more. Nothing else is going to work but that.


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## A SAD Finn (Sep 16, 2007)

Thanks for your inspirational post. I'll be following your footsteps. I'm nowhere near my destination yet, but I've already seen that a huge improvement is possible and this keeps me optimistic about my future prospect.



Psychologist said:


> The one thing i want people to take from this is that, to get rid of a fear, you need to face it. SA is treatable for most people and medication can definitely help but you have to meet it half way especially for SA. Medications should be looked at like tools. They dont do the work for you, but they make it easier.


I agree with every word you said. One thing I'd like to warn people about is not relaying on medication too much. I made the mistake of taking a Propral pill in very trivial situations that I could've handled without it. After some time I actually couldn't handle those situations anymore without medication.



Psychologist said:


> SA might have made me feel like **** for a long time, but ive come to realize that it did a lot for me. SA made me an empathetic person. I dont judge anyone. Also it taught me to just be a good person in general. It inspired me to learn about personality as well as philosophy which are my favorite subjects. And after going through it for so many years, i can truly appreciate what it feels like to be normal.


Again, I agree. I hope I'll be able to use this capability for empathy in a teaching profession in the future.


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## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

Congrats on getting your SA under control and feeling better! 

And I know I shouldn't defend the second type of people you were describing, but - just because people need to vent their frustrations out on this forum doesn't mean that they aren't trying their best to deal with and beat their SA. We don't know how they function in their lives and what they deal with, nor the coping techniques they might be attempting to employ. I don't think we should judge others on here just for venting their frustrations and hopeless feelings - that is normal for people to have and part of the purpose of this site is to provide a space for people to vent those feelings/thoughts as they can't in their RL. Being able to vent and know that others are also in the same spot can be part of the process for some. 

Anyways - Glad to hear that you've taken the necessary steps and are doing so well. Keep it up!


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## Donnie in the Dark (Mar 15, 2011)

Zeeshan said:


> "
> The one thing i want people to take from this is that, to get rid of a fear, you need to face it."
> 
> oh no the truth ahhhh


Exactly. I think I know deep down that exposure is the way.... in the weeks where I have made myself be socially active, (e.g Fresher's week at uni), I have felt the least affected by SA. Its just such a huge and scary effort.


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## thelonelyloner (Apr 24, 2009)

Congrats on the success man however my view on meds differ from yours as I believe they are just a cover-up for anxiety and don't tackle the root of the problem.


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## matisyahu (Dec 2, 2011)

Bro, the minute you get off those pills everything is going to hit you. :/


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## Openyoureyes (Jun 13, 2012)

You're incredibly lucky, I hope one day I will do the same!  I hope you get rid of dat 10% as well.


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## elmandelafoto (Jan 28, 2012)

Congratulations psychologist.. this forum needs more members like you... SAD can be cured 100% like most problems in the world... in a way, its like having weak muscles, you have to train your mind, amygdala, and nervous system like you would train any other muscle, people around here like to rant that it has no cure and this and that but thats bull, i have recovered a lot thanks to effort, cbt, and becoming closer to God and asking for his help... i don't want to get into a theological debate, but one of the stages of my Social Anxiety got me into drinking heavily and relying heavily on Alcohol to deal with eople and feel "more confident" ... there where months where i drank everyday and my life really was boring, anxious and depressing if i was sober.. i went to Alcoholics Anonymous and in 3 weeks i was free of my Alcohol dependency like a MAGIC PILL.. what happened? yes there is rational scientific part to the treatment, but there is also a heavily spiritual part that says something like (i went in 2009 so i dont remember word for word) "we find that this is a spiritual program at the end of the day, and that through the help of God, we are capable of doing things that without Him we couldn't do" ... this is so beautiful and so true, we can be strong and fight alone in many things, but some battles of life, we need that extra divine help, and in my personal case.. God is my "lexapro", he's that extra help when i feel that my effort is not enough, and call me a psycho, but when i work hard, make an effort, and ask for His help the things that seemed imposible turn to be quite possible ! 

anyway, this is your thread "psychologist" and congratulations on your recovery, keep the CBT coming, keep leaving your comfort zone, taking risks, doing behavoiural and cognitive therapy till its cemented and deep in your brain... then i would eventually come off the lexapro when you are ready but thats your decision!! congratulations and i feel happy for you whereever you are


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