# Social Anxiety - A blessing in disguise!?



## Craig91 (Dec 17, 2012)

... Eventually.

Please read till the end it takes me a while to make my point!

During my teens I had a problem. I had what is called a sensitive pericardium; this is when the sack that surrounds your hear that gives It the environment to function is overly sensitised.

So this issue meant that when I exercised my sensitive pericardium was agitated and made my chest very painful. This restricted the extent to which I could exercise and it limited how I could perform.

I'm a keen football player and whilst I had this problem I found that I could not perform to the level that others could without putting in a lot of training. Even by running 4-5 times a week I struggled to be as fit as those that did little or nothing.

So where is this going? Well...

Once I finally grew out of this problem I began to find that I was so much fitter than others. My baseline fitness was better and because I had the capacity to train hard I could be one of the fittest on the football pitch!

So what on earth does this have to do with social anxiety?

My thinking is that because of all the effort I've been putting in to getting better, understanding other people and how to make people comfortable around be will eventually be beneficial. I hope that one day I will see the benefits and appreciate the effort.

Character building is what I'm alluding to. Lets hope that once we have overcome social anxiety we will be very strong because of it.

It may seem like wishful thinking but I beats the alternative.

Thank you for reading to the bottom!


----------



## Andrew4 (Sep 23, 2012)

I don't know if I'd call SA a blessing in disguise because it has robbed so many people of so much. But I do agree with your line of thinking in that once the SA is gone it gives us a better perspective on life. I think the ability to read people, connect with them, emphasize, listen, and know where they are coming from/feeling when they have problems is something positive that I will walk away with. I've also developed a wicked sense of observation. Other than that I'm not sure there are too many positives lol, but yes I think an overall increased awareness of just life in general is a plus.


----------



## labrador (Aug 9, 2012)

SA has made it possible for me to be very empathetic to somone in distress. That is a blessing.


----------



## Nonombre (Jan 4, 2013)

labrador said:


> SA has made it possible for me to be very empathetic to somone in distress. That is a blessing.


I absolutely agree with this.


----------



## xxsnapshot (Dec 18, 2011)

In bad situations, you can do one of two things. Let it beat you down, or beat it which will therefore making you stronger.

So yeah depending on how you react to the situation, it could effect you negativly or positivly in the end.


----------



## SVIIC (Apr 15, 2005)

Yeah... definitely a possible thing, IF... we actually "get better", because until then we're probably even worse than normal people because we can't even deal with our own problems let alone other people's.

OR, it might make some people just very very bitter and give up on people altogether. Depends, I suppose.


----------



## ShadowHolly (Oct 24, 2012)

I love this perspective Craig I know that not all SA is caused by a rough childhood, but from my experience with others (and myself) it has been. I heard a woman on TedTalks recently describe how compassion is born from suffering and that those who suffer can rise from their suffering with great empathy for others. I thought that was so beautiful - and maybe in some way the suffering created by SA and the experiences that led to it, will help us be kinder more understanding people. 
http://www.ted.com/talks/joan_halifax.html


----------



## Starless Sneetch (Apr 24, 2012)

Yes, that's a great perspective! I was just thinking about this kind of things today, as a matter of fact! For me, SA has given me a lot of good qualities and virtues. 

Firstly, SA has helped me be more understanding of people, and not be quick to judge. For example, today my mom was ranting about the cashier at a dress shop we went to. I bought a dress for half off of the original price --$64. The cashier muttered "Let's see, half off of 64..." and used the calculator. After we left, my mom was saying how stupid it was that she had to use a calculator for that, and I mentioned that she might have had social anxiety and couldn't think straight when around people. I know that I can't do even really simple math like that when on-the-spot and when needing to talk to people! (In fact, we were buying a box of chocolates later, and when trying to figure out how many were in the box, I blurted 'Oh serving size of 4 pieces and about 7 servings per box. That's fourteen.' then realized my stupid mistake like 30 seconds later. xD ) So I typically don't judge people as much.

Also, I think SA gives me focus. Instead of wasting time hanging out with friends, I get a lot of work done, and put a lot of effort into my studies. From not having friends my own age, I have a really good set of ethics and morals, and good behavior.

Lastly, SA makes me a REALLY bad liar, so I almost always tell the truth! The worst I'll do is omit details in things, or use some fancy rhetoric/double speak to cover things up. xD


----------



## Hecticrat (Jan 9, 2013)

Almost a year ago now I made a friend while volunteering for something at a hospital. She was honestly the only person in at least the two years prior who showed any interest in making friends with me (probably because my appearance and demeanor turned others away). I've since learned that she was once very anxious around others herself and had trouble making friends at a young age because she was overweight. The hope she gave me and the support she continues to give me no more than by being my friend is unquestionably one of the biggest reasons I'm doing better now than I was a year ago, and I've always suspected that the reason she was able to look past my exterior when we met was because she knew better from experience than to think that there's no more to a person than their exterior and mannerisms.

So I agree. If/when we overcome this, we'll be more capable than those who don't know the struggle of SA to help those who are experiencing it.


----------



## hoddesdon (Jul 28, 2011)

No.


----------



## Mango Reinhardt (Jan 10, 2013)

I suppose combatting SA is a challenge. And if you confront that challenge it will inherently make you stronger. To be honest though I wish I could just snap my fingers and make all my anxieties go away.


----------



## Craig91 (Dec 17, 2012)

The point was that what you go through to deal with Social Anxiety will make you a better person. People who do not have Social Anxiety are not perfect they have issues too, a lot of them similar to those that dominates the lives of people with Social Anxiety. 

The thing is I have this problem and there is no point getting angry or depressed about it which admittedly is not easy. Therefore, my point was once I finally get over this, and I WILL, I hope that I'll be a strong person for it.

Thank you to the people that appreciated this post I was trying to make an effort to write a positive post which can be difficult.

@Hoddesdon: care to elaborate? Do you think it is right to answer a post that is clearly going to hard to write with a one word answer...?

And, yes I wish I could snap my fingers too...


----------



## ryobi (Jan 13, 2009)

I think SA may have made me a better son and boyfriend and possibly a better father if I ever have kids someday.

It's definitely means that I think for myself. If I were in Germany in the 30's I doubt I would of been swept up into Nazism and I also don't support my own country when it kills women and children. I think that's good. Even though it would be easier to mindlessly wave a flag like almost everyone else.


----------



## Drex (Jan 12, 2013)

ShadowHolly said:


> I love this perspective Craig I know that not all SA is caused by a rough childhood, but from my experience with others (and myself) it has been. I heard a woman on TedTalks recently describe how compassion is born from suffering and that those who suffer can rise from their suffering with great empathy for others. I thought that was so beautiful - and maybe in some way the suffering created by SA and the experiences that led to it, will help us be kinder more understanding people.
> http://www.ted.com/talks/joan_halifax.html


This is basically the ideology behind buddhism (yeah, getting a little religious here). The end of suffering is done through the understanding and practice of love and compassion.

On topic,
SA has made me really observative for little details about people and made me more empathic to others.


----------

