# Do you believe you can overcome your SA?



## meepie (Jun 20, 2010)

Yes or no?

Put yes if you already have.

I didn't put maybe cuz you guys need to be _confident_ in your answers .


----------



## Kevin001 (Jan 2, 2015)

I hope I can but I doubt it. Its more like managing it.


----------



## meepie (Jun 20, 2010)

Kevin001 said:


> I hope I can but I doubt it. Its more like managing it.


Yeah, coping with it is tough, but once you find your coping mechanism and habitualize it - will be a smooth sailing.



RadnessaurousRex said:


> I already did, well most of it.


That's great Rad


----------



## Imbored21 (Jun 18, 2012)

Nope. Already tried my best and failed. I have given up at this point.


----------



## minimized (Nov 17, 2007)

Let it all ride on no.


----------



## meandernorth (Nov 12, 2014)

Yes.


----------



## crimeclub (Nov 7, 2013)

I don't think I'll ever get rid of it completely but I think I'll continue to slowly get it to be less of an obstruction in my life, at least according to family history I'll probably always have anxiety to deal with, I'll just become more and more of a functioning anxiety sufferer, hopefully.


----------



## rdrr (Dec 31, 2008)

Why isnt SAS an option?


----------



## i just want luv (Feb 13, 2011)

What defines "overcome"?

I believe and know I'll live a life without having to worry about communication and anxiety through isolation on some far off countryside. It's my preference and would render anxiety a non-factor in my life. To "overcome" by the standard meaning, and forcing myself into lifestyles I abhor - no, I will not overcome social anxiety.


----------



## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

Yes, I've progressed a lot in the past six months. As people get older, perhaps they get more tolerant of shy people.


----------



## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

No, I don'y belive I'll ever fully overcome. It can be managed, though, or go from severe to moderate/mild.


----------



## Mrs Salvatore (Mar 27, 2014)

I think I have. I'm never going to get rid of it but I live life without restrictions from it.


----------



## Raeden (Feb 8, 2013)

No escape.


----------



## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

Raeden said:


> No escape.


I'll give you a paw.


----------



## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

There's no _'Yes, by myself'_ option. Which I'm doing right now with pretty good success.


----------



## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

Yes. I'm making progress using self-therapy. No medication, no outside therapists.


----------



## normalsucksbutsodoesSA (Apr 2, 2015)

Yes I believe it can it's gonna take me going out there and risking rejection which is the scariest thing in the world for me. I can do it all of times when I'm feeling brave but I need to learn to do it when I'm not!


----------



## Esteban (Dec 8, 2014)

Yes. I'm doing self-therapy. Medications didn't really work all that well for me. The side effects are too much or eventually become too much to handle in the long run. 

I'm relying on therapy and exercise these days.


----------



## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

I've never doubted that this could be possible for me if I had the right approach and environment. It's fluctuated somewhat throughout time with exposure anyway. 

It's not my main problem. I'm anxious by nature I suppose but the severity of it will always be exacerbated by my other issues. It's difficult to really know what to do about them all.


----------



## farfegnugen (Aug 16, 2010)

I think I can overcome the sensation and effects it causes me, but not the personality traits that helps cause it in the first place... I am going to be me at the end of the day; it's how I perceive and deal with that which likely causes the anxiety.


----------



## CWe (Mar 7, 2010)

I believe i could if i really tried. Only because my SA isn't that severe


----------



## slowlyimproving (Jan 2, 2014)

Yes or at least to the point where I'll be happy with myself. It's going to take a lot of therapy and deep introspection but I'm going to boldly confront all of my darkest fears.


----------



## feels (Jun 18, 2010)

Yes, I'd say I'm basically there. I've improved dramatically in the last 5 years and even more-so during the last 7 months or so. It's taken a lot of work and me pushing myself outside my comfort zone. For a while I think I kind of fluctuated a bit but now everything's going really well. There's always room for improvement but I'm in really good/happy place.


----------



## Lonelyguy111 (Oct 14, 2013)

*No. I Gave Up.*

*No.*
*Emphatically no.*
*
*
*I used to think I could and had all kinds of hopes and dreams but now that I am older and more alone than ever and still pretty much a failure I have given up. I tried everything and I am better, but oddly enough more alone than ever in my life. I was born with SA, and will die with it. It is ingrained into me permanently. :con:stu
*
*
*
*So I gave up. *


----------



## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

I feel like I can but it is a long process...


----------



## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

No. Not at this moment.


----------



## SplendidBob (May 28, 2014)

truant said:


> Yes. I'm making progress using self-therapy. No medication, no outside therapists.


What self therapy are you using Truant?


----------



## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

Maybe.


----------



## blue2 (May 20, 2013)

Yes I'm cured good luck and bye everyone you guys are allright


----------



## Steve French (Sep 17, 2012)

Sure, the problem after that though is being incredibly awkward, having no ability to read body language and social cues, being unable to hold a conversation, the like. Sometimes I wonder if I'm one of those autists, or if it's just being a hermit all these years.


----------



## Farideh (Nov 13, 2011)

I believe there is absolutely no hope for me. I haven't seen the light in a dark tunnel yet. I hope to one day reach that light and be free.


----------



## TicklemeRingo (Jan 11, 2013)

Yeah I have overcome a lot of it so far, and I will keep at it.


----------



## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

splendidbob said:


> What self therapy are you using Truant?


Correcting errors in thinking. You could call that CBT, but since CBT itself is built on a sort of shoddy foundation, I've had to dig a bit deeper.

I've been studying self-identity, self-esteem, and the way our preconceptions shape our perceptions. This has included cultural analysis as well. I'm not interested in "adjusting" myself to an unhealthy culture, so I've had to make some effort to figure out where the problems actually are.

Specific techniques also include mindfulness, visualization, and just plain old skill development.

It's all homebrew.


----------



## uziq (Apr 9, 2012)

maybe, i'll probably always have avoidant tendencies though


----------



## forgetmylife (Oct 1, 2011)

I think I can only overcome it with long-term meds or meds + therapy... 

But even then, I think it will always still be apart of me somewhat. Who knows though.

I think I'll probably always need meds though, I'm just like naturally super depressed.
Maybe once I'm in a career and a solid routine I could try going off meds, but idk if that would be a good idea.


----------



## DanCan (Jul 29, 2009)

I don't think so :/ My thinking has improved in a lot of ways past few years. but, the anxious feelings are prob about the same now as when I was a kid.


----------



## AllieG (Feb 20, 2014)

Nope.


----------



## carolina3298 (Oct 2, 2014)

I believe I will one day. I'm taking therapy, medication, and during summer I'll be teaching english to foreign people and hopefully take a leisure course too


----------



## CoffeeGuy (Sep 23, 2013)

Yes, I know I'll overcome someday. I just have to keep trying and keep improving myself.


----------



## tea111red (Nov 8, 2005)

Yeah, probably. I just need to keep meeting more people and see that people are not as dangerous and scary as my mind has made them out to be.


----------



## 3 AM (Mar 29, 2014)

Nah.


----------



## cybernaut (Jul 30, 2010)

Yes. Life in the the 'real world' is starts for me this summer. There's no way around it. But, the ability to be liked by many people and to make friends? I don't even know.


----------



## wrongguy (Jan 22, 2015)

Yeah I'm doing CBT and I've had some improvement. I think there's a good chance of success based on that and things I've read from others who have done the course I'm doing.


----------



## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

Well, I wouldn't use the term "overcome". I think I would say that I will probably be steamrollered by it.


----------



## Nekomata (Feb 3, 2012)

No >< it just seems to get worse and worse.


----------



## Genos (Dec 17, 2014)

my chances aren't looking too good right now


----------



## mike91 (Sep 23, 2012)

If i tried i could but the way my life is going i dont really want friends or a girlfriend so sa works good that way but i did overcome my fear of shops just not clothe shopping


----------



## Beckibuzz (Apr 4, 2015)

No, I think you learn how to deal with it rather than it completely going.


----------



## Rex87 (Jan 5, 2015)

I better. Its far from fun being cramped up in this house most of the time. Than I get news today that just made me be like, really…...you got to be ****ing sh**ing me! So I need to get my sh** together, and fast…like this month(at least get a job n get out a little more), if not life is just going to continually get worse.


----------



## mattmc (Jun 27, 2013)

No, but I have autism, stuttering, and a fear of basically everything compounding it. Less severe people have hope.


----------



## keyboardsmahshfwa (Apr 22, 2014)

I'm naturally an incredibly anxious person, so i'll always have anxiety. If my suicidal thoughts don't win, then I believe I will reach a point where my SA won't be my biggest issue in life. I would be like 60 at that point but its still worth it.


----------



## LydeaCharlotteGirl (Aug 27, 2013)

Perhaps to a large extent, it's not like what it used to be. But I'll probably always have some avoidant tendencies.


----------



## ShatteredGlass (Oct 12, 2012)

meepie said:


> Yes or no?
> 
> Put yes if you already have.
> 
> I didn't put maybe cuz you guys need to be _confident_ in your answers .





Kevin001 said:


> I hope I can but I doubt it. Its more like managing it.


I think I could. At the very least I could probably reduce it. I'm likely starting on sertraline in a few weeks, so I have my fingers crossed that it will help reduce my anxiety levels. I'm not sure about my avoidant tendencies and my inferiority complex, though. Those would take therapy to be reduced/eliminated. Right now I'm not sure.

I'm in a somewhat optimistic mood right now, so my thoughts on this might be different on another day, lol.


----------



## Yer Blues (Jul 31, 2013)

If you overcome it chances are it was generalized anxiety manifesting in a similar way to SA. From what I've read about SA, it tends to be a personality trait that can only be managed better.

I've done a crap load of exposure therapy in various forms in the past year and the anxiety never is completely gone. It has improved and isn't as overwhelming as when I first started though.


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

no


----------



## Yer Blues (Jul 31, 2013)

probably offline said:


> no


Yes, social anxiety is like an Asian woman blowing up house. One of the Buddha's wiser quotes. Good add.


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

Yer Blues said:


> Yes, social anxiety is like an Asian woman blowing up house. One of the Buddha's wiser quotes. Good add.


Roseanne is not an Asian woman.


----------



## Yer Blues (Jul 31, 2013)

probably offline said:


> Roseanne is not an Asian woman.


Oh.

She is now, or the Buddha quote doesn't work. :b


----------



## Jesuszilla (May 26, 2013)

Yes I believe I can overcome SA or at least have it manageable to the point it's not controlling my life. I chose "someday" even though I'm in therapy, so I should have went with that option.


----------



## meepie (Jun 20, 2010)

Yer Blues said:


> Oh.
> 
> She is now, or the Buddha quote doesn't work. :b


lol


----------



## arja (May 16, 2015)

Yes, someday. At least I hope so  That keeps me going.


----------



## Memories of Silence (May 15, 2015)

I hope so. I think I can overcome the worst parts of it, but will probably always have it a little bit. I'll probably always be quiet, never the loudest person in a room, and have trouble starting conversations, but that would still be a lot better than now.

Therapy might help a little bit, but it's only making me see things differently. I'm still the same as when it started, and I don't think she knows how to help me, because every time I go, she asks the same questions as the week before, and it's like I'm teaching her about it. 

I would have to try to help myself, small steps at a time, but I feel like I don't know where to start.


----------



## Carlfrukt (Jun 28, 2012)

No. If your social anxiety is just too extreme it's not possible to overcome it or even learn to manage it. Luckily I'm very introverted and have no interest in human interaction outside Internet or romantic relationship so I hope I will be able/allowed to live a solitary life. Then I will be okay.


----------



## tidbit (May 13, 2015)

I feel like I could. Maybe not totally overcome it, but definitely handle it better. I've made a lot of progress, and feel with the right attitude I can do it.


----------

