relation of anxiety and confidence

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so, I noticed most people that have anxiety also have confidence/self-steem problems and vice-versa. I was wondering... Is there a relation? What would that be (causation, correlation, something that causes both etc)? Why is it so?
sorry if this sounds stupid. maybe everyone already knows about it except me.
It seems like people with anxiety are more self-conscious, and about their mistakes too.

one more thing, I get really anxious before games and play really badly because I don't trust myself. I was wondering if I started taking anxiety medications if my confidence would rise? I have the impression it would but I never heard anyone talking about that. If you take anxiety medications, do you think you feel more confident about yourself?

Much more confident now that my anxiety is under control since taking GABA. Anxious thoughts don't intrude all the time any more when I am in social situations and I find that I can just go with the flow of things, not second-guessing myself all the time. Also I think more clearly and can pace my part in conversations much better now. So anxiety and lack of confidence seem to have been very inter-related for me. Maybe it was all anxiety though, all along, caused by the GABA neurotransmitter deficiency - at least in my case.

No it doesn't sound stupid at all. I haven't ever thought about a correlation, so thanks for bringing it up!

I have a lot of issues with anxiety and I have issues with self confidence at times. I never thought about it before, but actually my self confidence issues are when I'm anxious. I think the problems with my self confidence might also be related to being a hard core perfectionist. I occasionally have a tiny bit of trouble with self esteem, but that is related to being bullied in high school.

About meds, please don't self medicate. Talk to a psychiatrist about it. Anxiety meds can be addicting if not used properly. Also do you get anxious only at games and not at other times? if it is just before games then meds will probably not be the best thing. Treating anxiety is not just about taking meds. Medication is only part of the treatment if it is used at all.

I have severe anxiety so I do take medication along with working with a therapist on strategies to calm myself down and such. Even with my anxiety well treated I still get panic attacks and I have to cope with feelings of anxiety everyday, which is a real struggle. Since my anxiety is severe that I get panic attacks, I would say that as a whole, it doesn't really improve my self confidence per se, but I do have a whole lot fewer panic attacks so I guess one could say that meds do help in that respect.

@Linatet, this has nothing to do with your comment, but I think your image is awesome. I've always loved swings!! The feeling of being on a swing [peace] is only beaten by being on a school yard merry-go-round going full speed.

@Linatet, this has nothing to do with your comment, but I think your image is awesome. I've always loved swings!! The feeling of being on a swing [peace] is only beaten by being on a school yard merry-go-round going full speed.

One more thing that's pretty ironic actually. One of the reasons the bullying started was that I was confident in some of my abilities, esp. my academic ones. I am also comfortable with myself which also made me a target.

If I'm anxious for no goddamn reason as usual, messed up pills f*****g not working, my brain refuses connect with my mouth and I can't get my words out. Therefore I lack that magical thing called "confidence" that has more to do with communication than anything else, but you're forever branded as "shy", unless you get pissed the f**k off.

I have terrible anxiety problems, and have been medicated for years. It helps my panic attacks that occur out of the blue, and I'm a little more comfortable in my skin, but as to whether it helped my confidence/self-esteem....not really. I haven't thought a whole lot about it, but I'd say that the most medication has done is keep me from focusing so much on myself, so my confidence isn't really so much better as I just don't dwell on it so much.

thanks for the answers! This is all very interesting.

I am not going to self-medicate it was my psychologist that suggested medications in the first place, then I started doing research on it. I am going next to the psychiatrist. I will continue my treatment with the psychologist of course, so I can learn better how to deal with it (and other stuff too).
I don't get anxious only in games, I guess I am anxious most of the times. I just have a hard time telling if what I am feeling is anxiety. Usually I have strong psychosomatic pains like stomachache. Before games it is even worse, I get like attacks (I don't know if they are anxiety attacks), they resemble metldowns to me, I cry and scream and go around and stim if I am feeling anxious about a situation.
What is funny is that I had never thought too much about anxiety. I didn't know if it was anxiety I was feeling. Apparently it was obvious, as my psychologist spotted it right on. She asked me when I arrived in the session: "why didn't you answer my calls?". I said: "I don't like phones. don't call me, I won't answer phones". "why not?" "because I don't know what the other person is going to say". From that one she started talking about anxiety. And then I started to pay attention and realize it actually impacts so much in my life! Like, I live with an incredibly high amount of anxiety. I don't even know how I managed it all those years. And it impairs me a lot, I avoid lots of situations because of that and I avoid all things I have to do like studying (yes, it also makes me anxious). Now I want my anxiety to get better!
Phew guess I wrote a lot more than I had intended.


yaaaaaaaaaaay

I'm glad you're not going to self medicate! At times I get worried and unsure of what people mean when they ask about meds. From what you wrote, it sounds like you are on the right track.


I often have a hard time sensing when I am anxious too. I think one the problems might be that anxiety manifests itself in different, and sometimes unexpected, ways. Sometimes I have trouble telling if I am having a meltdown or a panic attack. I think that there isn't really a clear divide between the two. They feed into each other a lot and my meltdowns are sometimes triggered from anxiety. On some occasions it's obviously one or the other, but most of the time it's a little bit of both. I have a medicine that I can take if am having, or starting to have, a panic attack that calms my brain down (I've nicknamed it "my rescue inhaler for anxiety"). Sometimes it also helps calm me down when I am having what appears to be a meltdown, and sometimes it doesn't help calm be down when am having what appears to be a panic attack. I don't know if this is necessarily because I am actually having a melt down that just appears like a panic attack and vice versa, or if there is some other reason why the medicines helps at some times and not at others. Who knows really.

I have a lot of stomach aches and nausea associated with my anxiety as well. This is because one of the neurotransmitters that plays a role in anxiety is also abundantly present in the digestive system. For years I was misdiagnosed with a stomach disorder because I would have these things where I would get sick with what seemed like a throw up bug that would last for a few days to a week. As it turned out, this was just a symptom of my anxiety, which I was being treated for at the time but not effectively.


I write a lot more than I intend to all the time.(just look at the length of this so far! ) Sometimes it just feels good to get things out even if I don't intend to write a lot about something. It just comes out and most of the time I don't realize that I needed to get it out until I've written it .

I am absolutely terrified of phones! I haven't ever been able to articulate why before, but reading what you said about not knowing what the other person is going to say makes me think that that is the reason for me as well. It will take some time and effort, but you can definitely learn ways to manage your anxiety so it makes much less of an impact on your life.