What causes/caused your social anxiety?

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For me, a big part of it was realizing I had talents and skills many people did not, and I was afraid that people would think I was arrogant if I looked or acted too happy and/or confident!

i dont have social anxiety, but a mix of depression/generalized anxiety.

Being judged by other people who tell me I look too mopey some of the time.

When I was very young (around 5 years) I would repeat words out loud. They were irrelevant to the situation and often earned me odd looks. I learned to repeat words in my head instead.

When I was in the 7-10 age range, my cousin (same age as me) frequently picked on me for using words that adults used - I had a rather extensive vocabulary and I made use of it. It wasn't intentional, it was just me, it was how I spoke.

When I was in middle school being bullied, I once told them they were "really immature". I heard those words echoed back at me for the rest of the school year. Eventually, I learned to just not talk at all in front of my peers, or I dumbed it down as best I could.

Now it's mostly a matter of overstimulation and running out of things to say because I'm not good at small talk.

Being told that I'm intelligent. I got beat up a lot, for that, as a child, LOL. Feeling like someone is envious or jealous of me makes me anxious, too.

Poor social skills, REALLY poor social skills. Dump me in the middle of a party and unless there's someone I know I'll be like a fish out of water. My lack of social skills have cost me jobs, friends, and it helped drive me crazy. No wonder I sometimes refer to 'Asperger Sufferers'.

Ed Almos

My social anxiety feels inbuilt ( a dodgy amygdala), as soon as I am with people the palms sweat, pulse races, I become more clumsy, I say the wrong thing. Basically I make a prat of myself and on top of that I have a fear of embarassing myself which is a very real possibility because I just can't control my nerves. I've learnt to deal with people by acting, lashings of self deprecating humour and a bit of bravado but this is hardwork and draining. These days I just can't bear people they irritate me or is it my anxiety is just too tiring? I'm almost a hermit!

Ana tell us about your special talents, you should never be afraid to tell people your skills I'm sure you would'nt sound boastful.

Birth; that bastard has a lot to answer for.

Hmm what caused my social anxiety? PEOPLE.

Saying and doing dumb stuff, despite being intelligent with a good vocabulary. I find it easier to express myself in writing than through the spoken word.

i don understand where my social anxiety comes from. i knew i was different in social situations especially around ppl i don know. its really weird

It's just how I am.

I guess I was just born that way. I've always been socially withdrawn and I don't really know why. If you put me in a situation that demands use of social skills, I'm dead.

Something about being around people causes my social anxiety....having them talk to me and such.