Social Anxiety Before, During and After the Pandemic

DEREK’S DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals.  These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance.  Thanking you in advance!

Hola, my fellow bent minders! Welcome to another round of get me through my mental illness!

Today, I would like to talk about facing social anxiety, especially as it pertains to the pandemic.

First of all, what is social anxiety? WebMD describes social anxiety as a common mental health disorder where a person feels extremely uncomfortable and nervous in social situations. A person suffering from this condition may have a fear they are being judged or watched by others. You may have physical symptoms, such as a fast heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, an inability to catch your breath or even stomach ailments, including diarrhea. That last one affected me whenever I felt anxious. TMI.

This disorder is certainly common in social situations, such as work, parties, gatherings, perhaps even going to the grocery store. It can even be present when trying to meet people or when dating.

Now. Let’s break it down as it relates to before, during and “after” the pandemic.

Before

I can tell you that I suffered from social anxiety in the past wayyyyyy before any pandemic. I know. Hard to believe, right? But it is true. It was when I was much younger, actually when I was in school. I really felt very awkward as a child/teenager and even a bit beyond. However, the older I got, the less it became prevalent, particularly as I got into acting.

According to the WebMD source/link, “social anxiety disorder usually comes on at around 13 years of age. It can be linked to a history of abuse, bullying, or teasing. Shy kids are also more likely to become socially anxious adults, as are children with overbearing or controlling parents. If you develop a health condition that draws attention to your appearance or voice, that could trigger social anxiety, too.”

I can certainly testify to the bullying part. When I look back on it, the bullying made me shut down and not speak up at times. There were MANY times when some of my classmates in the earlier grades made me cry over something I said or did. And over time, that made me feel VERY socially awkward and uncomfortable in my own skin. And again, there were times that I was hesitant to speak up. But boy, you can’t shut me up now LOL

During

It is obvious that we were in a state of panic during the pandemic. Will I get it? How long will this go on? Are we going to die? Perhaps the social anxiety was not as bad for people who normally suffer from it, because suddenly we were isolated. I don’t know. I would imagine for those of us who really aren’t big fans of being around a lot of people, it was actually a relief. For me, it was great! I felt like it was a nice change of pace and a break to not have to be around people as much as before the pandemic. But then for others, I can imagine it may have been lonely.

After (well, not really)

As we “near” the end of the pandemic, I am wondering if the anxiety is still there for a lot of us. I suppose we feel safer now that there are vaccines, and a lot of us have gotten ours. Having been to a couple of vaxxed-only parties, I do feel safer. I think we still have much further to go, though. And obviously this thing isn’t over. But the point is, now that a great many of us are fully vaccinated, we are starting to get back into the swing of real life, even if we are still wearing our masks. But is the anxiety still there?

For example, I just started going back into work after spending over a year working from home. And it liked to have killed me LOL! It was just strange suddenly being around people again. To be honest, I wasn’t that thrilled to be around people face-to-face. I didn’t feel ready. I felt very drained and exhausted by the time I got home, I mean more so than normal. I know for a fact that others are VERY happy to be back at work or school or to simply be around people again. I’m not. I love being by myself! I absolutely love it!

I think now I just don’t want to be around people as much as I used to, and from what I’ve heard from others, it is an age thing. The older one gets, the more comfortable you are just being alone and doing your own thing.

And it occurs to me that part of the anxiety for some may be the thought that you could STILL contract the disease. That makes total sense. After being careful, safe and isolated all this time, and now suddenly things are a bit more relaxed, people are returning to work and school, the thought of getting it would certainly make someone VERY anxious.

But social anxiety is nothing to be ignored. I have included some sources below from medical professionals on the subject. And yes, one of them is WebMD LOL I mean, you know what they say about checking symptoms online, you feel that you get that disease. BUT please do not be afraid. Just see if maybe you have some of the symptoms.

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-social-anxiety-disorder

And as I always say, there is no shame in our mental-imbalanced game. Help is just a click away. Check out the online therapy offered below.

https://www.online-therapy.com/?ref=234176

In the meantime, I want all of you to be mentally well. So, until the next time!

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:  There are products on this page.  By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you.  However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).