Trust is a VERY important thing to learn. One needs to trust oneself and to trust others. Most of the time its a 50/50 chance that something bad will happen. But on the other side, there 50% chance that something good will happen. Figure out a way to feel comfortable with yourself. If you control your environment by doing certain things to make you feel safe then as time goes on trust will grow. Give yourself the opportunity to get past this anxiety by setting your guidelines for yourself and the people around you. Communication is key. Let the other person know when you feel uncomfortable when they say something or do something that involves you. 26 - you are still young and some of us are late bloomers. Don’t be concerned about what people think of you. It’s what you think of yourself. Relationships take time. Find people who share your interests...commonalities. And, stop beating yourself up. I know we are our worst enemies BUT also our best friends. Find the love inside and share that part of you. If the other person isn’t interested, move on. There are millions of people on this planet.....Take a breath and let go. You will find your way. Take Care.

I understand what you mean. I also have the problem of meeting potential friends in real life, how will I explain about my anxiety, and the limitations that I have, due to being anxious? My therapist told me to just go out and meet people and don't bring up my anxiety issues right away. Then, as they come up, I can gently explain my limitations, or just turn down that particular invite altogether. In other words, keep trying to meet new people. You can't read their minds, so don't be concerned with what they may or may not be thinking about you. Just be yourself, join groups that have similar interests to yours, and if you keep trying, you will make friends. Good luck.

Hello Shyghy. Welcome to DS.

Shit yea, anxiety ruins my relationships, even my relationship with myself. The gooey yuckery of anxiety leaves a psycho slime over everything in my life. Suckus maximus.

Learning how to sort my anxiety slime from the actual problems is the daily study which has made it possible for me to maintain at least a few relationships in my life instead of living in constant anxiety induced isolation.

Gentle support while you figure your own, Shyghy. Welcome aboard.

Welcome to the group.

Here is the #1 thing to remember about anxiety: it is natural, it is a part of you. It does NOT define you. You define it.

You are responsible for what you say, do, and how you react. Practice using anxiety to work for you, and stand in front of the mirror to make your appearance confident and comfortable. The same thing with conversation skills practice in front of the mirror to help you find your comfortable appearance.

Help you be you and find what makes you feel good and use that to work on the skills, ability, and knowledge you have to show them positively.

Changing your thought patterns from negative to positive takes work, determination, and you have more strength than you realize.

The important first step is in writing it out.

Best wishes!

I hear ya, I can't either.....I want to, But, end's up blowing up in my face.You just can't trust anyone these days.....You have to be VERY careful about who You let into Your life.
I guess this kind of What Your sayin...….When I'm on a dating site......and I see a cute girl, In my mind Immediately, I'm thinking about marriage and right off the bat haven't even met her yet, Or I'm thinking she might cheat on me.


So, trust is not for everyone I guess.

I feel very similar. I get really bad anxiety that turns into panic attacks. Today my husband asked me to stop by somewhere to pick some things up, it took a lot for me to do so and talk to strangers. Afterwards I was proud of myself for doing it but my mind was racing like crazy so when I was telling him about it he said I was talking a million miles and hour and he couldn't handle it. Told me I was draining all his energy. I don't need a gold star or anything but damn I feel like a failure. I can't even talk to my family because they don't understand and tell me I'm over reacting.