Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Fantasy coping mechanisms.

Everyoffyou
Everyoffyou

To manage my anxiety in public and social situations, I’ve developed a coping mechanism where I convince myself that the people around me aren’t real that they’re some kind of devil or alien life forms. I feel like they’re out to get me. That’s why I think everyone around me is watching me, walking around me, trying to take over my mind. They want me because I am the enemy of their own existence. It feels like my anxiety has a reason now like there’s something purposeful behind it, something I can point to instead of feeling like it’s just happening to me without explanation. I don’t think this makes my anxiety worse. I think it helps to give the anxiety a reason, a purpose, to understand why it’s happening to me in these moments This helps me feel like my nervousness and discomfort aren’t completely out of place, and it prevents me from feeling too ashamed of myself. I know it’s not true, but it’s a way for me to handle my anxiety when I’m in those situations.


TurningtheSage
TurningtheSage
I do this although I pretend I'm invisible.
Everyoffyou
Everyoffyou
TurningtheSage Like a ghost.
arfie
arfie
consciously, i believe invisibility is my super power. it you can't see me, you can't stop me. i still more or less believe that to a metaphorical extent when dealing with people who can't see past whatever stereotype they have assigned me,

somewhere along my trail of tears i suffered a psychotic break which resulted in psych ward stay with catatonic dissociation. i didn't have to convince myself the people around me were devils and the like. the conviction came on its own. the demons surrounding me were still mild compared to the demons in my head.

every case is unique. in my own case, that anxiety management tool sounds like a proverbial loaded gun, but if it works for you, work it good.
lighttheway
lighttheway
I try to remind myself that most people are in their own head and don’t give me a thought I imagine everyone is as anxious as I am. Or have their own stuff going on. This helps me with my social anxiety
I also wear hoods hoodies jackets. Etc but it’s a problem in the warm weather
malibumark
malibumark
Focal points are really important. I’ve learned to question that recently and engage my focal point that I am immediately dealing with to help me keep my interactions filtered. So I don’t go off the deep end, or down a rabbit hole, when there’s a perceived moment of discord or disconnect. Good post!
adriasm
adriasm
I think I tend to give off a don’t mess with me attitude. In college I dressed androgynous to masculine, in the conservative, religious area that I lived, to keep from having to socialize because people probably don’t know how to approach you. My whole life I’ve been anxious and shy (plus my pseudostepdad was a mean dictator) so I developed an issue with looking people in the eyes when talking to them. Even now I purposely avoid making eye contact to keep people from acknowledging or engaging me..
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