Hey guys,

So I have social anxiety, and as a result I'm really nervous around people. My mom decided she would try to help me by putting me through some sort of method she thought up. She forces me to talk to strangers for a certain amount of time no matter how uncomfortable and borderline panicky I am, and refuses to step in if I do start panicking. I keep telling her that making myself uncomfortable isn't going to improve my current condition, but all she does is retaliate and say that if I don't try her method then I'll never get a job or get into college. She's basically wrecking my confidence and expects me to suck it up and get better as if being insulted is going to make me feel better. I think she's part of the problem, and I need some advice on how I could get her to stop her ridiculous antics. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.

inb4 people say "just try being more social"
also, dont doubt yourself so much saint, youve been here long enough to know this is the right place.
What would be a better thing than what your mom is doing is slowly ease into talking to people, n pretty much do the polar opposite of what your mom is trying. Being forced into a situation isnt going to make it easier, it will make it worse, because of the anx.
I'm not entirely sure what you can do to get her to stop, aside from straight up rejecting her help or ignoring her n the strangers she tries to get you to talk to until she gets the idea. Best of luck.

I'm also not sure how you can stop her but you can talk to the dollars, we may be strangers but we're nicer than most. I used to have social anxiety too but talking to strangers really did help me. Honestly you're going to find rude people and creepy people but you'll also make friends (most of my friends are online ones,) if you have Facebook then try liking pages or even becoming an admin on one. Anime-related fan pages are the best (most of them at least XD ,) and you'll meet and talk with people with your interests. It's hard, I know but gradually doing that really does help, just don't give out personal info. I hope that helps! :3

I've never experienced social anxiety or been shy in the least so I'm no expert on the subject, but I think what your mother is doing is ridiculous. Plain ol' shyness is supposedly hard to overcome, so I can't imagine what it's like for you.
Tell her straight out she isn't helping. From what I've gathered, social anxiety (Any form of anxiety, really) is something that takes time to overcome and shouldn't be pushed. Being stressed out all the time is horrible for your health, and if this is getting to you that much then it needs to stop. My mother has anxiety, and she gets chest pains daily because of the toll it takes on her body. Don't let that happen.
As Sleepology said, take it slow and wait until you're comfortable to continue. If you don't want actual confrontation, try meeting people and chatting with them over social media platforms like Tumblr, as I'm sure there'll be someone with interests similar to yours. And, as always, us Dollars will be here for you. There's a thread (I'll bump it up when I'm done typing this) with some of our contact details, so if you'd like you can talk to one of us.
Bottom line, don't push yourself and don't let others push you. Anxiety is a serious thing that, when allowed to continue, can cause a lot of problems. But don't let that intimidate you - I'm sure you'll get over it just fine.

wy

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