I need help, any advice?
Hi everyone. I'm 17 years old and I'm writing this because I need advice and tools from people who have overcome this on their own. I'm not looking for professional help (psychologists/psychiatrists); I want to beat this with self-help.
My problem started when I was 12, right after the quarantine. During the lockdown, I underwent a major physical change that destroyed my self-esteem. When we were able to go out again, I felt a lot of rejection and negative comments from those around me and from people on the street. This caused me a very strong social trauma, and I gradually began to isolate myself.
I spent almost 2021 to 2026 barely leaving my house. The only place I go is school (twice a week), but it became torture. My body completely lost its ability to interact with humans.
This year I made some progress on my own and I can now go out to the patio to hang up the laundry, but I'm still stuck in the school mentality. My stage fright is 100% performance anxiety: it triggers when I'm the center of attention or when I'm exposed in front of othe class.
All of this is exacerbated by constant hypervigilance about my appearance; I find it extremely difficult to look at myself in the mirror, and my self-loathing fuels my fear of being judged in public. Once, I had an attack inside the classroom that lasted four hours straight, and from then on, my avoidance worsened considerably, to the point where I stopped going for months.
I know my body activates a vasovagal reflex due to extreme fear, but I want to know: What physical methods or mental tricks helped you overcome the paralysis and the heat in the classroom? How did you manage to overcome your fear of people's stares after years of being cooped up?
I'm ashamed of myself because I can't even travel, shop, or do anything because of this, and I feel useless. It's literally affecting my life.
Thank you for reading.