u/FlySafe9702

Growing up, I was completely friendless because whenever I'm in a group setting, I go totally mute. It's not just normal shyness as it feels like a physical inability to speak, like my body literally will not let me force the words out. In primary school, it was so severe that I didn't speak to anyone at all.

I genuinely thought college would be the turning point where things changed for me. At first, it seemed like it might. I managed to make one friend. She is really likeable, but she also gets awkward around certain people, so we bonded and became close. The issue started when she began meeting more people. Now, whenever we hang out, they are always there. Because it's a group setting, my old habits kicked right back in and I froze up. I just can't bring myself to contribute to the conversations.

Eventually, the others started making "jokes" about how I'm just their shadow or their tail because I'm always trailing behind them silently. It makes me feel terrible. Honestly, I'm pretty sure they only let me tag along out of pity, and because they are forced to tolerate me to hang out with the friend they actually want to be around. Today, I saw all of them hanging out together without me. I can't help but feel sad about it. I thought college would fix this, but it feels like I'll always be that same quiet girl who makes people uncomfortable just by being there. I don't know how to break out of this physical freeze response, and today it just really makes me wish I could be someone else.

I've spent most of my life feeling like a background character. I'm the quiet kid, I deal with severe social anxiety, and I'm pretty sure I'm neurodivergent. Because of that, making connections and getting along with people feels like climbing a mountain, and I usually just stay in my shell. But today at college, someone actually hung out with me for the very first time. We went to a restaurant together, and just talked.

I'm currently back in my room holding back tears (honestly, about to bawl my eyes out) because I've never had someone show genuine interest in just talking to me before. I don't even think they realize how much that single lunch meant to me or how much it changed my world today. I just wanted to put this out into the universe because I'm so incredibly grateful. To anyone else out there who feels invisible: I see you, and I hope you get your lunch date soon.

I've been hyperfixating on a specific media lately, and my main way of consuming it is through roleplaying with a friend. The problem is, whenever my friend isn't available or they can't roleplay for some reason, I get incredibly impulsive and start having thoughts of self-harm. It feels like a sudden crash because I can't get that specific dopamine hit, and my brain just goes to a dark place to cope with the frustration.

I have a group presentation next week and im terrified. For your information, I'm diagnosed with severe social anxiety. Other than that, I'm naturally a quiet speaker, and whenever I have to talk in front of a crowd, my mind completely blackouts. Back in high school, I used to just skip presentations entirely and take a zero on the grade because I couldn't handle it. But I'm in college now and I actually need this grade to pass, so I can't just skip it anymore. Does anyone have any advice/tips?

I'm 18 now, and I'm really struggling to process everything that’s happened to me over the last couple of years. I just need a place to vent because I feel overwhelmed about starting university.

When I was 16, I attempted to end my life. If I hadn’t been taken to the hospital in time, I wouldn't be here. I had tried before, but that time was by far the worst and ended in a hospital stay, which is also where I was diagnosed with social anxiety. Afterward, during my senior year of high school, the aftermath hit me severely. I was consumed by deep depression, constant suicidal thoughts, and a heavy sense of feeling "unreal." I started skipping classes continuously because I just couldn't function. Because of how much school I missed, I failed a lot of courses and barely managed to graduate senior year. Against the odds, I made it into university, and I’m currently on a scholarship that requires me to maintain a good grade average.

Ever since everything happened, I feel like my brain has completely changed. My memory feels ruined as I have intense brain fog and forget things within seconds. I can't retain information, I have a hard time focusing, and I even struggle to form proper sentences or construct paragraphs. Beyond that, I feeldisconnected from reality most of the time, to the point where it's hard for me to feel or express emotions. I feel like I've gotten "dumber" or slower, and I'm terrified that this brain fog is going to destroy my ability to keep my scholarship and pass my classes this year.

I'm 18 now, and I'm really struggling to process everything that’s happened to me over the last couple of years. I just need a place to vent because I feel overwhelmed about starting university.

When I was 16, I attempted to end my life. If I hadn’t been taken to the hospital in time, I wouldn't be here. I had tried before, but that time was by far the worst and ended in a hospital stay, which is also where I was diagnosed. Afterward, during my senior year of high school, the aftermath hit me severely. I was consumed by deep depression, constant suicidal thoughts, and a heavy sense of feeling "unreal." I started skipping classes continuously because I just couldn't function. Because of how much school I missed, I failed a lot of courses and barely managed to graduate senior year. Against the odds, I made it into university, and I’m currently on a scholarship that requires me to maintain a good grade average.

Ever since everything happened, I feel like my brain has completely changed. My memory feels ruined as I have intense brain fog and forget things within seconds. I can't retain information, I have a hard time focusing, and I even struggle to form proper sentences or construct paragraphs. Beyond that, I feeldisconnected from reality most of the time, to the point where it's hard for me to feel or express emotions. I feel like I've gotten "dumber" or slower, and I'm terrified that this brain fog is going to destroy my ability to keep my scholarship and pass my classes this year.

I'm 18 now, and I'm really struggling to process everything that’s happened to me over the last couple of years. I just need a place to vent because I feel overwhelmed about starting university.

When I was 16, I attempted to end my life. If I hadn’t been taken to the hospital in time, I wouldn't be here. I had tried before, but that time was by far the worst and ended in a hospital stay, which is also where I was diagnosed. Afterward, during my senior year of high school, the aftermath hit me severely. I was consumed by deep depression, constant suicidal thoughts, and a heavy sense of feeling "unreal." I started skipping classes continuously because I just couldn't function. Because of how much school I missed, I failed a lot of courses and barely managed to graduate senior year. Against the odds, I made it into university, and I’m currently on a scholarship that requires me to maintain a good grade average.

Ever since everything happened, I feel like my brain has completely changed. My memory feels ruined as I have intense brain fog and forget things within seconds. I can't retain information, I have a hard time focusing, and I even struggle to form proper sentences or construct paragraphs. Beyond that, I feel disconnected from reality most of the time, to the point where it's hard for me to feel or express emotions. I feel like I've gotten "dumber" or slower, and I'm terrified that this brain fog is going to destroy my ability to keep my scholarship and pass my classes this year.

This might sound a bit random, but I've realized lately that small gestures such as someone holding a door, offering me a seat, or giving a unexpected compliment, can make me emotional. Sometimes it takes everything in me not to tear up on the spot.

I think for me, it stems from how I grew up. Being the quiet kid, the middle child, and often the scapegoat, I got so used to taking up as little space as possible. I built this internal belief that I wasn't really built for connection or that I didn't deserve to be treated with gentleness.

Just wanted to put this out there because moments of genuine human connection really are lovely, even the tiny ones.

This might sound a bit random, but I've realized lately that small gestures such as someone holding a door, offering me a seat, or giving a unexpected compliment, can make me emotional. Sometimes it takes everything in me not to tear up on the spot.

I think for me, it stems from how I grew up. Being the quiet kid, the middle child, and often the scapegoat, I got so used to taking up as little space as possible. I built this internal belief that I wasn't really built for connection or that I didn't deserve to be treated with gentleness.

Just wanted to put this out there because moments of genuine human connection really are lovely, even the tiny ones.

This might sound a bit random, but I've realized lately that small gestures such as someone holding a door, offering me a seat, or giving a unexpected compliment, can make me emotional. Sometimes it takes everything in me not to tear up on the spot.

I think for me, it stems from how I grew up. Being the quiet kid, the middle child, and often the scapegoat, I got so used to taking up as little space as possible. I built this internal belief that I wasn't really built for connection or that I didn't deserve to be treated with gentleness.

Just wanted to put this out there because moments of genuine human connection really are lovely, even the tiny ones.

I made a rare attempt at human interaction today, and while it wasn't a total disaster, the social awkwardness was high enough to make me rethink my entire approach.

As I was saying, I noticed a girl sitting by herself, and realized we were heading to the same next lecture. Since I was alone too, I took a leap to ask if she wanted to sit together. Afterwards, I asked a few basic questions to get things moving, but the momentum died almost immediately. As it turns out, we're both pretty introverted, and every topic we touched faded into silence within seconds. Things peaked when our second professor pulled a no-show. It started pouring rain, and since she didn't have an umbrella, I offered to walk her to the train station. That led to a 20-minute walk in almost total silence. At one point, I tried mumbling a comment, but she didn't hear me, and I was too flustered to repeat myself, so I just dropped it.

On one hand, taking the initiative to approach someone feels like a step forward for me. On the other hand, my inability to keep a conversation flowing was pretty excruciating. She was polite and kept smiling, so I don't think she dislikes me, but I definitely didn't leave a smooth impression.

I really want to improve my social skills and actually build connections this semester instead of retreating back into my shell: how do I bounce back from a first impression without making things weirder next time I see her? What are some low-pressure ways to keep a conversation going when both people are introverted? Any advice on how to handle this better going forward would be appreciated!

I made a rare attempt at human interaction today, and while it wasn't a total disaster, the social awkwardness was high enough to make me rethink my entire approach.

As I was saying, I noticed a girl sitting by herself, and realized we were heading to the same next lecture.

Since I was alone too, I took a leap to ask if she wanted to sit together.

Afterwards, I asked a few basic questions to get things moving, but the momentum died almost immediately.

As it turns out, we're both pretty introverted, and every topic we touched faded into silence within seconds.

Things peaked when our second professor pulled a no-show.

It started pouring rain, and since she didn't have an umbrella, I offered to walk her to the train station.

That led to a 20-minute walk in almost total silence.

At one point, I tried mumbling a comment, but she didn't hear me, and I was too flustered to repeat myself, so I just dropped it.

On one hand, taking the initiative to approach someone feels like a step forward for me.

On the other hand, my inability to keep a conversation flowing was pretty excruciating.

She was polite and kept smiling, so I don't think she dislikes me, but I definitely didn't leave a smooth impression.

I really want to improve my social skills and actually build connections this semester instead of retreating back into my shell.

How do I bounce back from a first impression without making things weirder next time I see her?

What are some low-pressure ways to keep a conversation going when both people are introverted?

Any advice on how to handle this better going forward would be appreciated!

I made a rare attempt at human interaction today, and while it wasn't a total disaster, the social awkwardness was high enough to make me rethink my entire approach.

As I was saying, I noticed a girl sitting by herself, and realized we were heading to the same next lecture. Since I was alone too, I took a leap to ask if she wanted to sit together. Afterwards, I asked a few basic questions to get things moving, but the momentum died almost immediately. As it turns out, we're both pretty introverted, and every topic we touched faded into silence within seconds. Things peaked when our second professor pulled a no-show. It started pouring rain, and since she didn't have an umbrella, I offered to walk her to the train station. That led to a 20-minute walk in almost total silence. At one point, I tried mumbling a comment, but she didn't hear me, and I was too flustered to repeat myself, so I just dropped it.

On one hand, taking the initiative to approach someone feels like a step forward for me. On the other hand, my inability to keep a conversation flowing was pretty excruciating. She was polite and kept smiling, so I don't think she dislikes me, but I definitely didn't leave a smooth impression.

I really want to improve my social skills and actually build connections this semester instead of retreating back into my shell: how do I bounce back from a first impression without making things weirder next time I see her? What are some low-pressure ways to keep a conversation going when both people are introverted? Any advice on how to handle this better going forward would be appreciated!

I made a rare attempt at human interaction today, and while it wasn't a total disaster, the social awkwardness was high enough to make me rethink my entire approach.

As I was saying, I noticed a girl sitting by herself, and realized we were heading to the same next lecture. Since I was alone too, I took a leap to ask if she wanted to sit together. Afterwards, I asked a few basic questions to get things moving, but the momentum died almost immediately. As it turns out, we're both pretty introverted, and every topic we touched faded into silence within seconds. Things peaked when our second professor pulled a no-show. It started pouring rain, and since she didn't have an umbrella, I offered to walk her to the train station. That led to a 20-minute walk in almost total silence. At one point, I tried mumbling a comment, but she didn't hear me, and I was too flustered to repeat myself, so I just dropped it.

On one hand, taking the initiative to approach someone feels like a step forward for me. On the other hand, my inability to keep a conversation flowing was pretty excruciating. She was polite and kept smiling, so I don't think she dislikes me, but I definitely didn't leave a smooth impression.

I really want to improve my social skills and actually build connections this semester instead of retreating back into my shell: how do I bounce back from a first impression without making things weirder next time I see her? What are some low-pressure ways to keep a conversation going when both people are introverted? Any advice on how to handle this better going forward would be appreciated!

I'm starting college next week as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW), and I'm nervous about it. I chose this path because I want to help people, but I have autism and severe social anxiety. I know social work involves a lot of public speaking, presentations, and group work, which is terrifying to me right now. On top of the coursework, I'm anxious about the social side of college. I don't know how to keep a conversation going, and I've been told that everything I say comes across as too blunt, even when I don't mean it that way. I want to make friends, but I'm scared my social awkwardness will push people away.

I'm starting college next week as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW), and I'm nervous about it. I chose this path because I want to help people, but I have autism and severe social anxiety. I know social work involves a lot of public speaking, presentations, and group work, which is terrifying to me right now. On top of the coursework, I'm anxious about the social side of college. I don't know how to keep a conversation going, and I've been told that everything I say comes across as too blunt, even when I don't mean it that way. I want to make friends, but I'm scared my social awkwardness will push people away.

I'm starting college next week as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW), and I'm nervous about it. I chose this path because I want to help people, but I have autism and severe social anxiety. I know social work involves a lot of public speaking, presentations, and group work, which is terrifying to me right now. On top of the coursework, I'm anxious about the social side of college. I don't know how to keep a conversation going, and I've been told that everything I say comes across as too blunt, even when I don't mean it that way. I want to make friends, but I'm scared my social awkwardness will push people away.

I'm starting college next week as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW), and I'm nervous about it. I chose this path because I want to help people, but I have autism and severe social anxiety. I know social work involves a lot of public speaking, presentations, and group work, which is terrifying to me right now. On top of the coursework, I'm anxious about the social side of college. I don't know how to keep a conversation going, and I've been told that everything I say comes across as too blunt, even when I don't mean it that way. I want to make friends, but I'm scared my social awkwardness will push people away.

I'm starting college next week as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW), and I'm nervous about it. I chose this path because I want to help people, but I have autism and severe social anxiety. I know social work involves a lot of public speaking, presentations, and group work, which is terrifying to me right now. On top of the coursework, I'm anxious about the social side of college. I don't know how to keep a conversation going, and I've been told that everything I say comes across as too blunt, even when I don't mean it that way. I want to make friends, but I'm scared my social awkwardness will push people away.