I'm afraid to get close to people

[tongue tied]

I definately keep conversations with people superficial.  I don't want people to know how insecure and embarrassed of myself I am.  I feelings of inferiority when I meet people and that depresses me.  I don't talk much because I don't want to share that depression with people and be seen as a downer.

[Lanie]

Ooh I will have to try tea! I like chamomile tea - I usually drink it if I have trouble sleeping, which thankfully isn't often. I heard kava and valerian are good herbs for anxiety too. But that St. John's Wort is working well enough...I think Zoloft will help a lot more. Thanks for the tip!

I try to figure out safe spots too like hospitals and exits that have a lot of places surrounding it. I don't like going places where there's not a lot of people. I'm scared of people in general but at the same time I feel safer knowing there are people around to run to if needed...Meditation helps, so does making myself laugh or smile in some way. Or simply distracting myself with music in the car.

The Internet scares me in terms of creeps, hackers, stalking, viruses, identity theft, e-mail account break ins, etc...I have my reasons why I guess but they are mostly exaggerated in my mind. I have a tendency to make things much worse than they are in my head. I'm constantly changing my passwords, security questions, and checking my e-mail for hacking...Absolutely NO REASON FOR IT! lol I keep telling myself that I'm not in danger and that I just need to calm down. Getting off the computer and disracting myself helps. I shouldn't be spending so much time on the computer anyway...it's not healthy for me. Like I got a virus and a blue screen of death the other day, and I totally freaked. But I was able to resolve the issue (I hope anyway!) but I can't help but feel vulnerable both off and online. Bleck  hehe

Hi Surf! I'm Lanie and I too am paranoid someone will recognize me on here and call me out on it in real life LOL I love tacos and I bet yours are awesome! I like watching comedies and reading, as well as writing when I get the motivation. I love to sleep too lol

I might have a little "online break" for the weekend just to clear my head and try to relax without depending on the Internet. I hope you have a nice weekend Surf =)


TONGUE TIED: Same here *hugs* You are definitely not alone though!

[surfmonkey]

Tongue tied- I feel the same way. I live a shameful life when there is no reason to feel shamed. I'm ashamed of who I am but I'm actually a real caring nice person. Its ok to feel sad but try not to let it take you down!

Hey lanie :) taking a break from the internet is a gooood idea! You time is good. I'm so afraid that when I download music the cops are going to find out and take me to jail! Even though a use a legal site ;). I think if your that afraid that someone is going to hack into your stuff you should use a firewall and some hardcore virus protector! hahahahaahahahahah its so funny how were both afraid to be found out and called out in real life! Hahahahahah but if someone else we know is using this then why should we be afraid? There using it to! Hahahaha I'm afraid of medications but if you feel zoloft will help you then by all means take it!

I love to write! But out of everything I think I love sleep the most! I could sleep forever!! Enjoy your weekend!

[Pagi]

To put your pc fears into perspective I work/play on my pc every single day for like at least 8 hours and I haven't had any of the things you fear happen to me despite having 3 of my own websites, downloading music, films, paying for alot of stuff online via my card and having my details on alot of websites and talking to alot of strangers.

It is all  completely safe as long as you have the Windows firewall on, get a decent antivirus I recommend AVG's free one and get a decent virus checker I recommend Lavasoft's Adaware and CCleaner.

 I think it's true that alot of fear stems from the unknown, so to rectify that in your case just read up on pc security etc so you understand it more that way you will know there is nothing to fear online at all.

[MrBBB]

Also for the PC fear, be very careful about what you are clicking on and downloading. There will most always be something 'off' about a link that is not legitimate. Make sure you always keep your anti-virus/anti-spyware up to date.

[Lanie]

MrBBB and Pagi: Thanks for the perspectives. I am usually pretty careful about my Internet usage. I try to be even more careful lately. I used to download movies and music all the time and nothing bad ever happened. Why I am so paranoid now I have no idea. I have CCleaner, Super AntiSpyware, Windows Defender, and Norton Internet Security on my computer too that I keep up to date and run frequently. I am also cutting back on my online buying (though I never did it much to begin with) and backing up my e-mail passwords, accounts, etc. I think my worrying and obsessing could be because I spend too much time on the computer. It's gotten to the point where I NEED to check it everyday, even when there's nothing to check. I'm so afraid of going outside that I think I have "burned out" on the Internet, causing my fears to escalate to the online world. I spend every waking hour on the computer (I just graduated from college so there's not much else to do) I'm becoming too dependent on it to the point where if it crashed or something bad happened I might just fall apart...and I don't want to fall apart :0)

Surf: Hey there! How was your weekend? I feel much better now taking a break. I spent my time reading the bible, books about Catholicism, my career and self-help guides...playing some video games...watching some comedy movies..listening to music and exercising...and just doing other things overall. It felt really good to get off the computer and do something else with my time =) I am definitely going to restrict the time spent on the Internet. Maybe like 2 hours a day max. Anyway, hope you are having a good day =)

[surfmonkey]

I loveeeeee video games! The wii is my bFf. Lol my weekend was pretty good. No surfing at all! I just didn't feel like it. So weird for me. I'm jonesing to get to the beach today.

Have you noticed that never really leaving the house makes it harder to leave? Maybe that's why your always on the computer? Afraid of the world outside? I am. I just tell myself I have no control over what happens. Because we just don't. 2hrs seems reasonable on the computer :) if it turns into 2 hours and 1minute then we have a problem :)

[MrBBB]

I start feeling guilty if I am on the computer too long and usually make myself get up and do something else for a while, preferably some kind of physical activity to let off some nervous energy!

[down n out]

I have friends but i have pushed them away due to the anxiety and although they are still there i keep them at a distance and as for relationships well roller coaster is the best way to describe them and i end up pushing them away in the end and breaking my own heart which then kicks the anxiety off again just a horrid cycle leaving me to decided the best way is to have no one lol

[MrBBB]

I guess I was lucky to find a significant who also suffers from an anxiety problem, although hers is different..she is a liitle agoraphobic. At least we can better understand what each other is going through.