Topic Title: My experience (social anxiety)
| |  "My experience (social anxiety)"
, Sun 7 Mar 01:33:
Hi everyone, I just want to let you know that I have experimented with sjw and SAMe, and the combination seems to be working pretty well. I'm not sure if it's the SJW or the combination of the two that is doing the trick.
I relate very closly to cici with the description she outlined..
Quote:-------------------------------------------
I've been taking SJW for about 4 years now and it really helped my problems. Which were
- very withdrawn and lacking confidence
- dopey and slow-witted, drained of energy
- tense around people, even those close to me (like family)
- speech problems, "cluttering" (a kind of stuttering), speaking too fast, and being unable to get my words out
I've heard of anyone with the same kind of symptoms. It's not exactly nervours anxiety but feels more like my thought processes are too slow to cope in social situations. Which then makes me dread them. In fact a bit of nervousness helps as it sharpens my mind! (I did tackle the speech problem with the help of a drama teacher(!) which was brilliant, but the mental/emotional fog remained). Conventional "counselling" did not help much. WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH ME??! It's like a condition without a name.
end quote--------------------
I come from a broken family and grew up without a mother. I'm sure I went through a few traumatic experiences as a child that may have effected me, so I think this has caused my brain to develop in a not quite normal way.
I have tried hypnosis, which worked temporarily, but like cici the sjw (and SAMe combination) has given me the relief I require. I no longer feel foggy in social situations and feel alot more verbally fluent. My memory has improved and I feel sharper. I also don't care about what others think of me as much as I used to and feel a greater sense of identity and pride within myself. I feel alot more confident and competant in social situations.
I have taken sjw at night before bed and feel alot less fatigued than I used to when I took it during the day. I think the SAMe also helps with alertness.
I also supplement SAMe with TMG which is an extract from sugar beet (also called beatine). This is one of the ingredients your body uses to make its own SAMe. B6, B12 and folate are also very good, as is omega 3 supplements.
Having said all this, I don't want to stay on sjw for the rest of my life (I get a few zits from it and don't like the idea of being more prone to damage by the sun, esp. eyes) so I think on the side I'm going to practice self hypnosis and meditation, and try to get off the medication when I feel ready.
Teaman has some really good advice on how to do this, and I will try to follow his advice (thank you).
Hope my experiences and thoughts help.
The Chief.
Oh yeah, cici also provides a great link to a site called mind boosters, well worth a look. And cici seeing as we have very similar symptoms let me know if you discover anything ;)
http://www.mind-boosters.com/
[this message was edited by the chief on Mon 8 Mar 16:29]
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sun 29 Feb 2004 20:51 |
| Replies:
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| | "Re(1):My experience (social anxiety)" , Mon 8 Mar 05:38
Hi Chief,
Thankyou for your thoughts... think I ought to point out though (to clarify matters for the general reader!) that only two paragraphs were quoted from me, the rest of your posting was by you...
Sorry to hear about your early experiences. I've met a few people who lost a mother at an early age, and it seems more damaging than growing up without a father. No disrespect to the fathers out there, but I think mothers in particular give a child a sense of emotional security.
I think what we have is related to issues of stress and insecurity. For me the main damage occurred when I was 20, in my 1st year of university. A lot of emotionally distressing things happened one after the other, and I think my stress response got overloaded and just packed in.
The SAMe/SJW combination sounds good, I may try it sometime. Good luck if you try the meditation route - I also tried hypnosis, and like you it helped but only temporarily (as with all therapies I tried). For me it was a constant effort just to feel "normal". But I don't mean to discourage you - who knows you may feel strong enough after a while!
Sara
Posts: 18 | | Registered: Sat 10 Jan 2004 13:11 |
| | | "Re(2):My experience (social anxiety)" , Mon 8 Mar 16:43
sorry cici, I edited my post to quote you more accurately.
I know what you mean about mothers, I am glad though that I grew up with my dad, he is alot more emotionally stable and more loving than my mother, but I did need a mother as well and I missed out on that. These things make us stronger though. I have been a real achiever in my life and I think it's partly to do with the problems I had (ie I tried harder). Even though I am successful though, it doesn't mean I am totally happy..
I think teaman is right in his posts, you have to try other therapies. It takes time and as he says a one year plan should be a minimum. Hypnosis, prayer, meditation seem to work for me on the short term, but I wonder what would happen if I persist with them, I think I tend to give up after a short while, or if one negative thing happens to me.
I'm going to stay on the sjw, and over the next year really try using hypnosis, prayer and meditation to conquer these irrational feelings for good. It might take some persistence but I have a good feeling about it.
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sun 29 Feb 2004 20:51 |
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