“I now trust that I can navigate the interactions I encounter in life with ease, as long as I use the tools and support that are available to me.”
When I was 18, about 25 years ago, I started college at a prestigious Ivy League institution but I quickly had to leave due to my intense social anxiety. The constant social situations with new and unfamiliar faces were overwhelming.
Dropping out of college was devastating, and made me spiral into a depression for over a year. I started therapy and my new therapist suggested I join a social anxiety group led by Larry Cohen. Joining this group was a transformative experience. I’d been introduced to CBT, but in the group I had the support of others to look at my thoughts and behaviors in a structured way. It supported me in connecting with people outside of my comfort zone.
I’d had so much fear and assumptions in my thinking around friends, acquaintances, and even strangers or the cashier at the store. The exercises helped me question those assumptions and broaden my horizons in a way that was uncomfortable at times, but doable, and got easier.
I soon returned to college, where I thrived socially and academically (at another great school, closer to home).
I’m now in my 40s and continue to live a full life surrounded by new and old friends as well as many professional and personal acquaintances. I even got into improv and stand-up in my 30s! I remember, many years before I started performing on stage, attending an improv show, and leaving the audience early, terrified at the thought of being asked to speak, much less getting up on stage.
I can still get anxious sometimes, in and outside of social settings, and I’ve explored various modalities over the years. But I’m forever grateful that I got help for my social anxiety with CBT early on in my therapy journey, so that I could build a foundation of growth. I now trust that I can navigate the interactions I encounter in life with ease, as long as I use the tools and support that are available to me.
Do you have a personal story of learning to overcome your social anxiety you wish to share?
If you are a former client of an NSAC-affiliated clinic or clinician, we welcome you to share your story if you believe doing so will be helpful for you. Sharing your story—or not doing so—will have no impact whatsoever on any future services you may seek from any NSAC-affiliated clinic or clinician.
You may put your story in writing, audio recording, or video. Discuss any of the following: how social anxiety affected your life; what you learned in therapy that was most helpful for you in lessening your social anxiety; how your life has changed as a result of your work.
NSAC reserves the right to decide which stories will be posted or not based on how helpful we believe they will be to other consumers. NSAC also reserves the right to edit for length and clarity, but we will get your approval on any changes before posting your story. All stories will be posted anonymously. Once posted, you retain the right to have the story removed from our website at any time.
Please contact Larry Cohen for more information about submitting your story: larrycohen@socialanxietyhelp.com.
Photo by Goldsaint. freedigitalphotos.net