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    21 Things Only People Who Are Socially Anxious Will Understand

    Shut up, brain. It's time to finally talk to people.

    1. First of all, you’re not a big fan of social gatherings.

    2. But you also most likely have a deep fear of missing out on things.

    3. Your mind is constantly busy coming up with scenarios that could happen if you finally plucked up the courage to interact with people.

    4. Or it's preoccupied with things that actually did happen and replays them all in a never-ending search for major fuck-ups.

    5. You find it hard to enjoy social outings to the fullest since you constantly feel uneasy, as if expecting something bad to happen.

    6. And as a result, you find your chest tightening and muscles clenching for no reason whatsoever.

    7. Which, best case scenario, translates to a panic attack that goes away after a few minutes.

    8. Making decisions about where to go or what to eat is a total nightmare as you’re super indecisive.

    9. And after you settle for something you instantly begin to wonder whether you did the right thing.

    10. You worry about being a burden to your friends.

    11. But at the same time, you want to hang out and spend time with them as much as possible because they’re the coolest ever.

    12. Going out and meeting new people is one of your biggest nightmares.

    13. And you hate to be in places where you don’t know anyone.

    14. Small talk was invented by Satan.

    15. And you often automatically assume everyone hates you and thinks you’re uncool.

    16. You never know how to politely point out that you’d like your personal space to be respected.

    17. But at the same time, you want people to pay attention to you, love you, and be affectionate with you.

    18. Spontaneity isn’t your thing. AT ALL.

    19. But patience is not your forte either as it only gives you more time to overthink things.

    20. You wish you could just stop worrying so much.

    21. Yet in order to do that, you’d have to try new things and that also makes you anxious.

    But despite all these things, deep down inside, you know you have a lot to offer to the world and that you'll go places.

    So don’t give up. One step at a time. Breathe. You'll eventually get there!

    If you're still worried you worry too much, have a look at 11 Questions You Might Secretly Have About Anxiety.

    Also, check out these 36 Simple Ways To Quiet Your Anxiety.

    And if you need to talk to someone, you can call Anxiety UK on 08444 775 774, Mental Health America on 1-800-273-8255, or Beyond Blue Australia on 1300 22 4636.