>>11841117To put it very succinctly, I embraced my inner anger.
I used to have tremendous social anxiety. I could not even be in a classroom or ride in a car with people because of the stomach feedback loop that you describe.
Now I can easily give a speech in front of a room and not even have to mentally or emotionally prepare for it. Nothing phases me anymore.
I don't want you to think that there's some magical trick that will make your anxiety go away. You can't "think" your way out of it, it's more of an embodied knowledge. I believe that its cessation has more to do with the gradual accumulation of life experience and expanded horizons, but in my case, the moment I associate with my inner change was when I got an extremely demanding physical job and was exhausted and angry all the time. I didn't have time to feel anxiety about anything after that, I just didn't care anymore.
People who suffer from social anxiety have a pathological sensitivity to the presence of others.
Anger is transformative in that anger is just fear empowering itself. Our society regards traits such as anger and aggression as undesirable and negative. However, in cases of pathology such as ours, these traits can be seen as a beneficial corrective.
Fundamentally, you suffer from fear. You are afraid of shitting your pants and being embarrassed or publicly ashamed or whatever.
Here is the best advice I can give - fuck EVERYONE. Fuck what everyone thinks. You don't have to go too far and hate them or be rude or whatever, but you must recognize that they are just people and you're a person too. They're no better or worse than you and their judgements are ultimately meaningless to your self-regard and dignity.
