“No one’s comfort is more important than my peace of mind and well-being, and I need to stop feeling guilty about that.”— Martine Thompson, vogue.com
“Perhaps the most exhausting part of the charade was time spent watching myself through the lens of others; contorting myself into something more palatable for the next person; shouldering guilt and expectations that weren’t mine to bear.”— Martine Thompson, vogue.com
“How do you know when you shouldn't be in somebody's company? When they give you anxiety. Anxiety is a flight response.”— Seek Cindy, twitter.com
“Do not stress over what you cannot control. You can not control other people. You can not control their behavior, their thoughts, or their beliefs. Focus on yourself, and your happiness. Focus on being in peace with yourself. Spread love and joy, and do not let others negative attitudes affect you.”— glouptips, glouptips.tumblr.com
“Gentle reminder that the human eye is naturally drawn by noise and movement, so the next time you walk into a crowd or a bit late into a lecture or something like that, they’re not staring at you or judging; it’s just an instinctive reaction that has nothing to do with you doing anything wrong.”— @daggerpen, daggerpen.tumblr.com
“The memory of the meeting is still uppermost in his mind. He is convinced he made a fool of himself and that everyone in the room saw how afraid he was when he spoke and how stupid he acted in their presence.”— Thomas A. Richards, socialanxietyinstitute.org
“He has seven miserable days of anxiety ahead of him, to think about it, ruminate over it, worry about it, overexaggerate it in his mind...over and over again.”— Thomas A. Richards, socialanxietyinstitute.org
“It’s sometimes impossible to let go, relax, and focus on anything else except the anxiety. Because the anxiety is so very painful, it’s much easier just to stay away from social situations and avoid other people.”— Thomas A. Richards, socialanxietyinstitute.org
“People with social anxiety know that others are really not critically judging or evaluating them all the time. They understand that people are not trying to embarrass or humiliate them. They realize that their thoughts and feelings are somewhat irrational. Yet, despite this rational knowledge, they…”— Thomas A. Richards, socialanxietyinstitute.org
“All day, every day, life is like this. Fear. Apprehension. Avoidance. Pain. Anxiety about what you said. Fear that you said something wrong. Worry about others' disapproval. Afraid of rejection, of not fitting in. Anxious to enter a conversation, afraid you'll have nothing to talk about. Hiding what…”— Thomas A. Richards, socialanxietyinstitute.org
“You've spent a lifetime stuck in silence, afraid you'll say something wrong.”— Professor Green, Emeli Sande, open.spotify.com
“someone: *says hi to me* me: it’s obvious that they hate me and are actually making fun of me and want me dead”— @hellishbpd, hellishbpd.tumblr.com
“People: *are looking* My paranoid ass: they know Me: know what My paranoid ass: they KNOW”— @newtonscamader, newtonscamader.tumblr.com
“Having anxiety isn’t just feeling anxious, it’s caring so much of what others think that you live in constant fear. It keeps your mind racing on small things that aren’t even a big deal. It is a battle against you and your caring mind.”— velllvet, velllvet.tumblr.com
“He said, ‘Don’t you feel lonely living in your own little world?’ She whispered, ‘Don’t you feel powerless living in other people’s worlds?”— F.G., theslytherinworld.tumblr.com
“Teacher: Ok you will be working with partners for this activity. Me: *panics* Kid: Can we pick our own groups? Teacher: No. Me: *long internal sigh of relief*”— tsunderetrashheap, tsunderetrashheap.tumblr.com
“My fear among people is that I will be judged for revealing what is going on inside me. I fear others will discover that I am not only imperfect; I'm not even okay. I fear that I truly am not okay.”— Melissa Broder, amazon.com
“Like, what if you found out I am really not okay? What if you knew that I am suffering a lot right now and really scared? Would you flee? I don't want to find out.”— Melissa Broder, amazon.com