sensitive_woman Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Hi, I know I need to start working soon but I feel the need to isolate myself and find it difficult to interact with people. I just dont trust anyone anymore. But I want to start earning but its tough earning good revenue as a freelancer. Please tell me how to get over this social phobia. OR find alternative ways of earning money without people interaction face to face. Is this normal after divorce? I dont know if it is because of the divorce or because I've handled my mom's illness, a cranky dad and the home all alone. How can I get out of this frame of mind and move on in life especially be able to socialize again? I just dont want to interact with anyone other than my parents anymore. Its hard to explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lana73 Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Hi Sensitive,I was off work for a while and had an anxiety every time I would think that I would have to go back eventually. Once I started, I got so busy that I had no time to think about my anxiety. Going back to work helped me a lot with putting my life in order. I think you will be able to overcome your anxiety once you start working. It is just always hard to start something new. I just dont want to interact with anyone other than my parents anymore. Its hard to explain.I can relate to this feeling. Right now I feel like I am in my own world and don't want to let anybody in. I don't have a need to see my friends or to socialize with people.Good luck to you and I hope you will stick around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sensitive_woman Posted January 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Lana73,Thanks for your reply. Did anyone at your workplace try to probe into your personal life? How do you deal with such people? Thinking of rejoining work again after a year long break is giving me a lot of anxiety. I'm trying to find jobs which do not require me to interact with anyone but such jobs are hard to find with my work profile. I need to get over this social anxiety and get back on track somehow but dont know how to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lana73 Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Lana73,Thanks for your reply. Did anyone at your workplace try to probe into your personal life? I think our personalities are a bit different. I used to be a social butterfly before I went on med. leave. I guess because I did not want my co workers to ask me about my health, I kind of distanced myself from everyone. My anxiety was not related to socializing with people as much, it was mostly a fear of not being able to perform well at my job due to my health issues.How do you deal with such people?I think you can still be friendly and nice to people like that, but you might want to keep it strictly professional and hopefully they will get a hint. Thinking of rejoining work again after a year long break is giving me a lot of anxiety. I'm trying to find jobs which do not require me to interact with anyone but such jobs are hard to find with my work profile. I need to get over this social anxiety and get back on track somehow but dont know how to.I hope you will find a job that will minimize your communication with your future co workers if that is what you are looking for. And you should be able to get over your anxiety once you start working. My problem was that I had too much free time on my hands when I was not working and sometimes I would come up with things to be worried about and would get myself even more anxious. I tend to have obsessive thoughts when I am anxious or stressed. One step at the time, Sensitive. Concentrate on finding a job and things always work themselves out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrmaJean Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 I'm sorry you've been feeling anxious and stressed about returning to work, SW. I have struggled in the past with social anxiety and with feeling uncomfortable around people. I think when we've been hurt it can be very difficult to get back out into the world and risk more pain. But we are also limiting ourselves by isolating and shutting down. Maybe it would help if you took some steps toward interacting socially before you apply for jobs? It might help you to build some confidence and good feelings about your progress. It could also take some power away from those feelings of discomfort. My job (as well as therapy) has played a large role in my moving past my social anxiety. There is a lot of repetition and communication with people all day long, so I get a lot of practice. I am much better now with eye contact and feel more at ease during interactions.How do you deal with such people?It's okay to protect your privacy and use boundaries. If you aren't comfortable with revealing private information to anyone, then don't.. I think you can make that point clear while still being friendly and polite.Good luck, SW, and I hope you feel better about going back to work.Take care.Yikes. I keep pressing the wrong buttons lately. I'm not feeling at all embarrassed. Well maybe I am now that I keep tapping the wrong keys.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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