IMFORMATION needed for a book to help teens with SP

[ShyDreamer]

Hi everyone,
I'm 19 years old and I've had Social Phobia since I was 16.

I'm collecting some imformation on SP for a book I'm writng to help teens like myself understand this disorder and would really appreciate it if you could take some time to answer the follwing question.

Q: If Social Phobia/Anxiety was a monster, what would it look like? feel like? smell like? sound like?

Detailed descriptions would would greatly appreciated!
Thanks guys!

 

[Zarrix]

It isn't a monster. It is a 'wall' somewhere in your mind. Surrounded by lots of guards, trying their darnest not to let any emotion through to the real world. When the emotion is too powerful, the wall cannot absorb it all, so we become anxious. It is why we cannot express our feelings easily. The vicious circle is complete when the emotion becomes too much and the nerves start to show, it is considered as an expression of emotion and a failure because our personality isn't good enough to express to the outside world.

 

[princess_haru]

Hi ShyDreamer, I like this idea. There are plenty of preachy, condescending self-help books out there on how to "beat shyness" and "overcome our fears" but so far I haven't come across any written from the point of view of someone who's really experienced SA and understands it from the inside.

Hmm, well if SA was a monster I'd see it as a shadow demon following me everywhere, visible but untouchable, blotting out the light and drawing me into its depths. Then again maybe that's my depression monster instead, lol. Well, they're evil twins anyway! :wink:

 

[TAMPA-BAY]

If shyness was a monster

If Social Phobia was a monster it would probaly be a Gas. It would be a gas like say... Carbondioxide. It would be color less oder less but yet has a presense. You can not detect it easily unless you know what you are lookig for and have the proper tools to find it.

My social anxiety and shyness is unnoticeable to the un trained eye.

 

[coriander1992]

Hi ShyDreamer, I like this idea. There are plenty of preachy, condescending self-help books out there on how to "beat shyness" and "overcome our fears" but so far I haven't come across any written from the point of view of someone who's really experienced SA and understands it from the inside.

Hmm, well if SA was a monster I'd see it as a shadow demon following me everywhere, visible but untouchable, blotting out the light and drawing me into its depths. Then again maybe that's my depression monster instead, lol. Well, they're evil twins anyway! :wink:

I like the shadow idea...it's a shadow monster that "darkens" our perception of ourselves, and our real charecter.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

For me, it's a horrible little whiney, pastey, spineless reptilian creature like gollum, only it's stuck to our bodies like a parasyte or a siamise twin attached at the heart. It whispers to us about how lame we are, persuading us that we can't do things, and then tugs at our chests making us feel torn up inside.

If anyone has heard of the 'His Dark Materials Trilogy' by Phillip Pullman, the daemons in the book, which are like spirits that travel with us like little pets, but are in fact our own souls! - they seem appropriate here. I just hope our own anxious selves don't 'set' into a universal SP form when we hit a certain age, in the way that they do in the books! - perhaps settling into a tiny mouse, or an ugly toad!

 

[princess_haru]

I like the shadow idea...it's a shadow monster that "darkens" our perception of ourselves, and our real charecter.

I've never really visualised it before, but as soon as I tried to imagine SA as a monster I got this image of a huge, sinister shadow looming over me, affecting my thoughts and actions.

For me, it's a horrible little whiney, pastey, spineless reptilian creature like gollum, only it's stuck to our bodies like a parasyte or a siamise twin attached at the heart. It whispers to us about how lame we are, persuading us that we can't do things, and then tugs at our chests making us feel torn up inside.

If anyone has heard of the 'His Dark Materials Trilogy' by Phillip Pullman, the daemons in the book, which are like spirits that travel with us like little pets, but are in fact our own souls! - they seem appropriate here. I just hope our own anxious selves don't 'set' into a universal SP form when we hit a certain age, in the way that they do in the books! - perhaps settling into a tiny mouse, or an ugly toad!

I love the His Dark Materials trilogy! Especially The Amber Spyglass. Have you seen the film yet? I'm not sure I want to in case it alters the way I see that world in my mind... but I'm kinda curious about it!

*shudders at the idea of an SA daemon* I think this would look like a huge, ugly leech, sucking all the spirit out of us

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Princess_haru - no I havn't seen the film yet. Much like you, I form such a vivid idea of what the characters and the settings are like that the film often just spoils it for me. But curiosity will probably get the better of me one day.


LOL MAYBE WE SHOULD GO AND WATCH IT TOGETHER! :wink:

I hope some day my daemon will set as a lion or a tiger or a liger! A siberian liger!

 

[SilentType]

Social anxiety is definitely a monster... I would make it like some kind of monkey thing hanging on my back all the time That's what it feels like. It would smell of sweat because thats what it makes me do. I would have to say it would feel like have a blood sucking parasite stuck to your neck..And for sound, I would go with that staticky hum of voices noise that always freaks me out at big gatherings of people. That's my anxiety monster anyways. I wanna buy a copy of your book too haha


Peace

 

[princess_haru]

LOL MAYBE WE SHOULD GO AND WATCH IT TOGETHER! :wink:

I hope some day my daemon will set as a lion or a tiger or a liger! A siberian liger!

Hehe yeah, that'd be fun

If I could choose the form of my daemon he'd probably be a small silver-grey cat. I had to look up what a liger was lol, I'd never heard of one before! I found a gorgeous pic of one on google:

And for sound, I would go with that staticky hum of voices noise that always freaks me out at big gatherings of people.

*shudder* yeah I don't like that either. Hearing all those voices at once is overwhelming. The only time I don't mind being in a big crowd is when I'm at a gig; anywhere else I feel like fighting my way out as fast as I can!

 

[ShyDreamer]

great responses!

Everyone your feedback has been amazing! so many different viewpoints yet they all describe SP so well!

I think the book will take me a while to write, because I'm a perfectionist! but hopefully one day it will be out there.

I just feel like theres nothing in the market for people with SP. Especially young teens, who like myself, want to find out all about this condition so they can understand it better.

Keep posting! Your responses have been so helpful and insightful!

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Princess_Haru - awsome picture of a LIGER!!!

But it makes me think maybe my daemon would not be a Liger in reality! HA. Maybe I'll settle for a Bobcat, or a puma. Something agile and able but not so dominant and imposing.

Having said that, Iv'e been watching the TV programme 'Lion Man' lately. It's about this crazy guy who cuddles up to the lions and rides on their backs - all sorts (only the tame ones mind!)

And it's funny how, when they're not threatened they playfight, goof around, and get all scared just like a normal pussycat. HaHa. Their body language is just the same dispite their size!

Back to the point of the thread though. If there is one form the social phobia wouldn't take, it's something as strong and powerful as a liger. But maybe that's what we should all strive for.

 

[princess_haru]

Hey, glad you liked the pic! Yeah feline daemons are definitely the best

I haven't seen 'Lion Man' (sounds interesting though!) but I love watching programs about big cats and seeing how similar they are to house cats in their behaviour. Watching a lion or a tiger rolling about play fighting or streching and yawning just like my little kitty always makes me smile.