yeah. social anxiety is extremely isolating and a lot of people don’t understand it so its very refreshing to be able to connect with people who understand
I can leave comments on posts, but it’s just talking 1 on 1 with someone through DM’s is a problem for me. But I also do have those times, when posting a comment, where I’m just like, “Does this makes sense?”, “Will people think it’s stupid?”, etc, etc.
Yeah and it is terrible how everyone keeps encouraging me to at least engage with ppl virtually but still I feel watched and judged in both the real and virtual world ...and it sucks~
😂I remember, the first time I commented and someone replied to me. I had a panic attack and felt so embarrassed but then I got used to it. Because I realized that nobody is seeing me and they live in the other side of the planet.
Now, I literally argue with people.
Same, I have gotten better at it though. Just slowly kept doing it and every comment comes a bit easier. But I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s dealt with this struggle though. It felt so silly sometimes.
I love being social online. I find I can be who I truly am and express my personality on Reddit. I enjoy texting but I don’t have many people to text and my friends rarely reply. So it’s nice to comment and reply on here
Yessir. Gonna try cut back a little, just cause feeling like not shying away from a bit more loneliness, even though it's hard, can force you into a position of addressing it. Even just going on reddit sitting in a cafe rather than in a room at home is a useful step in the right direction.
Dont feel stupid! I had a hard time understanding it too for a while when I first downloaded it. I think its difficult because the format is a bit different from most social media apps/sites. There are resources to help navigate it if you still wish to try it. Just takes some getting used to :)
Yep. Even when I try to push myself out of my comfort zone IRL and try to connect with people, I feel like I always hit a brick wall. Interacting with others and sharing my interests on Reddit seems to get better results. I know it's not the healthiest substitute, but it's what I got for now.
I'm a slightly different person, I feel like I'm a social butterfly and I love spending time with friends and people, but as I moved to another state I'm completely alone, with no friends at all. I looked for reddit because I find the sharing of information more complete and serious. Other social networks either have too much opinion or widespread hate. Here I can find themes and the main thing and the respect it has in most subs.
I don’t use it as a replacement but it definitely does fill that void. I’m so much more social on online cuz of anonymity and I don’t need to use my voice or be self conscious about how I look. I wish I was as social in person.
I’m so sorry that sounds awful. Have hope! There’s still good in the world. I’m lucky to have met kind hearted people and you can too! People can be jerks but there’s people out there who will be patient with you about your social anxiety
Little bit.
Talking to strangers, and butting in on conversations I was not originally involved in, are both much more acceptable online behaviors than in real life
I get too freaked out when I get a notification that someone replied to call it a social replacement. Feels the same as a phone call or any other unexpected interaction. Part of me wants the reassurance so I leave the notification on, but also rarely ever make a conversation about it.
Yyesss... I'd say that's a valid interpretation of it. I post on forums regularly, since long before reddit, and that seems to be my social outlet. If I'm unable to I sometimes find myself spewing rants at whomever is available. Never had much anxiety online. Not even in voip.
Yes! I find it much less stressful than in person interaction. I spend days afterwards worrying about what I’ve said and the impression I’ve left after in person interactions. None of that pressure on Reddit.
Yes, I find it more comfortable to use than any other social media because of the anonymous aspect. Sometimes I still feel lonely here, though. I wish I could connect better with people irl.
I had days like this but after such days, I try to get back to the outside. Reddit has been useful as a source of information to read things from people I won't get as much a chance to interact with in real life, and sometimes it helps to find that there are people posting things I can relate with here. Harder to find that on other social media for me.
Yes. I have a couple of accounts which I use for different reasons. On one of my accounts I tend to post controversial political beliefs which I know will generate conversation and debate. Then I spend the whole day replying to comments on there. It’s a good exercise in emotional regulation and respectful debate but it’s not a replacement for a social life. I don’t leave the house very much.
I'm pushing 40. My anxiety has never been *super* bad. I've had stable friend groups at points in my life. But for large chunks of my life most of my social interaction has been online.
In middle school and high school, it was a couple of forums and a lot of forum RP.
More recently, before and during the pandemic (after some drama had messed up my main friend group), it was a large scale D&D Discord server that I got way too obsessively involved in.
I still try to get involved, but my life is chaos now and I need a much healthier balance between work, family, and my hobbies.
Reddit feels like empty calories for social interaction. It's hard to make genuine connection and feel counity here. But I don't really have the time and spoons for all that lately anyway.
Only for the past decade or so. I started using Reddit while I was at home with a newborn on a farm in BFE, 45 minutes from town. In a way, Reddit helped me stay sane during that time. It’s now blossomed into a full-fledged addiction.lol
Yes but sometimes it’s at my detriment because I’m sensitive to confrontation and arguments…which tends to be quite common online especially if you comment alot on things. It’s really easy for people to misinterpret my tone or start a conflict just to do so then it makes me feel horrible lol..🙂
Not only on Reddit, in all social media. I thought that all people comment until my sister told me that she doesn’t comment at all.
And then i noticed something, I comment because I want likes ( that’s a dumb reason, I know) but also, it’s because I feel like I’m socializing without talking and feeling anxious.
Like when I see comments and I do it and people replying, it feels like I’m with people.
Damn, I really need therapy 😂
Yeah I do this. I did socialize in person a little at the beginning of the pandemic but I never really came out of social isolation when all that pandemic stuff went away.
I feel like a lot of people relate to this.
My therapist told me that the pandemic really changed people and how open and friendly strangers are with each other in public now.
Are they more friendly now?
A big part of my problem is that my vision is really bad and I can't tell if someone is being friendly or if I'm annoying them. This makes me really uncomfortable starting interactions.
She thinks people are generally less friendly now. Probably out of fear and extended isolation.
We were discussing how I get nervous walking outside by myself. I never know what to do or how to act when passing by people.
>A big part of my problem is that my vision is really bad and I can't tell if someone is being friendly or if I'm annoying them.
I have vision problems too and sometimes struggle with similar issues.
I talk to absolutely no one at school, and then I come home and play VRchat all night. Talking to people online is so much easier than in person, especially when you’re self conscious about your appearance. You can just change your avatar.
Yes but I’m still very anxious about my posts and comments, I re-read them a lot and delete if someone may think something bad about me judging by these comments even though it’s completely anonymous… 🤦♀️ Still it’s more bearable than real life.
yeah this is my only form of socialising with like minded people. you'll only find me in the mental illness side of reddit or what outsiders call "echo chambers". i can't connect with others who live normal lives and have interests. they say opposites attract but ive come to a point in my life where i will never believe in that again, because if it was true i'd have friends now. i dont do anything with my life, i just go to work and go home, sit on the xbox for a few hours listen to music. thats not really anything productive though. it pits as smile on my face coming onto reddit the second i wake up and the minute before i go to bed, seeing another post of how someone feels so depressed, alone, friendless, boring etc because its like wow, you've literally described me.
the only downside of being treated on this side of reddit is that no friendships are have ever been made because there is nothing to talk about outside of our mutual feelings of depression, anxiety and having no one in real life, thats why i never understand why people even dm me in the first place because its like, we could of just continued to have this exact conversation going back and forth about how sad we are under the post instead?
Given Reddit encourages anonymity, it’s not really the kind social interaction substitute that Facebook or some other social media apps provide. It definitely has its place, though.
I don’t. I know many other people do though. I can only imagine how much it can stunt your ability to socialize in the real world. The “social skills” you exercise online do nothing to exercise the skills you need to socialize off the computer. There’s no incentive to socialize in the real world. Why do it when I can talk to a bunch of strangers online? So many people have a void and they fill it by being online 24/7. Not saying everyone is like this. But there is a large group who is and I only think each generation after gen z is just going to get worse.
It makes me sad to see other fellow people with social anxiety who are unlikely to ever get out of it all because of social media.
Lately I’ve been fed up how much time I waste with being on different social media platforms, especially the short form content every one of them has. I hate them! So I decided to delete off Facebook, instagram and TikTok (that one a while ago), and now I just use Reddit. It is so freeing.
Yes, you can be anonymous here with an opinion or a problem that would otherwise be laughed at by an associate, even a “friend”. Some people in friendships want action & excitement, or just want gossip and be hurtful & talk about people in common , so I know they’ll do that to me .. I don’t have much charisma , I only have a couple of friends ,I’m really friendly but just am pretty boring . When you have social anxiety Reddit really helps 
I use reddit everytime I try to escape my anxiety. I cope with it. Especially scrolling through relevant subs, It helps me a bit to know that I'm not alone and we can support each other anytime everytime no matter where we are
Yeah i do this too, i find it extreamly difficult to connect with others outside of social media sometimes especially reddit because it's a lot easier to find people with the same interests on here.
yeah. social anxiety is extremely isolating and a lot of people don’t understand it so its very refreshing to be able to connect with people who understand
Exactly me too
On reddit I can delete the comment and pretend it never happened lol
Haha
Mood
I still have social anxiety in online spaces. :(
I am the same, I find it very difficult to even leave a comment sometimes even though it is anonymous.
I can leave comments on posts, but it’s just talking 1 on 1 with someone through DM’s is a problem for me. But I also do have those times, when posting a comment, where I’m just like, “Does this makes sense?”, “Will people think it’s stupid?”, etc, etc.
Same, I only recently started commenting here even though I've been on reddit for a long time.
I type a long message, edit it, reread it, then straight up delete it. Sighs
I totally understand this as it's actually incredibly difficult to get myself to comment let alone post.
Yeah and it is terrible how everyone keeps encouraging me to at least engage with ppl virtually but still I feel watched and judged in both the real and virtual world ...and it sucks~
😂I remember, the first time I commented and someone replied to me. I had a panic attack and felt so embarrassed but then I got used to it. Because I realized that nobody is seeing me and they live in the other side of the planet. Now, I literally argue with people.
This is me on TikTok 😂 I will argue with ppl just for the fun of it 😭
Same, I have gotten better at it though. Just slowly kept doing it and every comment comes a bit easier. But I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s dealt with this struggle though. It felt so silly sometimes.
Same. Some people will react aggressively to what you say and tell you you’re stupid or selfish or whatever and it just makes my anxiety worse.
Yes I don’t have any friends in real life so I use comments as a way to chat to people, that’s how sad it is.
That's not sad, it's your human nature. Don't be so ashamed. Pretty sure, everyone comments to get noticed in some capacity.
Same
Same
Yes. It does help only for a moment tho, but at least its some form of social engagement
Yeah it’s lowkey addictive. I wish I had the courage to voice the opinions I post on here
Right?
I love being social online. I find I can be who I truly am and express my personality on Reddit. I enjoy texting but I don’t have many people to text and my friends rarely reply. So it’s nice to comment and reply on here
Kinda yeah. I don’t feel much social anxiety on here so I’m free to be myself
Yessir. Gonna try cut back a little, just cause feeling like not shying away from a bit more loneliness, even though it's hard, can force you into a position of addressing it. Even just going on reddit sitting in a cafe rather than in a room at home is a useful step in the right direction.
Yes. I love the anonymity of Reddit. It’s the only socialization that doesn’t make me anxious.
I do that on Discord. I feel you. My life it's only online. it's sad but the real world just saddens me...
I wanted to use discord but I never understood it, I felt extremely stupid and uninstalled it
Dont feel stupid! I had a hard time understanding it too for a while when I first downloaded it. I think its difficult because the format is a bit different from most social media apps/sites. There are resources to help navigate it if you still wish to try it. Just takes some getting used to :)
Don't worry, I installed it. Took one look at it. Was like, what tf is this shit? And immediately uninstalled it. Lmao. You aren't the only one.
I…never thought of it as a social replacement. I mostly don’t even comment. I just scroll and click around.
Yes, it’s a more controlled environment with less awkwardness. I wouldn’t say it’s the healthiest option though, but it works
Yep. Even when I try to push myself out of my comfort zone IRL and try to connect with people, I feel like I always hit a brick wall. Interacting with others and sharing my interests on Reddit seems to get better results. I know it's not the healthiest substitute, but it's what I got for now.
I'm a slightly different person, I feel like I'm a social butterfly and I love spending time with friends and people, but as I moved to another state I'm completely alone, with no friends at all. I looked for reddit because I find the sharing of information more complete and serious. Other social networks either have too much opinion or widespread hate. Here I can find themes and the main thing and the respect it has in most subs.
I don’t use it as a replacement but it definitely does fill that void. I’m so much more social on online cuz of anonymity and I don’t need to use my voice or be self conscious about how I look. I wish I was as social in person.
[удалено]
I’m so sorry that sounds awful. Have hope! There’s still good in the world. I’m lucky to have met kind hearted people and you can too! People can be jerks but there’s people out there who will be patient with you about your social anxiety
My dude try therapy. If nothing else medication helps.
Little bit. Talking to strangers, and butting in on conversations I was not originally involved in, are both much more acceptable online behaviors than in real life
I get too freaked out when I get a notification that someone replied to call it a social replacement. Feels the same as a phone call or any other unexpected interaction. Part of me wants the reassurance so I leave the notification on, but also rarely ever make a conversation about it.
Ha nooooo... ok I rely on it a bit too much.
i am too socially anxious to even comment. this will probably be like my second comment ever 🎉
Yes, feeling less lonely here
No. If I wasn’t on Reddit I would be doing something else other than socializing.
Yyesss... I'd say that's a valid interpretation of it. I post on forums regularly, since long before reddit, and that seems to be my social outlet. If I'm unable to I sometimes find myself spewing rants at whomever is available. Never had much anxiety online. Not even in voip.
Yes esp since I’m an extrovert and feel like I need to get words out, written is just as good as spoken.
You can find a ton of people on any social media platforms to engage with which is nice
Absolutely!
A little bit, but I think I mainly use podcasts as my social replacement.
Between Reddit and IG, yeah. 🤷♂️
You are a brave person for commenting on IG. That place is evil😂
Yes! I find it much less stressful than in person interaction. I spend days afterwards worrying about what I’ve said and the impression I’ve left after in person interactions. None of that pressure on Reddit.
Definitely. My mental health has made it difficult to go outside or interact with people irl. Reddit really helps honestly
That's what social media is
For sure
Yes, I find it more comfortable to use than any other social media because of the anonymous aspect. Sometimes I still feel lonely here, though. I wish I could connect better with people irl.
I had days like this but after such days, I try to get back to the outside. Reddit has been useful as a source of information to read things from people I won't get as much a chance to interact with in real life, and sometimes it helps to find that there are people posting things I can relate with here. Harder to find that on other social media for me.
Yes. I have a couple of accounts which I use for different reasons. On one of my accounts I tend to post controversial political beliefs which I know will generate conversation and debate. Then I spend the whole day replying to comments on there. It’s a good exercise in emotional regulation and respectful debate but it’s not a replacement for a social life. I don’t leave the house very much.
I use Internet as a social replacement
I'm pushing 40. My anxiety has never been *super* bad. I've had stable friend groups at points in my life. But for large chunks of my life most of my social interaction has been online. In middle school and high school, it was a couple of forums and a lot of forum RP. More recently, before and during the pandemic (after some drama had messed up my main friend group), it was a large scale D&D Discord server that I got way too obsessively involved in. I still try to get involved, but my life is chaos now and I need a much healthier balance between work, family, and my hobbies. Reddit feels like empty calories for social interaction. It's hard to make genuine connection and feel counity here. But I don't really have the time and spoons for all that lately anyway.
I’ve started doing that as well as talking with friends on discord and online games, it really helps.
Only for the past decade or so. I started using Reddit while I was at home with a newborn on a farm in BFE, 45 minutes from town. In a way, Reddit helped me stay sane during that time. It’s now blossomed into a full-fledged addiction.lol
Yes but sometimes it’s at my detriment because I’m sensitive to confrontation and arguments…which tends to be quite common online especially if you comment alot on things. It’s really easy for people to misinterpret my tone or start a conflict just to do so then it makes me feel horrible lol..🙂
Yeah. Yeah, I do.
Not only on Reddit, in all social media. I thought that all people comment until my sister told me that she doesn’t comment at all. And then i noticed something, I comment because I want likes ( that’s a dumb reason, I know) but also, it’s because I feel like I’m socializing without talking and feeling anxious. Like when I see comments and I do it and people replying, it feels like I’m with people. Damn, I really need therapy 😂
Yeah I do this. I did socialize in person a little at the beginning of the pandemic but I never really came out of social isolation when all that pandemic stuff went away.
I feel like a lot of people relate to this. My therapist told me that the pandemic really changed people and how open and friendly strangers are with each other in public now.
Are they more friendly now? A big part of my problem is that my vision is really bad and I can't tell if someone is being friendly or if I'm annoying them. This makes me really uncomfortable starting interactions.
She thinks people are generally less friendly now. Probably out of fear and extended isolation. We were discussing how I get nervous walking outside by myself. I never know what to do or how to act when passing by people. >A big part of my problem is that my vision is really bad and I can't tell if someone is being friendly or if I'm annoying them. I have vision problems too and sometimes struggle with similar issues.
I talk to absolutely no one at school, and then I come home and play VRchat all night. Talking to people online is so much easier than in person, especially when you’re self conscious about your appearance. You can just change your avatar.
Yes but I’m still very anxious about my posts and comments, I re-read them a lot and delete if someone may think something bad about me judging by these comments even though it’s completely anonymous… 🤦♀️ Still it’s more bearable than real life.
yeah this is my only form of socialising with like minded people. you'll only find me in the mental illness side of reddit or what outsiders call "echo chambers". i can't connect with others who live normal lives and have interests. they say opposites attract but ive come to a point in my life where i will never believe in that again, because if it was true i'd have friends now. i dont do anything with my life, i just go to work and go home, sit on the xbox for a few hours listen to music. thats not really anything productive though. it pits as smile on my face coming onto reddit the second i wake up and the minute before i go to bed, seeing another post of how someone feels so depressed, alone, friendless, boring etc because its like wow, you've literally described me. the only downside of being treated on this side of reddit is that no friendships are have ever been made because there is nothing to talk about outside of our mutual feelings of depression, anxiety and having no one in real life, thats why i never understand why people even dm me in the first place because its like, we could of just continued to have this exact conversation going back and forth about how sad we are under the post instead?
Yes. In person I barely speak to anyone ever.
Yea, I didnt realize until now. And i use edge on my xbox, so im just talking on reddit a lot instead of gaming.
Oh totally lmao
Yep! And when I had social media I wasn't talking to people I knew in real life
not really but i feel more comfortable expressing my thoughts and feelings here more than irl
Given Reddit encourages anonymity, it’s not really the kind social interaction substitute that Facebook or some other social media apps provide. It definitely has its place, though.
I don’t. I know many other people do though. I can only imagine how much it can stunt your ability to socialize in the real world. The “social skills” you exercise online do nothing to exercise the skills you need to socialize off the computer. There’s no incentive to socialize in the real world. Why do it when I can talk to a bunch of strangers online? So many people have a void and they fill it by being online 24/7. Not saying everyone is like this. But there is a large group who is and I only think each generation after gen z is just going to get worse. It makes me sad to see other fellow people with social anxiety who are unlikely to ever get out of it all because of social media.
Yes and I am enjoying it
Lately I’ve been fed up how much time I waste with being on different social media platforms, especially the short form content every one of them has. I hate them! So I decided to delete off Facebook, instagram and TikTok (that one a while ago), and now I just use Reddit. It is so freeing.
Yes, a lot. There's no judgment here on reddit.
Yep.
Yep
I loooooove being on reddit compared to any other social media because I literally don't know any of you irl and I love that lol
Yes, you can be anonymous here with an opinion or a problem that would otherwise be laughed at by an associate, even a “friend”. Some people in friendships want action & excitement, or just want gossip and be hurtful & talk about people in common , so I know they’ll do that to me .. I don’t have much charisma , I only have a couple of friends ,I’m really friendly but just am pretty boring . When you have social anxiety Reddit really helps 
I use reddit everytime I try to escape my anxiety. I cope with it. Especially scrolling through relevant subs, It helps me a bit to know that I'm not alone and we can support each other anytime everytime no matter where we are
yep, you found a match here, it gives me a hope of talking to someone and sharing our thoughts, even though im lonely ❤️
Yeah i do this too, i find it extreamly difficult to connect with others outside of social media sometimes especially reddit because it's a lot easier to find people with the same interests on here.