Social Skills, Poor Concentration and Identity Issuses

[Emily Black]

Hi everyone - I have been free of daydreaming for over a year now but have only just realised the extent of my problems. One of the worst problems I have faced from daydreaming for years is social anxiety. I thought it was something I over came but actually i masked it with this self assured wise and extra well spoken self. Underneath all that i felt anxious. I also felt i could never really get close to anyone. I used to be shy, before all this had gone too far but once i felt comfortable i would be myself and form close bonds with people. That has gone out the window. I feel completely unable to build genuine rapor with people. I have been living in my own world for so long i didn't realise the importance in making an effort to know people. I would just sit in silence without realising it was a problem. The other thing i have realised is that i can't concentrate for very long, most recently it has been hard to concentrate, even in casual conversations with friends. I just can't stay present!

I remember the moment my daydreaming made me paranoid that people would notice that there was something going on with me. I believe that was the point where my anxiety kicked in and i begun to relate with the real world by just trying to appear normal. Through their eyes. Its really hard to explain. I don't even know if I'm an extrovert or introvert. It has all made me very depressed. I have quit 3 jobs in 2 months because i can't cope with all my emotions. I start a new one tomorrow and I'm tired of pretending to be happy, its not even possible as it makes me feel so fake.

Basically the aim of this post is to ask if anyone has, or is experiencing anything similar and if so, what advice would you give?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rui Vasco Araújo Silva]

Yeah, I feel like I can relate to what you´ve said, however I don´t think I would be happy without daydreaming, the world and the characters that I created are so vivid that I feel like I couldn´t live without them, I have too a lot of problems trying to concentrate and I feel like I can´t move forward with my life. But, anyway, unfortunately I don´t have any advice to give you that doesn't´t evolve taking antidepressants which I find helpful in controlling these daydreams and obsessions.