This would have had me crucified on tumblr 10 years ago but maybe we are ready for this conversation now:
If you are a socially anxious person, you have to socialize. Your panic/anxiety attacks will only get worse and trigger more frequently if you constantly avoid contact with The Public. Not saying that you need to be a social butterfly- but there is a genuine problem with not being able to order your own meal at a restaurant. And it cannot be solved by always having someone else do it for you.
This is a PSA to about 3/4s of the Portland Youth populace
everyone who reblogs this and is like "I ordered my own tea this week" or "I only barfed once when I had to give a presentation'- you are doing amazing sweetie. Have patience with yourself, you are relearning a skill so difficult that people get 4 year degrees to do it professionally.
i used to have debilitating social anxiety and then i got a job phone fundraising and it felt like torture at first but by the time i quit 3 years later i was so downright personable that now i can have a friendly chat with pretty much anyone about anything. alas the only way for talking to people to get less scary is to talk to people but if you buckle down and practice it ends up making life a hell of a lot easier
