social anxiety vs introversion.
sincerely and utterly need you to stop equating social anxiety disorder with introversion. they are Not synonyms and in no context should they be used as synonyms.
quiz:
does introvert mean:
a- a person who prefers to spend time alone, but enjoys social situations and benefits from them. but also needs time to recharge their social battery afterwards.
or
b- a person who dreads social situations, dwelling on them before and/or after the event. having spikes of anxiety as well as long-lasting high levels of anxiety when in a social situation. struggling with cognitive distortions about how they are perceived, and having excessive and disproportionate fear of social judgement, humiliation, etc. such that it significantly interferes with their life.
end of quiz. pens down.
see a lot of people who consume content about ‘introverts’ because they relate to it. but actually maybe they would be better off if they understood and accepted that it is social anxiety and it is hurting them. problem is that when social anxiety symptoms are presented as simply ‘introversion’ with no reference to sad, then it depathologises it. it becomes something which people see as relatable and universal, so they undermine their own pain and struggles.
this is why they then find it hard to believe that:
no, not everyone assumes others hate them after every conversation.
and no, not everyone is sweating before they get on the bus.
no, not everyone is finding it hard to breathe in the classroom.
and no, not everyone is absolutely dreading the party.
🌹🌹
