Social Anxiety

[Brickhead022]

Hello! My name is Mel. I really appriciate this forum. I am working right now towards a criminal justice degree. I really want to be a police officer for many reasons. Mainly because I want to serve, to do something others are afraid to do. I want a job that requires me to have courage and to do some gut digging. I love the comeraderie of police officers(reminds me of the military-I was in the Army). I have dealt with intense stress in the military and know that stress is a factor in policing. But what I am stressing over is that I have social anxiety. I have dealt with it my whole life. I am actually quite proud that I joined the Army; it helped my social anxiety to lessen a bit. But it still is a problem. I don't want it to steal my goal of wanting to serve as an officer someday. I am working on it with myself and my councelor. Any advice or comments would be welcome. I love logging on to this forum and hearing the voices of real life professionals!!!
Mel Mel

[Stump]

Mel,
There are varying degrees of social anxiety... what do you see as being your issues?

[TALLON]

Brick, I don't know what you mean by Social Anxiety. Does it mean that you get nervous when in large groups of people?

If this is the case, do you believe that it would limit your ability to perform the job?

It sounds like you've already made some adult choices in seeking assistance and that in and of itself shows promise.

Good Luck.

[yahcanmicrowave]

I experience social anxiety. For me it started for no particular reason in my late teens. Depending on its severity, it can be dealt with in several ways. Don't let your doctor prescribe you depression medication - it is not depression. (I beleive Doctors want an easy way out).

At first I took Xanax but stopped after I went into law enforcement. I learned how to control it through biofeedback and relaxation techniques. I have found that if I am in control of a situation (such as in LE), I have no problems. It is just when I am on an airplane middle seat with no way out or a concert, thats when I have problems.

Beleive me, with 14% of the population with the same condition, there are many police officers with the same condition. Find a good shrink to teach you techniques. Try to stay away from the meds - beleive me, it messes with your sex drive (help me)

[Stump]

TMI yah. :D

[Brickhead022]

What I mean by social anxiety is that I get anxious around people in general. If I am around one person or a few, it is not that bad, but I do get nervous. If I am with a group or in a group setting, then I get knots in my stomach and I feel as if I want to throw up. Like basic training. When the DS was calling for someone to call cadence, I tried my hardest to hide in the platoon as much as was possible. If he had picked me I probably would have pucked up all my chow!! So situations like that. I would never take meds, because I know what the problem is. I think I can with time and practice, learn to cope with the anxiety. As far as doing the job, as long as I know that I am not alone, and that I can always call for help in bad situations, I see myself as being able to function as an officer. I just don't want to be thrown out there without a life jacket if you know what I mean. The military has an awful habit of doing that.

Another question: In the PD I want to work for, they start you out at the jail. Have any of you ever worked with inmates? What is that like? Thanks! Mel

[Stump]

The more exposed you are, maybe the better you can handle it.

Have you ever thought of taking public speaking classes?

[rdp]

You need to tackle the problem before you get into LE. I agree with the classes part.....what ever you can do to put you in the situations to help yourself get used to the idea.

I hated speaking in front of people......I was forced to in LE. I never had a problem with it, just wasn't fond of it. I forced myself to do it and now have no problem at all.

You deal with large crowds all the time from parties, concerts, and especially in a jail setting.

[Jaime]

I have panic disorder and I know I can’t start the process until I get over it. The first step I took was seeing a psychologist once a week, the more I see her the faster I can get better, and secondly stay away from medications. I know they help a lot of people but then if you get over it you will have to try and get off of whatever you are on. I keep Xanax with me for an emergency, but haven’t had to use it in a few weeks now, which is good. It takes a lot of work on your part but you can do it.

[rent-a-cop]

I had social anxiety for about a year,during the tail end of my college days........I never had it before, and I am usually very outgoing.All of the sudden I became introverted, and started avoiding people. I went from preferring a social setting, to wnating to be alone more and more.I almost lost it during a job interview while I was talking to 4 people at the same time, I felt an intense panic and an inability to stand still. I felt like everyone was staring at me and judging me....it sounds weird, but someone with Social Anxiety will know what I mean. It kind of went away recently, but once in a while it sneaks back up on me, at weird times....like buying something at a store, and talking to the cashier, and suddenly I feel the intense need to just "get out of there." It's hard to describe......you have to experience it to know. I know it is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain,possibly norepinephrine?. I was diagnosed with ADD as a child(still have it), so maybe the two are inter-related.

[slimhawks]

I used to have anxiety disorder but now I spend all my time alone in a cabin in the woods...umm hmm nevermind.

Actually I'm doing better with my anxiety around people at college lately. I just don't care if they like me or if they think I am stupid or accept me. I think, for me, at least being nervous around others is my inner desire to have people like me. Being nervous around others is a sure way to make them uncomfortable too. Anyway who the hell cares.

[Brickhead022]

Hello! Thank you Rent-a-Cop for your reply. I completely understand everything you said. My anxiety is the exact same way. I am going to work on it though, because I really want to go into law enforcement. I guess it will just take courage. I am reading this book on social anxiety, and it does mention that the disorder is possibly caused by a chemical imbalance. Reguardless of how the disorder is caused, I don't want it to steal my life. If it is meant for me to serve as an officer, I will conquer this.
I really liked the comment on public speaking as well. I have spoken at my church, and it did help me with my anxiety a bit. I think my anxiety all revolves around how I think people percieve me. If I accept myself the way I should, then I wouldn't be as self-consious as I am. Therefore, I could be at ease around others. I think that is where I should start. It will be almost two years until I get my degree. That will give me time to work on these things. I will try to be positive about it.
You guys have a great weekend!! Mel

[Jcrazy]

Brick
I know how you feel. I have never been to a shrink about it but I think I have the same thing. I have a hard time in groups and feel like everyone is staring at me like I am the village idiot out on display for the day. I have learned to ignore it. I am much better now than I used to be. I work in a state prison and deal with a lot of inmates every day. When behind the fence it is sink or swim with no second chances. If the convicts even think you are a little scared they are all over you. They know how you push a persons bottons if you let them. This helped me a lot. I had to buck up or find a new job. I have been there for three and a half years now. I have found that when things are at their worst I cope better then when all is quiet because you don't have time to get anxious, you just act. Keep working on it and you will beat it. Good luck.

[sparrow803]

Think of it this way...probably 60% of the folks you are nervous around are feeling the same thing you are. At least it is a recognizable problem so there is lots of help out there for ya. Good Luck and don't give up.

[siberianexpress]

I also have anxiety, and it comes and goes. Some days I feel really confident, almost cocky, and some days I don't even feel like talking to anybody. Today I got nervous about going into a business to get a job application...like, almost like a pre job interview type nervousness. It was weird. I felt like I would be laughed at by the people in the place.....it's really weird. Iv'e thought about trying some of the natural anxiety remedies that are out there, there are a couple of them that people say work. If they do work, I thought about using them until I "calm down" a little, and then weaning off them. Also, like rentacop says, I am outgoing 90% of the time, and this didn't start until fairly recently. I'm tired of having my life f_cked up by this thing.