Social Anxiety will cause you to do weird things, like holding onto an apple core for 45 minutes during a gathering because you’re too anxious to travel to the trash can that’s 10 feet away or waiting for someone else to throw out their apple core. Hence, you know it’s okay but waiting a few minutes after they do so you don’t appear as if you were expecting them and trying not to stumble because you recognize most are watching you walk and feeling proud and relieved once you arrive back at your seat after having successfully thrown away an apple core like it is a difficult task.
Their fears In a relationship:
1. Fear of not being good enough for your partner
2. Having nightmares of losing them
3. Needing reassurance they love you
4. Second-guessing yourself
5. Only showing the parts of yourself that you think they’ll accept
6. Fear they’ll leave you
7. Feeling like you’re “bothering” your partner
8. Struggling to put your guard down
9. Desiring to be hugged extra tight when their symptoms set in
10. withholding your struggle because you don’t want to scare them away
Dating someone with Anxiety involves:
-them asking you an equivalent question a minimum of 10 times -them saying sorry a minimum of 3 times each day -you promising them it’s okay
-ordering food for them
-making phone calls for them
-repeating the exact directions three times, then just going with them
-texts as soon as you leave
-sweaty palms
-constant reassuring -them constantly changing their mind
-checking to form sure something is completed correctly over and over (i.e. writing an address/ phone number)
-ALWAYS BEING EARLY
-NEVER BEING LATE -“yes, it’s at 4:30.”
-directions never being clear enough
-ANSWERING THE SAME QUESTION MULTIPLE TIMES
-THEM BEING NERVOUS FOR SEEMING SIMPLE TASKS
Tips for Dating Someone With Anxiety.:
•Reassure them constantly. (This could also be annoying, but they’re going to be thankful.) Keep them within the loop of your life. (This means share plans with them. It will keep them at ease.)
•Text them when you are on your way or when you get home. (This may seem obnoxious, but their brain will thank you.)
Hugs. (After anxious days, something as little as a hug can make things better.) Triggers. Identify them. (This one will be hard. Once you work out what makes them anxious, it’ll help you form them feel safe.)
•No surprises unless you recognize it’ll make them happy. (Surprises are often hard to handle for anxious people. It will depend on their anxiety level.)
•Change is hard. (Try to limit significant changes in your relationship if possible. Things will change but be ready to help your partner through it.)
•Be there. Just be there. (As complex as an anxiety disorder, can best thing you can do is be there and let them know you care.)
