Social anxiety is a very real mental health condition. For many people, it manifests in the form of paralysing fear and self-doubt when faced with situations that require interaction with other humans. They might also experience intense rumination over past exchanges and even physical symptoms like sweating and laboured breathing.
Although social anxiety can feel isolating, the people of Twitter are there to remind us that those afflicted are not alone. Below, we’ve rounded up 30 relatable tweets about living with social anxiety.
My social anxiety is so bad that I’m too scared to go to people’s islands on animal crossing like I don’t even have to speak out of my stupid mouth and I still panic 🤦🏼♀️
— Demi Burnett (@demi_burnett) March 21, 2021
probably a good thing I’m going to therapy for my social anxiety if I want to cancel my first session due to social anxiety
— Phil Lester (@AmazingPhil) September 30, 2021
SOCIAL ANXIETY: omg are you ok
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) July 28, 2019
ALCOHOL: you are great actually
Two hours later...
ALCOHOL: omg are you ok
SOCIAL ANXIETY: you are home actually
me and my social anxiety at events pic.twitter.com/JXGmofaAIo
— ⿻ (@dewycheek) September 14, 2021
"Who cares what other people think?"
— Sam H. Escobar (@myhairisblue) March 7, 2016
- people who have literally no idea how social anxiety works
every text is a risky text when u have social anxiety
— j (@gIocki) October 20, 2020
at least my social anxiety makes me look mysterious
— Cindy Kimberly (@wolfiecindy) December 7, 2021
If you’re hospitalized for social anxiety they should put you in the Awk - Ward.
— (eh)Leen (mc)Bean 📡💥 (@eirasmus) April 5, 2022
my social anxiety has two modes: word vomit every piece of knowledge floating around in my brain or complete silence there is no in-between
— Laurazepam (@andlikelaura) July 29, 2021
Social anxiety and an extreme dislike of people and crowds is the secret to not buying more than what you actually need in Ikea.
— Paige Occeñola (@ohnopaige) May 21, 2022
social anxiety = brain filibustering mouth's turn to speak
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) July 3, 2018
[my existence]
— Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) August 10, 2015
*has social anxiety*
*comes off as intimidating*
*people don't approach*
*i believe it's bc Im trash*
*this gives me anxiety*
Any dinner can be an apology dinner if you have social anxiety
— Samantha Ruddy (@samlymatters) April 29, 2021
Might fuck around tonight and cover up my social anxiety and lack of social skills by consuming mass-quantities of alcohol, which will inevitably lead me to a morning filled with increased anxiety, likely panic attacks and worrying that everyone who saw me last night now hates me
— Zach Svobodny (@ZachSvobodny) September 29, 2018
You miss 100% of the calls you stare at until they go to voicemail because you have social anxiety and only communicate through text
— AsKateWouldHaveIt (@KateWouldHaveIt) May 6, 2021
One way to handle social anxiety is to pretend you are a ghost & people are staring at you because they have a gift they never asked for
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) July 25, 2015
I always think the easiest way for to explain my social anxiety is that it’s like having the film “12 Angry Men” in your head but instead of debating the innocence of a person, it’s how you said goodbye to a co-worker
— Kate Herron (@iamkateherron) April 12, 2022
Every shirt is a sweat shirt when u have social anxiety
— Good Kyle (@KyleMcDowell86) June 7, 2018
no greater source of social anxiety than when strangers ask me to use their phone to take their photo
— Marissa Miller (@Marissa__Miller) March 21, 2016
My social anxiety is such that I think strangers are talking about me but also assume my friends have forgotten who I am.
— erin mallory long (@erinmallorylong) June 30, 2013
Me: I have social anxiety.
— Kendra Alvey 👻 (@Kendragarden) July 23, 2019
Them: That sucks, do you wanna go to this giant party with me?
does anyone else have the social anxiety thing where you convince yourself you don’t know the name of someone you definitely do know the name of so you avoid addressing them by name even though you absolutely do know their name
— dana bad (@baddanadanabad) March 21, 2022
me arguing with my social anxiety in the upstairs bathroom while my company sits in complete silence downstairs patiently waiting for me to come back pic.twitter.com/dswuSnYRPX
— ً (@brokeangeI) May 7, 2019
Social anxiety is real… I’ll walk right pass people that I know 😭’
— 🥀.’ (@nasiaaax) December 3, 2021
Social anxiety is wild like I once had a ten minute conversation with a complete stranger while pretending to be somebody else because I was terrified of the embarrassment of telling him we didn't actually know each other
— Caleb Roehrig (@MikalebRoehrig) June 3, 2018
My libido: please have sex
— Breakfast 🍩☕🍑 (@donutscoffeeme) February 6, 2021
My social anxiety: by yourself
that social anxiety leave my body once that liquor hit my system.
— S☆X SYMBOL (@MIRASINTERLUDE) November 3, 2021
Person standing directly in front of me at gymnastics, blocking my view: am I in your way?
— Marissa 💚💛 (@michimama75) March 24, 2022
Me, a people pleaser with social anxiety: nope! You’re fine! No worries!
social anxiety is when you have a 5min conversation with someone and replay it over and over in your head for the next 15yrs cause you accidentally said thar instead of there
— Laurazepam (@andlikelaura) July 31, 2021
After 20 years of struggling with my social anxiety and avoiding people, I am proud to announce that I’m going to keep doing that.
— 🐈Mattzilla™️🐈 (@mattZillaaaa) July 1, 2020