Influencing social anxiety-your childhood

Do you think your parents' style of upbringing had any effect on the severity of your social anxiety?

For me, there was a huge difference in the way I was brought up compared to my siblings, and it shows completely.

For the record-I am not looking for a platform to blame parents inparticular, just interested in peoples' experiences.

Yes. My childhood was the cause of my social anxiety I have no doubt of that.

Mother (NPD) told me I was ugly, I smelt and no one would ever like me. My sisters were 10/12 years older than me and left home as soon as the could to get away from her so I felt like an only child.

Mother did not like company, she didn't not want anyone "nosing around her house" So there I was, isolated with a mother who did not even like me.

How did your up bringing differ from that of your siblings?

Homeschooled most of my life? Check.
Carted off to live in Amish country for four years when I was little? Check.
Taught that society is a horrible place full of evil people? Check.

I'm surprised I'm so well adjusted, honestly.

lilnumber9

Carted off to live in Amish country for four years when I was little?

I've always been fascinated by the Amish. You did not find it a positive experience obviously, did you hate that way of life?

Greatexpectations wrote:

lilnumber9

Carted off to live in Amish country for four years when I was little?

I've always been fascinated by the Amish. You did not find it a positive experience obviously, did you hate that way of life?

I loved it, honestly. Amish bread with honey is some of the best stuff in the world, imo. I also learned a lot about horses and agriculture, which I still practice (gardening and stuff like that). The only trouble comes when you get thrust back into city-life and everything is overwhelming chaos all the time. I still get panicked if I have to go to a mall or something.

Oh right. I'm sorta pleased about that as I've got a romantic idea that to live a simple life as one of the Amish would be ideal.

I loved it, honestly. Amish bread with honey is some of the best stuff in the world, imo. I also learned a lot about horses and agriculture,

I can understand to be trust back into city life would be scary.

As far as I'm concerned, that is quite a solid ideal to have. It's peaceful, just difficult to do. Land's expensive, and you'd have to drive a long way to get to work and back, I imagine. Being financially independent would definitely be helpful.

lilnumber9 wrote:Homeschooled most of my life? Check.
Carted off to live in Amish country for four years when I was little? Check.
Taught that society is a horrible place full of evil people? Check.

I'm surprised I'm so well adjusted, honestly.

I was homeschooled too...

Isn't that last part correct though?

I don't think my parents had much to do with my social anxiety. I was extremely shy and averse to attention from as young as toddlerhood. My parents tell me that when I was as young as two years old, I'd cry repeatedly during my birthday party (or similar events with a lot of people paying attention to me) and would only stop crying when I was left alone (or solely in the company of familiar people). I believe that my innate shyness, combined with being bullied in elementary and middle school, led me to develop feelings of social anxiety around the end of middle school. Personally, I think I'd be better off if my parents had pulled me out of the school system and homeschooled me before my anxiety developed (and my mother actually considered doing that, but ultimately decided not to), then sure, I might still be socially incompetent, but at least I might not have an anxiety disorder.