1. “I keep people at a distance. I don’t always knowingly do it, it’s just a habit now. If I keep someone at a distance, they won’t get to know me. And I won’t have to explain why I am the way I am sometimes.” — Keith, 27
2. “I have social anxiety, so I turn down a lot of invitations to go out with my friends. I love my friends and they’re super understanding, but I know this is something that bothers them. They wouldn’t say it, but I can tell. I think they feel like I just don’t want to spend time with them. And that’s not it at all.” — Lisbeth, 28
3. “I’ve been with my partner for three years and even though I’m 100% in love with her, it’s frustrating that she doesn’t really get my anxiety. It’s not something I can turn off by just relaxing, and she doesn’t really understand that. It can feel isolating.” — Zooey, 25
4. “It takes me a long time to trust someone enough to let them into my inner circle. I worry that my constant worrying will push people away. Yeah, I worry about my worrying.” — Alec, 22
5. “Even when things are going well with the person I’m dating, I fall into a spiral of freaking out that it’s going to end any minute. Not a great feeling to have when you’re romantically involved.” — Anonymous
6. “I don’t seek out new friendships or relationships because I’m often plagued with feelings of inadequacies. It’s hard for me to initiate things, like asking someone to hang out or do something.” — Sasha, 24
7. “One of the ways my anxiety manifests itself is being very overwhelmed when I’m around new people or unfamiliar situations. As you can guess, this doesn’t really make me the life of the party.” — Bea, 20
8. “First dates are total nightmares for me. I dread them, even if it’s someone I like. It feels like the world is ending and I’m actually nauseated beforehand.” — Kandi, 31
9. “It’s different for everyone and yes, it can be hard. But my anxiety has actually taught me to how better connect to people by teaching me empathy. You never know what someone is going through just by looking at them.” — Marissa, 28 
