Social Anxiety

[Unregistered]

The other day in school I met with my counselor to set my classes for next year and he started asking me small talk questions like what my interests are and if I do any activities/sports/clubs. I didn't really know what to tell him for what my interests are and I don't do any activities because I have a problem with making decisions and social anxiety (but I didn't tell him that). He then went and told me that I should join more clubs and stuff so when people look at my college resume they can see that I do more than just do work for school which made me feel like I was sinking in a pool of terror. I think he picked up on how I was feeling and told me that everything we talk about remains confidential and then proceeded to ask me more personal questions like if these things made me feel anxious. I said yes and then he suggested that I should make a plan to join a club to meet new people. I honestly just felt like breaking down and crying in that room while we were talking but I just nodded along to the things he was saying.
I know I need help with dealing with how I feel but every time I have an opportunity to do so, I can't get the words out. The future scares me more than anything and I don't know if I will be able to continue through high school feeling like this.

[2NDFLOOR]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having some uncomfortable feelings and glad you realize that you need help with what you are dealing with. What you are going through is very difficult and in order to prevent it from getting worse in your future you need to be proactive now. It is true what they say that the only way to get past your fears is to face them. Now I am not saying that you should immediately join a club and face your fear that way. You need to start smaller than that and work your way up. You shouldn't do this alone though. You need help from a mental health professional that specializes with this. Are your parent(s)/guardian(s) aware of your social anxiety? If so, have you ever discussed seeing a therapist outside of school? If it is not an option is there at least another counselor in school that you can talk to if you don't feel comfortable talking with your current counselor? You should realize that you have already taken a big step by opening up just a little to him. You should also realize that being able to even step foot inside your school building is huge too. High school is an extremely social setting. Now aside from getting help from someone you should, on your own, look into ways with helping yourself. Here is a website that you should check out: http://us.reachout.com/facts/anxiety ...You should also go to your local library and take out books on social anxiety to learn ways to cope. If you would like to talk about this further with us you can call or text at the 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline. We are here 24/7 at 888-222-2228. Best wishes