Poll: Forum Anxiety?

[The .50 Caliber Cow]

This is the internet, it isn't like standing in front of class and delievering an essay.

I don't care what people I will never meet think.

 

[axlryder]

Yeah, I'll start a thread feeling really good, then about three or four hours later when I turn on my computer I'll think "Oh, no." It can be fun to stir the pot and drum up conversation and viewpoints, but sometimes I just want the topic to die and I regret having ever said anything.

Yeah, I get that sometimes
one minute you're posting something all innocent and then suddenly

and you realize it's never going to die. Thankfully, replying isn't necessary for our continued survival.

 

[axlryder]

Hey, aren't you the girl who has that thing where you see colours when you hear sounds? Is it photosynesthesia?

Yeah that would be me. And It's synesthesia

I guess some people do remember stuff haha

So have you ever gone to a rave and been like "no no, your colored strobe lights are all off!" or something?

I used to not have it but now I do. I guess I'm a bit more self-conscious of myself now and don't want to leave a bad impression upon others. I guess it's stupid...

very stupid, I now think you're a dumb dumb because of this post. Guess that shit backfired.

(just kidding, I can't possibly dislike someone with such an awesome avi)

 

[museofdoom]

So have you ever gone to a rave and been like "no no, your colored strobe lights are all off!" or something?

Hahaha I've never been to a rave, but sometimes when I see a music video, I get annoyed when the aesthetics in the video don't quite match the colors in my head. :3

I feel like I should make an on topic comment: I only ever get super worried about a post if I'm trying to argue with someone intelligently. I dislike coming off as stupid, and I don't like coming off as a jerk either unless the person is outright being a jerk to me.

 

[Voulan]

Absolutely I do. I always want to make a good impression - it doesn't help that in other forums I've had moments where I'd post a thread and then just get slandered for it (like a "this thread already exists!" moment when that already existing thread hadn't been posted in for three years - I mean, really?). But then again I suffer from social anxiety in real life, so I guess it's to be expected.

 

[axlryder]

So have you ever gone to a rave and been like "no no, your colored strobe lights are all off!" or something?

Hahaha I've never been to a rave, but sometimes when I see a music video, I get annoyed when the aesthetics in the video don't quite match the colors in my head. :3

Sounds awesome to me. Being an artist especially, I'd give an arm and a leg for something like that. Ah well, good for you anyway.

 

[Dansen]

I don't know if it's as much anxiety as it is a mentality of "Eh, why bother".

It's usually me thinking, "Nobody's going to read it, nobody's going to care. Why am I wasting my time with this?"

This is exactly what happens to me half the time I'm about to post something.

 

[smithy_2045]

The more effort I put into a post, or PM, or whatever, the more I want it to be perfect, which can lead to some serious anxiety about hitting post/send/whatever.

 

[mexicola]

Sort of. I tend not to post on highly contested topics because I don't plan on getting into a quote-off with other posters, yet if I don't respond I feel they will feel like they "won" or that they shut me up - so I just don't post anything to begin with.

And then there's the case of starting to type a post and then just closing the tab half way through because "Who gives a fuck?" Almost had it happen in this post too.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I do have that innate fear of saying something stupid, or something easily misunderstood. A lot of posters here can be vicious in their replies at times, and replying back to them isn't something I look forward to...when it happens.

Sometimes I just can't contribute to the topic at hand or I feel like my answer is insignificant anyways. Truth be told, my answers are almost always insignificant... -sob-

 

[Sticky Squid]

I'm far far too arrogant to not let people hear my opinion on absolutely anything that catches my interest.

 

[Jast]

Yes, I do. So please don't read this.

 

[Vanilla_Druid]

Nope. Never suffered from that.

I will strut through these forums just not giving a fuck till the banhammer hits me.

Count yourself fortunate. I wish I had more courage.

 

[Guffe]

Hi, Escapists!

Despite having been a forum-goer for several years now, I still find myself mildly tense when it comes to writing a post, creating a new thread or in some cases, writing/responding to a PM.

I'm not entirely sure why this is - perhaps a fear of what people will think, or that I won't communicate my ideas properly? - but it's an interesting occurrence, and one I feel can't be too uncommon given how similar it is to social anxiety, something which seems to be a lot more common nowadays.

Does anyone else ever feel this way when browsing the Escapist, or indeed any other forums you may frequent? Do you have any insight as to why this happens to you?

There, quoted you, what you gonna do now?

On Topic:
Making threads is something I have only done very rarely, why? I don't know, but answering and wuoting is something I don't mind at all.

Captcha: Angel Wings, coincidence?

 

[Natasha_LB]

My post count probably gives it away : (

I've been here a long time, but I'm very rarely confident enough to post. It's interesting to see that this affects other people as well, I thought perhaps is was a spill over from my general anxiety, but the fact that other people have it suggest that it's something more.

Any tips on over coming anxiety? Right now I have 2 threads I want to post in, and even though I need a cigarette, I'm to scared to leave my room because my housemates are home : (

 

[Something Amyss]

Yeah. But I have social anxiety irl too so it's only natural it would affect me online somewhat.

See, online interaction does not affect me as actual physical or even phone interaction does.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I occasionally stop writing and close the window because I've either lost interest or I'm just reiterating points made 17 times on the first page but I never get anxiety or a fear that people won't care what I say. People always care about what I have to say.

 

[MBaskerville]

I always heavily revise a forum post before it ever reaches the internet. Just to make sure that I'm consistent in my opinions ect, once you get to know a few people on a forum I usually relax a bit.

 

[Yuno Gasai]

Any tips on over coming anxiety? Right now I have 2 threads I want to post in, and even though I need a cigarette, I'm to scared to leave my room because my housemates are home : (

Something I neglected to mention in my OP is that I've suffered from social anxiety in the past, and to a lesser degree, still have it now. When I first developed it, it was really bad - I ended up dropping out of college and essentially becoming a hermit for a few years. I don't remember exactly how I started getting over it, but a few things that helped me were:

> Music. It can be incredibly empowering, and gives you something to focus on instead of whatever you happen to be worrying about at the time.
> Because I was usually afraid of vomiting in public, I used to always carry a bottle of water with me. I found that sipping water helped to calm me down when I started to panic.
> If you find yourself overanalyzing a situation to the point where you're talking yourself out of doing something, stop. If just stopping that thought process doesn't work, promise yourself you'll worry about it later. It sounds crazy, but it works. (And you usually forget to worry about it afterwards.)
> Moral support! Whether that comes in the form of friends or family, it's nice to know that you have people fighting your corner if things start to go wrong.

 

[Johnny Impact]

I don't know if it's as much anxiety as it is a mentality of "Eh, why bother".

It's usually me thinking, "Nobody's going to read it, nobody's going to care. Why am I wasting my time with this?"

Says the man with seven thousand posts.

OT: Depends on the day and the question. I'm always a bit nervous expressing myself. I hold many unpopular views and am nowhere near as good with words as I would like.