text: does anyone out there have really bad social anxiety? if u do how does it affect u? and what do u do to get rid of it? is there a way to sole this problem with out going to a doctor? i'm social phobic too. some days are worse than others but generally, every time i leave my home and put myself in a social situation (even if it's just going to the local corner store) my mind is racing with thoughts about people looking at me, judging me or waiting for me to make some sort of embarrassing mistake. no matter how much i tell myself how irrational these thoughts are, it still doesn't take away the anxiety. it has affected my life and still does to a certain extent. there are a couple of things you can do about it. you can go see your doctor and he/she will put you on an anti-anxiety medication like paxil or something similar to it and maybe even give you something to deal with acute anxiety too, like clonazepam. just make sure you research the side effects of anything your doctor puts you on because with anti-anxiety meds, you do have options. (i know what you're thinking....this means you have to sit in the waiting room at the doctor's office and even worse yet, you have to walk through the door not knowing how many people are going to be looking at you). the other thing that you'll find helpful is to establish a comfortable place outside of your home, like a park or a daily trip through the drive-through at a coffee shop. the reason for this is that it will expand your comfort zone. it's tough to do at first but locking yourself up in your home will only amplify your anxiety when you do have to go out. familiarity goes a long long way. you might always feel anxious when you go somewhere and it feels even worse when you have to go somewhere. don't psych yourself up about it, just do it......and remember, you're not alone dealing with this sort of thing. hope this helps!