jdhendricks
Puritan Board Freshman
Hi everyone,
My name is Joel. This is my first post to the Puritan Board, and hopefully it doesn't digress too far from what this forum is mostly intended for. I have really enjoyed perusing through many different threads from you guys on here, ranging from all sorts of different topics, though, I have yet to participate in these discussions and leave comments. The topic that I want to bring to your attention today is social anxiety. Just to provide some brief context to this, I will start by saying that I have personally struggled with this issue for much of my life (I'm a 21-year-old student in college). I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Reformed Baptist church, and had a Christian education through Bob Jones University's homeschooling curriculum. Eventually, my parents stopped homeschooling for various reasons, and I started going to a public high school instead. My social anxiety was especially bad during that time. I would be so stressed out and anxious sometimes that I would skip classes and stay in the library to avoid the discomfort. My missed attendances landed me in detention a few times, but I never told anyone that I struggled with this, because I felt so embarrassed by it. I feared that others would see my anxiety and that they would dislike me or disesteem me for it. As I have grown older, much of this anxiety has thankfully subsided, but it is nevertheless still there, albeit less severe. I currently take medications for it and for another condition that I was diagnosed with at the tail end of my senior year in high school. There may be other relevant details to this that I have forgotten to mention, so if you need any clarifications, feel free to ask. My question to you guys is whether I should look at this issue of social anxiety as being a spiritual problem, or solely a physical problem, or a combination of both. Also, is social anxiety the same as/related to the fear of man? And what practical things would you guys recommend that I do about it? Thanks!
My name is Joel. This is my first post to the Puritan Board, and hopefully it doesn't digress too far from what this forum is mostly intended for. I have really enjoyed perusing through many different threads from you guys on here, ranging from all sorts of different topics, though, I have yet to participate in these discussions and leave comments. The topic that I want to bring to your attention today is social anxiety. Just to provide some brief context to this, I will start by saying that I have personally struggled with this issue for much of my life (I'm a 21-year-old student in college). I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Reformed Baptist church, and had a Christian education through Bob Jones University's homeschooling curriculum. Eventually, my parents stopped homeschooling for various reasons, and I started going to a public high school instead. My social anxiety was especially bad during that time. I would be so stressed out and anxious sometimes that I would skip classes and stay in the library to avoid the discomfort. My missed attendances landed me in detention a few times, but I never told anyone that I struggled with this, because I felt so embarrassed by it. I feared that others would see my anxiety and that they would dislike me or disesteem me for it. As I have grown older, much of this anxiety has thankfully subsided, but it is nevertheless still there, albeit less severe. I currently take medications for it and for another condition that I was diagnosed with at the tail end of my senior year in high school. There may be other relevant details to this that I have forgotten to mention, so if you need any clarifications, feel free to ask. My question to you guys is whether I should look at this issue of social anxiety as being a spiritual problem, or solely a physical problem, or a combination of both. Also, is social anxiety the same as/related to the fear of man? And what practical things would you guys recommend that I do about it? Thanks!
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