Social Anxiety

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Now, social gatherings are a different animal. I really don't like going to parties where you have to break into social conversations and stand there with a drink in your hand. I pretty much just stand by myself the whole time. I was just at a fundraiser party last week, and I stood there like a doofus the whole time because everyone was broken up into groups of two or three people and they were all these "society people" who know each other and it was loud and there were no other people standing around that I could talk to.

You sound a lot like me. I, too, had anxiety earlier, and I conquered it as I became a teacher and had to be in front of people constantly. Since then, I actually enjoy being in front of people and use the same preparation techniques as you do (don't memorize, have talking points/outline, etc...).

I, too, hate those sorts of cocktail parties and find myself having to attend them more and more as I get older. I usually find a person or two to talk to (often the bartender, hah), and just spend the majority of the evening chatting with them.