less nervous around people when you were younger

Post Reply New Topic

Were you less nervous around people when you were younger such as when you were a kid? For me I find this was the case. When I was a kid, I wasn't nervous around anyone, I could pretty much talk, be friends, and socialize with just about anyone, now it's the opposite. The change pretty much happened when I was in middle school. Now I get nervous around almost anyone, even people that aren't really that judgmental. Has that happened with you too?

Absolutely. When I was younger I was much more confident and much less self-conscious than I am now. I find that I've become somewhat of a nervous wreck over the last couple of years, and I can't just hang out with a group of people the way that I used to.

I was pretty extroverted child. I was talking to everyone everywhere I went. I didn't care about the "Don't talk to strangers!" or "Act properly for your age!" or "Adults talk now. Be quiet." at all. I was 5 year old and talked to my moms friends as an equal. I couldn't understand why should I use the "Miss/Mister" thing instead of a "you" (in our language you show respect by addressing people by their status, a child is not allowed to use "you" when speaking to an adult) and wait till they ask me something before getting to the talk.

It changed when I went to school. About 3rd year of primary school I guess - I was bullied a lot at that time so I closed myself to survive. In middle school it got only worse.

But right now, as an adult I am slowly getting back to my old self. I will never be an perfect extrovert again but at least I am on a good way to get rid of my social phobia.

Yes.

I was MORE nervous around people when I was younger. I did not have the coping skills I do now. I have learned to be able to tell if someone is tired of what I'm saying. Before, I didn't know what the heck to do in social situations, so I made mistakes, and became nervous afterwards. Now, with the knowledge which I gained, I'm less nervous in initiating social interactions.

However, when I was a child (ages 5 to 10), I was pretty bold in going up to people, asking them why they are fat, just saying "hi," etc.

Before age 5, I was nonverbal, with severe autistic-like symptoms; I lived in my old world. I didn't go up to people because I didn't know people existed.

Oh yes, I'd say I was much more confident in the younger years (before school came into the mix). I didn't have any frame of reference for social cues nor was I really aware that people would react a certain way if I did things socially unacceptable, so I was more free to be spontaneous. That's much lesser now that I know the customs. Still pretty draining either way.

I was very spontaneous and extroverted as a young child. My mom talks about it all the time- she still thinks I must be the same way because I stopped living with her in elementary school to go live with my dad, so she didn't see any of my changes. As I got older, I became increasingly nervous about social situations and other people as I discovered people didn't like me for one reason or another and I had bad experiences. The social anxiety grew huge and peaked sometime in high school or college. Then over the past few years, it has been getting better as I have become more confident in myself and put myself out there more. I think people still feel like I am a little weird, but I imagine it is less noticeable than when I was even more awkward from all my anxiety and nervousness!

Yes I was totally less nervous around people as a child and in general happy kid, but then I was young and saw no differences despite my mistakes.

I didn't talk to anyone except my parents until about 4th grade. I was less nervous in 4th and It lasted until around 8th or 9th grade and now I'm back to being extremely quiet, but I talk more than I did than before 4th grade