When did your anxiety first start?

[CeCe]

14

[Anteros]

Oooh, good thread topic!

I'd say around 13-15. One day I just became really self-conscious about sounding "stupid," even around friends I'd known for years. It all went down hill from there - to the classic symptoms like feeling like everyone was looking at me when I walked into a room, or whenever someone laughed it was because of me. Awful times!

I'm so glad that I've finally gotten past that. I credit age, experience and my job - it's very social, and has given me a lot of exposure.

I still have anxiety, but I've come a long way. I'm pretty functional.

[L]

I don't really know, I feel it was always there

[Cage]

I think it was always their, just noticed it was not normal around 7 or so.

[Arcadia]

I can recall being overwhelmed by anxiety in elementary school..even over little things. It did not become unmanageable until my early twenties. I missed out on my twenties and all the fun peers seem to have had/ are having.

[Katie]

threads like this make me feel like people understand me here. i've had anxiety for about 10 or more yrs.

[JustGaara]

My general issues with anxiety started when I was 11. My issues with social anxiety started my freshman year of HS, when I was 13-14.

[Grand Jete]

I was always shy, but I don't think I really had social anxiety until 17 or 18.

[CaduceusGUILT]

Since I was 8, but it only really started bothering me in the last couple of years.

[Yellow]

When I started highschool, so 15

[Dane]

I had anxiety and OCD type issues since I was about 8, but I didn't develop severe anxiety until just after I graduated college, so I answered 18-25.

It stayed with me for quite a few years, until I started taking Paxil. Now it's quite a bit better.

[colleen]

Not until after I graduated high school. Before then I was just shy and reserved.

[WineKitty]

As long as I can recall although it got noticeably bad during and after high school. I am better now than I was in my 20s but still have anxiety issues. And I believe I always will. It's learning how to deal with them, I do alright for the most part. But there is plenty of room for improvement.

[Marleywhite]

since i was 8

[SmileyFace]

strangely, my anxiety esp first showed up some time after i started college...