I've been off of work for the past 4 weeks due to surgery, and I haven't been around a lot of people. Now, the thought of being around people makes me anxious. It's like the more I'm away from people the worse it gets
It could be social anxiety it's very common. I'm sort of both ways I'm fine with people I know and I'd rather not be on my own but when I'm around new people makes me very nervous. I have avoided so many things for so long and this does not help if anything makes it worse. I suffer with health anxiety
Social anxiety can hit you at any time if you have a tendency to get anxious/worried. I realized I had it after quite a while not realizing I had, because every time I socialised I generally had a drink - beer or wine - not much, just enough to feel more relaxed when I started socialising. I got so used to this that I thought it was just normal.
Now I get anxious about seeing people in alot of situations, and the less I go out the worse it is. Its really important to try to break this cycle. I find that after I have made the effort to see people, usually its not half as bad as I thought it would be.
Hello renee43478
First of all if you wouldn't mind me asking, what was the surgery for and where were you in that 4 weeks recovery time? I'm asking because I want to know if there's a possibility that your anxiety was caused by the operation or if you were in isolation in that 4 weeks. Are there any physical changes in your body caused by the surgery? It's common to acquire social anxiety once you've your confidence had been drastically reduced. I would suggest that you keep your friends and relatives close and have continuous interaction with them. Once your confident is back your anxiety will alleviate.