Social Anxiety Disorder

One of my favorite lines in the movie Blast from the Past is when Adam goes back to the fall out shelter and tells his parents he has to bring supplies down very fast because he believes, "A psychiatrist may be chasing him." Not good to have a psychiatrist chasing us in life.

It's amazing how many people I meet with social anxiety disorder. My current social anxiety disorder is getting together with those who have social anxiety disorders…LOL.

It's getting people to come out of their shells sort of like turtles or hermit crabs. It's usually people who don't connect at a church, at work, a party, or when they were growing up in school socially. Those who did not attend an away college did not get the chance to experience the social life in college.

Adam leaves a fall out shelter where he has been living in a bubble for 35 years with his parents. He lacks social skills and does not understand current technology. For me to try to convince some men or women to try online dating who lost a spouse when they were married in their 20's, is like teaching Adam how to get on a computer he has never seen.

Many people live in a bubble and for some it's like a shell. They are in their own world of family. My roommate from China says a boyfriend and girlfriend get together, and they leave humanity.

My former husband had social anxiety disorder and he did not contribute to my connecting at church at times as far as he wanted to run out and go watch sports on Sunday. There were times we would stay and talk to some couples and have coffee or attend a church pitch in, but most of the time when I suggested as a young Christian he go to a Bible study or men's prayer breakfast, it was like I was asking him to go get a tooth pulled.

I watched a video a friend posted about a dad who had social anxiety disorder so he took it out on his daughter, he chained her in her room, only gave her liquid food, and as a child she had the mental capacity of an infant.

I've met some parents that have extreme views of home schooling that totally isolate their children from society. Paul told us that we are not to leave this world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 1 Cor. 5:9-10

My heart was heavy yesterday at church when I found out a widow Sheryl passed away after around 10 months of losing her husband. I feel bad about it because I wrote her phone number down, lost it, than I got her number again when she fell at church in the front entrance a few Sundays ago. I did not call her until last Monday when it was too late.

I have a tendency to be Florence Nightingale and I can't help every widow, but I can certainly help those that God brings across my path that want help. Many of them suffer from social anxiety disorder. She told me that no one understands her. Most likely she died from a broken heart.

Number one rule in life don't seek to be understood seek to understand. Don't seek comfort, seek to console. I've been ministered to when I wanted to help a man who lost his mother. I heard a minister say it's the enemy's goal to make us feel like we don't fit in, besides we should not go on how we feel. I never felt like I fit in my church for five years, we just dug our fox hole and defended our turf. We were the only large blended family in the church. But we both volunteered to help out with children's church while our children were young and teen socials.

Reminds me of that song, “Bind us together Lord, with cords that cannot be broken.” God bind us together.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccl. 4:12

There are first response teams in a crisis. It’s like a paramedic only they are paramedics spiritually. I’m the second response team. Many people helped out with the clean up crisis for Katrina, but more charitable (Christian) organizations have been there for the long term by rebuilding. In the Bible it talks about being a repairer of the breach. So although I’ve tried to help many widows, and I can’t seem to break through, I missed it on this one that may have wanted/needed my help.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12

For those of us who were “equally yoked” with a believer, it’s more difficult to move on with our lives compared to a divorce, but it’s not impossible. All things are possible with God.