I have social anxiety, and this makes RP difficult. Being around other people makes me nervous, and approaching others to talk is practically impossible. But I'm not even bad at socializing, I just find it very scary to initiate anything! Most of the time this isn't really a problem, as all of my hobbies (gardening, art, writing) can be done alone. However, it's impossible to RP with yourself, because then that's just writing!
I've always struggled with RP because finding others is such a difficult task. When I manage to find some people (more like them finding me, lol) it's fun, but that's really only happened a few times. I haven't really tried in a few years, but now I'm willing to give RP another shot, and would like to see if anyone else has some tips.
Do you deal with social anxiety? If so, what do you do to find friends to start roleplaying with?
Thanks for reading!
I've always struggled with RP because finding others is such a difficult task. When I manage to find some people (more like them finding me, lol) it's fun, but that's really only happened a few times. I haven't really tried in a few years, but now I'm willing to give RP another shot, and would like to see if anyone else has some tips.
Do you deal with social anxiety? If so, what do you do to find friends to start roleplaying with?
Thanks for reading!
Hi Hexarth,
I can empathise as I've got social anxiety as well, although it manifests for me far more in face-to-face and instant messenger settings.
I treat forum posts like writing a letter out into the unknown, rather than having it feel as direct if that makes sense! It has a sense of wonder and delight about it, because we're all here on this site with one thing in common. And I can also spend time on each post, without feeling pressured, which is really nice.
I also find that sometimes, making a 'looking for' thread is much easier than approaching someone in theirs because you can focus on what you want, rather than worrying if you fulfil the criteria for someone else.
However, I do think it's good to occasionally push your comfort zone in that respect, especially when you see somebody who you feel would make a perfect match! If we all stick to our own 'looking for' threads in the way I've mentioned above, less people would match, after all.
The more posts you make reaching out to others in their threads, the more you get used to it, and remember that people wouldn't post in the 'Looking for RP' forum if they didn't want people to RP with. 
If there's one thing I've learnt (both online and in-person), it's that the daunting "what if"s that my brain conjures up almost never happen, and I've generally been pleasantly surprised by how lovely people are. I don't know if this is helpful in any way at all, but I thought I should share my experience regardless just in case.
I can empathise as I've got social anxiety as well, although it manifests for me far more in face-to-face and instant messenger settings.
I treat forum posts like writing a letter out into the unknown, rather than having it feel as direct if that makes sense! It has a sense of wonder and delight about it, because we're all here on this site with one thing in common. And I can also spend time on each post, without feeling pressured, which is really nice.
I also find that sometimes, making a 'looking for' thread is much easier than approaching someone in theirs because you can focus on what you want, rather than worrying if you fulfil the criteria for someone else.
However, I do think it's good to occasionally push your comfort zone in that respect, especially when you see somebody who you feel would make a perfect match! If we all stick to our own 'looking for' threads in the way I've mentioned above, less people would match, after all.
The more posts you make reaching out to others in their threads, the more you get used to it, and remember that people wouldn't post in the 'Looking for RP' forum if they didn't want people to RP with. If there's one thing I've learnt (both online and in-person), it's that the daunting "what if"s that my brain conjures up almost never happen, and I've generally been pleasantly surprised by how lovely people are. I don't know if this is helpful in any way at all, but I thought I should share my experience regardless just in case.
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