Any other PhD students getting time anxiety?

Question

Let me explain. I’m a second year student and I’m sharing an office with about 10 other people. We all get on and it’s great now that everyone managed to make it back thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions.

The thing is I have pretty bad social anxiety and I’m also very obsessive over timings, like I have set timing in which a piece of work must be completed on that specific day so on the outside it looks like Im being really rude but in reality I have social and time anxiety?

How can I learn to chill a bit and be more relaxed?

Answer 1

First see if you can find a counsellor to talk to about methods to ease anxiety. But these sorts of things come slowly and with some effort. They are unlikely to just go away unless you put some effort into it.

Start slow. Talk to a few people. Have coffee with one or two at your invitation. Make a plan with small steps and practice.

I'm naturally very introverted and that cost me a lot at one point in my studies. Over time, however, I learned to interact with people so that few of my current acquaintances would suspect that introversion. I know others who have done the same.

One famous computer scientist joined a theatre group to learn how to play a role when needed. He is now easy to talk to but, IIRC, was once pretty closed off. Small steps repeated frequently and consciously.

I have no training in this, but just someone who went through some of what you describe. And, yes, many people, probably including some of your officemates, might have some of the same issues