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This one hits me hard, I'm in a very similar situation right now. After finally overcoming social anxiety to the point I could get out I was starting to finally

This one hits me hard, I'm in a very similar situation right now. After finally overcoming social anxiety to the point I could get out I was starting to finally build some connections, but now it pretty much seems hopeless. By the time this is all over and society resumes I will be pretty far past the cutoff point for fixing my social life and still managing to be relatively "normal"

Trasmatta 6y ago
> I will be pretty far past the cutoff point for fixing my social life and still managing to be relatively "normal" There's no cutoff for this, and don't let anyone else decide what's "normal" for you. Or barring that, don't let other people's perceptions of normal prevent you from doing what you need to in order to be happy.
- closeparen 6y ago
  People you want to form relationships with are going to have expectations of your experience, skill, and maturity levels that increase with age. You’re going to find fewer people willing to tolerate your adolescence at 45 than you will at 25. Beating yourself up over “normal” isn’t helpful, but this is a real problem.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - Trasmatta 6y ago
    I'm not discounting the challenges, just the idea of some arbitrary "cutoff" where relationships (romantic or otherwise) are no longer possible. Certain things might become harder as you get older, but there's never a cutoff (and some things might actually become easier). (I originally responded with a different message that I deleted, since it looks like you edited your message in such a way that my original reply wasn't super applicable anymore.)
grasshopperpurp 6y ago
>By the time this is all over and society resumes I will be pretty far past the cutoff point for fixing my social life and still managing to be relatively "normal" It's like anything else you want. Put the work in; enjoy the process; and don't get frustrated when progress isn't linear. The more you get in your head, the harder the work will seem, the less you'll enjoy it, and the further what you want will seem.

Trasmatta 6y ago

> I will be pretty far past the cutoff point for fixing my social life and still managing to be relatively "normal" There's no cutoff for this, and don't let anyone else decide what's "normal" for you. Or barring that, don't let other people's perceptions of normal prevent you from doing what you need to in order to be happy.

closeparen 6y ago
People you want to form relationships with are going to have expectations of your experience, skill, and maturity levels that increase with age. You’re going to find fewer people willing to tolerate your adolescence at 45 than you will at 25. Beating yourself up over “normal” isn’t helpful, but this is a real problem.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- Trasmatta 6y ago
  I'm not discounting the challenges, just the idea of some arbitrary "cutoff" where relationships (romantic or otherwise) are no longer possible. Certain things might become harder as you get older, but there's never a cutoff (and some things might actually become easier). (I originally responded with a different message that I deleted, since it looks like you edited your message in such a way that my original reply wasn't super applicable anymore.)

grasshopperpurp 6y ago

>By the time this is all over and society resumes I will be pretty far past the cutoff point for fixing my social life and still managing to be relatively "normal" It's like anything else you want. Put the work in; enjoy the process; and don't get frustrated when progress isn't linear. The more you get in your head, the harder the work will seem, the less you'll enjoy it, and the further what you want will seem.