Age has also brought a deeper understanding for me. I was shy because I was very sensitive to loud noises and bright lights - they overwhelm me. Not in a psych

Age has also brought a deeper understanding for me. I was shy because I was very sensitive to loud noises and bright lights - they overwhelm me. Not in a psychological sense but in a raw sensory overload type way. The gain on my brain is set quite high and the hustle and bustle of school completely overwhelmed me everyday, year after year. That led me to believe I was socially completely incapable - which led to social anxiety. Once I was able to understand and not shame myself for needing quiet everything started to change. I now know that I fear parties and pubs not because of the people so much as because of the overstimulation. The social anxiety is an extra layer over that - and that falls away with age and acceptance of my biological nature. Do you lose the ability to think and speak in social settings? Like everything becomes utterly confusing? Does it not happen in more intimate gatherings - low light, small room only a few people even though they are strangers? Then you might be dealing not with social anxiety, but with overstimulation. Overstimulation cannot be beaten, it is a raw innate characteristic of your mind, great for some things bad for others.