In Need of Advice wrote:
I'm a university student who is currently training competitively on my own. I have not been medically diagnosed but I think I have some very mild social anxiety and don't have much self confidence. I have a poor self image and have been isolating myself on the whole in college. I've told myself I'm just being more "independent" and don't care about the company of others anymore but I don't know what I really feel.
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What's wrong with me LR. Any life advice? Sorry for the novel.
First, don't sell yourself short. You seem thoughtful, articulate, and honest about who you are. Over the long haul, these are attractive qualities, rarer than you might suppose, and much more valuable than the ability to banter about football or engage in drinking games.
I agree with those who recommend some form of talk therapy. The label of your therapist (counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or something else) probably doesn't matter much; the human connection is more important. I do believe that it's useful to have access to other forms of therapy, including drug therapy, especially since you've described feelings and behaviors that are consistent with some level of chronic depression or social anxiety disorder, but I'm not sure that you need that from your therapist (although I would tend to be skeptical about a therapist who completely discounts drug therapy). From the outset, you need to recognize that this is a long-term process; just as you cannot reasonably expect to transform yourself into a competitive runner with a few one-hour sessions, you cannot reasonably expect to alter life-long thought patterns in a few one-hour sessions. Just be glad that you're starting to take steps earlier than many people with similar problems do.
At this point, I don't think that your running is a big problem, since you seem to recognize that running is never going to substitute for the much more difficult tasks of changing self-image, overcoming social anxiety, discovering passions, and applying yourself to tough academic and occupational assignments. At some point, I think that you may want to reconsider your decision to train and race on your own rather than on a team, simply because you may find it easier to develop social relationships through a common interest in which you already have some level of competence and self-confidence, but perhaps this is not yet the right time for that.
I hope that you'll stop by occasionally and let us know how things are going. Good luck.