Would love to do group content, but too afraid to. For those that suffer from social anxiety, how do you play? Do you just join groups to break out of your shell or do you roll up in a ball and go solo? Need some tips. Would appreciate it.
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Turn off chat/tab over to another chat window (like your combat log) and don’t change it back 'til after the run is done.
Remember, you (not some rando) pays your sub.
Enjoy your life.
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Meds and certain gummies mostly lol
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If the group doesn’t go well I take comfort knowing I’ll likely never see those people again and if I do I can just ignore them if they’re toxic!
Queued content like LFR and normal/heroic dungeons are so easy that the group often doesn’t care if you’re even there. I know I’ve pulled with a person or two afk on an LFR boss (“meh, close enough, let’s go…”). You can use that to get more comfortable.
Helps if you can find a chill guild as well.
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oh seeing you say that, I gotta take my meds.
Ty for that.
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meow. i just do random groups for world quests and stuff sometimes mainly just world bosses and do random bgs on alts that’s all the grouping i do with strangers. i can’t socialize anymore i am just too broken by my own hand.
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nobody ever talks in dungeons so you will be OK.
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What about therapy?
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Well that too but therapy ain’t really an option for everyone. I dunno your money situation but if you can afford it, try it.
Another majority is just gently exposing yourself to social situations.
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My social anxiety is mostly offline, and I’m usually pretty ok online thankfully. I can function at least. What sort of group content are you interested in? If it’s just normal or heroic or timewalking dungeons, you can probably just tab over to the combat log tab and not talk to anyone if you feel worried about it, most people don’t talk anyway.
I feel like LFR is usually a good place to just talk and joke around (unless doing an endboss where everyone is mad from 8 wipes or whatever)
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I’d join a guild, but my social anxiety makes it hard to join one. I have personal guilds, though. I’m gonna have to break out of my shell for that one. Thanks. 
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I had a lot of anxiety playing PVP multiplayer in this game initially. I didn’t know what kind of responses I was gonna get and figure people would pick up quickly that I was new. And being new in a 13 year old game…
Obviously WoW was not my first multiplayer experience. In fact, StarCraft and Warcraft 2 gave me terrible anxiety. I knew how to play the game. I knew the combat, but I didn’t know what to expect from other people.
And honestly for me, the only thing that ever made it better if you could say that because it’s not 100%… is that I just kept doing more of the same content until I can slightly be desensitized.
Even now I’m worried about people start to message me or say ugly things, but then, with the recent introduction of the social contract I know that there’s leverage on my side against all these toxic players.
I never really played anything competitively, except for in battlefield 2. But I just got into a zone or a mental space.
I have my favorite music going. I had the guys in the background yelling, and what not on teamspeak. And I learned to dish back the same bad behaviors that they were giving to me. Probably NOT the most productive thing in the world, but it was one form of coping.
Eventually, though I was just tap out. Mentally exhausted. And I would go play a single player game or not do any games for several hours after.
World of Warcraft is different and that I have a lot more control over my interaction. No matter what kind of group Content it is.
I don’t take any medication. Unless you count monster energy drinks. It is a daily, hourly, minute by minute struggle that I have to just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. I’ve told myself endlessly I’m not gonna be trapped in my head by what others may say or think about me.
And the best part is if it’s uncomfortable there’s always the exit or quit button. Games, allow me to role-play interactions infinitely better than in the real world. But it still doesn’t give me the over abundance of fortitude to face others.
If any of this makes sense. 
Y’all want to know a secret? Writing on this forum in the beginning in 2018. I was absolutely terrified and anxious of having conversations with other people. Especially if someone disagrees with me.
Now, if it just gets toxic, I don’t respond back. I’m not going to be like others and try to engage in a battle of wits. I can’t expect everyone to like me
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Meds don’t work for my social anxiety. It did in the past, but not anymore for some darn forsaken reason.
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We cant be lowering the bar on social a anxiety to a game. You gotta at least go to the post office or somethinfg
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Body gets used to medicine after a while.
Nowadays there exist free resources like ChatGPT that can do about 70% of what therapy can do for you which is better than nothing. You can tell it whatever you want and at the end just ask, “What questions do you have for me right now that can help me heal?” And it can provide you with relevant tips and expose you to perspectives which might not be immediately obvious. It will tell you the extremely vague advice to get help and talk to a professional.
The reason is that the 30% it can’t do is be a real person who cares about you and sees you and supports you. But the good news is that even untrained friends can help you do this. But remember, try to support that friend as much as they support you or else the friendship is not going to be a sustainable.
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I dunno, just try it and see. It’s not so bad. Like talking on here, nobody can see you and you can’t see them.
And this might sound stupid but I mostly see myself through my character and play as their personality in the game more than just be “me”. You know what I mean?
Be a night elf. Nobody will know you were actually a human or something.
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Hi! I have a severe anxiety problems which I WoW helped me overcome way back during launch. It was definitely a better help than all the medications I was put on. Nowadays I have very little social anxiety but still panic from time to time.
Feel free to DM me and I can make a group for us and any like minded people who have suffered from anxiety! I’d love to do that for folks.
It does get better, I promise!
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Any group content. My social anxiety is high when it comes to being online. I don’t know why, but it is what it is. It’s hard to do group content and being kicked. I’ve been kicked before and it felt terrible, unfortunately.
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Sorry, I don’t mean to be extremely nosey but I am. This comment sounds like you might have some attachment issues, (not your fault btw) and maybe an isolated upbringing or recent years?
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