camgirls with anxiety?

[Jimmy9]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of camgirls who say they suffer from anxiety, or are shy/introverted when off cam. I'm curious if there's something that draws people with these issues to camming, since it seems sort of contradictory to have a job which requires being social and extroverted.

 

[Gen]

A job that lets you work from home, choose your own hours, and ban anyone who stresses you out. I think camming can exacerbate anxiety in a lot of ways but it's a pretty good option.

Also for me, being on cam is a way different experience than being outgoing in person. In fact because I'm so shy, sometimes I need camming as a social outlet. It's a safer way to socialize for me, because barring a few trolls, everyone who is in my room presumably likes me in some way and wants to be around me. So even though I'm very shy in person, it's easy for me to be outgoing on cam.

Plus I think a lot of camgirls were "Internet people" before they started camming , like the type of people to hang out on forums and make Internet friends and stuff, and I think anxious/shy people are maybe more likely to be Internet people.

 

[Worship Jaclyn]

Camming is a social job but at least for me it doesn't cause any social anxiety. Some of my social anxiety comes from crowds, not knowing what's going to happen or what I'm going to say, and not being able to handle conflict. In that way camming truly is perfect. I get to be around people without having people in my actual person space bubble, I generally have a plan of what I'm going to do when I get online and usually there are enough people around to avoid awkward silences and there's no conflict, we have that handy little ban button. So it fills my desire for social interaction without giving me anxiety. Another thing is if you're introverted you need a lot of personal down time and camming offers that. Most camgirls make as much, some camgirls make more, than we would if we worked a typical full time job having to make small talk with people but we get to work less hours (not behind the scenes at home but actually online) so we aren't as mentally exhausted.

 

[mynameisbob84]

I'm only guessing, but I'd have to think that talking to people on the internet who you can't see, through a webcam, responding only to written word, is way, way different to real-world socialising with people who are in the same room as you.

 

[SaffronBurke]

I used to have a panic attack almost every time I took the bus because I was surrounded by too much noise, the co-mingling of a bunch of different body odor/soap/deodorant/perfume smells, and the inevitable fact that, on a crowded bus, you are going to have multiple people touching you, no matter what you do. And a crowded bus is loud enough that even if you wear "noise-canceling" headphones with the volume AND bass cranked all the way up, you can still hear people.

And, like Bob said, talking to words on a screen is WAY easier than interacting with people in the same room as you.

 

[JoleneBrody]

Everyone nailed it on the head perfectly but I also want to add, that being able to see yourself constantly while you're performing reduces much of the self conscious social anxiety.
I don't wonder if I look stupid because I'm looking right at myself and I can see with my own eyes that I look neato!

 

[LuckySmiles]

There's also something to be said for catering to words on a screen. I have shy moments but mostly medium-ly outgoing (scientific term,just made it up) person in real life...

but I'd struggle chatting around naked or masturbating in a room full of people with there wangs visible out staring at me. Know what I mean? With camming even though there's people in front of you and you know there's people in front of you,and you're interacting, there's still a weird kind of unawareness that people are actually staring at you. With the exception of member cams here and there You're talking to words on a screen in your bedroom. I don't really see it as something you need to be super outgoing to do.

related to that, maybe it's just me, but when members want you to watch a cam and their like "oh it's just my face" I get way more nervous(than just a peen haha). Like oh no now I can see you staring at me and read facial reactions and overanalyze your impression of me. Rather not.

 

[yummybrownfox]

maybe it's just me, but when members want you to watch a cam and their like "oh it's just my face" I get way more nervous(than just a peen haha). Like oh no now I can see you staring at me and read facial reactions and overanalyze your impression of me. Rather not.

It's not just you. This used to be one of my pet peeves. Guys insisting you watch their cam, and then when you do, all they're showing is their face staring at you. That's creepy as fuck to me, and I used to close out their webcam screen when they did that. I thought I was supposed to be watching you stroke your dick. Not watch you staring at me. :?

 

[Jimmy9]

Everyone nailed it on the head perfectly but I also want to add, that being able to see yourself constantly while you're performing reduces much of the self conscious social anxiety.
I don't wonder if I look stupid because I'm looking right at myself and I can see with my own eyes that I look neato!

That's interesting, I actually find that I'm more self conscious when I can see myself doing stuff. I guess that's something you'd get used to though when you're constantly on screen while camming.

 

[Amberlie_]

A job that lets you work from home, choose your own hours, and ban anyone who stresses you out. I think camming can exacerbate anxiety in a lot of ways but it's a pretty good option.

Also for me, being on cam is a way different experience than being outgoing in person. In fact because I'm so shy, sometimes I need camming as a social outlet. It's a safer way to socialize for me, because barring a few trolls, everyone who is in my room presumably likes me in some way and wants to be around me. So even though I'm very shy in person, it's easy for me to be outgoing on cam.

Plus I think a lot of camgirls were "Internet people" before they started camming , like the type of people to hang out on forums and make Internet friends and stuff, and I think anxious/shy people are maybe more likely to be Internet people.

^^ All of this!

 

[JoleneBrody]

Everyone nailed it on the head perfectly but I also want to add, that being able to see yourself constantly while you're performing reduces much of the self conscious social anxiety.
I don't wonder if I look stupid because I'm looking right at myself and I can see with my own eyes that I look neato!

That's interesting, I actually find that I'm more self conscious when I can see myself doing stuff. I guess that's something you'd get used to though when you're constantly on screen while camming.

It's not something I had to get used to because that's not the case for me, at least. I'm most self conscious when I can't see myself.

 

[Mox]

I have horrible anxiety. I have troubles going out in public alone, and at one point in my life, couldn't leave my apartment at all. When I tried, I would have to rush back inside and would cry for hours. How's that for issues?

Last year around this time, I decided to try out MFC. I wasn't very successful, and ended up stripping instead. I did notice that after the initial shakes I would warm up to my guests in the chat room. When I started stripping, I had no problem getting up on a stage in front of a crowd and taking my clothes off. I can't even dance worth a shit, but I did it anyway. In short, I notice I ooze confidence when I'm naked and the center of attention face-to-face; but when I have my clothes on it's the complete opposite and I struggle with anxiety, as well as panic attacks, constantly.
I'm not even that comfortable with my body! It's different for everybody, but I think I was sort of meant to be in the adult entertainment industry, if I didn't have my multiple medical problems I probably would have never discovered these jobs that I've enjoyed most!

 

[LaceyRoyce]

I'm also most self concious when i can't see myself. I'm often terrible on film when someone else is filming me - or photographing me. I was doing a photo shoot a while back that wasn't getting anywhere..when the photographer, an ex camgirl - had the bright idea of bringing out a mirror. As SOON as i could see myself - I immediately adjusted my poses instinctively...and the whole thing flowed much more naturally.

I'm also the type to check myself out in the car mirror, the shop windows etc.. i used to get told I was vain - really I just was trying to make sure I was presenting the version of myself I wanted to present.


I just want to put it out there - i suffer from sometimes extreme anxiety but it's not social anxiety. I get a normal amount of nerves with social interactions but nothing that requires medication or therapy. Camming is a way to escape from the things that do trigger me sometimes.


Mox talking about the difference between being on stage and camming - I have noticed with some dancers and stage performers who have tried to start camming thinking it will be similar - treating the room like an 'audience' way out there..and performing.. it doesnt work the same way. they come off awkward.. it doesnt flow.

The few times I've found myself in public on a stage, I was exactly the same. Stiff... and unnatural.

Basically I think they are two very different skillsets that on the surface may look alike. Some people are lucky enough to have both, but not everyone.

 

[Feyonce]

Mox talking about the difference between being on stage and camming - I have noticed with some dancers and stage performers who have tried to start camming thinking it will be similar - treating the room like an 'audience' way out there..and performing.. it doesnt work the same way. they come off awkward.. it doesnt flow.

Basically I think they are two very different skillsets that on the surface may look alike. Some people are lucky enough to have both, but not everyone.

This is a very interesting line of thinking @Miss_Lollipop. You said treating the room like an audience is wrong. What do you think is the best approach to treat a room? What are the two different skillsets?

 

[LaceyRoyce]

This is a very interesting line of thinking @Miss_Lollipop. You said treating the room like an audience is wrong. What do you think is the best approach to treat a room? What are the two different skillsets?

I don't think its 'wrong' persay .. but i think there's less of a 'fourth wall'... they are less removed from us.
There are situations where it sort of ..turns into an audience.. - during an artistic performance etc.. but then most of the time.. its a lot more interactive than that. On stage, people will ask their audience things etc in a lot of performances or lectures etc to get audience participation but its FAR less of a conversation. People can't just speak ..get an immediate response.


One of the ladies I have in mind was a girl i worked with a long time ago. She was not a cam model, but was interested in trying it - she was an experienced domme and a circus performer amongst other things. The hardest thing for her was keeping up with conversation. The first thing she told me was "WOW how do you pay attention to it all at once"... meaning she was confused about how i could pay attention to the girl i was with, how my body looked on cam, the activity i was doing on camera, the pms and the chat + noticing things like reward points, tips, tokens etc. She found responding to tips hard .. to guage..


It's hard for me to exactly paint the picture of what I mean, but i hope this comes across? One of the things I hate the most during my shows is when my entire room becomes a 'passive' audience. It gives me the same awkward feeling I get when i'm on stage. I thrive on the constant interaction and I think most camgirls do too.

 

[Feyonce]

It's hard for me to exactly paint the picture of what I mean, but i hope this comes across?

You stated this masterfully & made prefect sense! You're 100% right; interaction & the give and take with viewers is what sets the cam world apart from straight video porn.

Sometimes when the room gets quiet, I ask people why they come to a cam site as opposed to just looking at porn and every time- I get the answer of interactivity and that reminds them that they are just as much in charge of their experience as anyone.

 

[Lili_xo]

Yes I am very shy and a loner. What draws me to camming? I am an artist and love being on camera for one . But above all I love chatting with people cause is the only time I actually truly connect with people.Also I feel more in control and less scared when on camera- I can log off anytime...is not like that in real life. On camera there is always easy escape.Also when
you are a lucky camgirl and I think I am- you attract a lot of people who give
compliments and gifts and that does wonders to self esteem and just
in general feeling good about self and since am shy for starters because am not sure about myself well..I am alraedy getting addicted to camming because of it.

 

[BritneySiren]

I can't really work most normal jobs w/out getting freaked out. Even with cam if I'm just feeling off that day I can't do it... I'll come off a bit odd and aloof and won't b able to make conversation. I've recently started to type more which oddly enough has helped me feel less pressure but the anxiety is still there... it'll probably always be there. It's not so much talking to ppl but... the worry that everything wrong will happen. I have had those bad everyone is a dick days and I've made no money moments... I'm trying to learn to ease up on myself mentally a bit. It's still a takes a bit of effort to manage

 

[fatsmutpeddler]

I like working from home, I like being in charge of my time like that. In a lot of ways I feel less anxious when I'm putting on a 'show', if that makes sense? But there are times where if my nerves are a wreck then I have a hard time pushing myself to cam, sometimes it is too hard to fake it when you're having a bunch of panic attacks that day.

 

[dilligaf0]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of camgirls who say they suffer from anxiety, or are shy/introverted when off cam. I'm curious if there's something that draws people with these issues to camming, since it seems sort of contradictory to have a job which requires being social and extroverted.

It doesn't seem contradictory to me at all. Person to person interaction ( in real life ) is much different than camming. In reality (and not to belittle what cam models do) cammong is sitting alone in a room talking to yourself. When someone says something stupid, you can ignore them.

 

[AmberCutie]

camming is sitting alone in a room talking to yourself.

Which poses anxiety inducing issues of its own! I even get sorta weirded out talking to myself when no one is recording/watching and I'm home alone.

But to further this:

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of camgirls who say they suffer from anxiety, or are shy/introverted when off cam. I'm curious if there's something that draws people with these issues to camming, since it seems sort of contradictory to have a job which requires being social and extroverted.

I get very tense when I have to do anything out in the real world involving interaction with humans. It drains me to be out of my comfort zone and interacting with people (both on and off cam, though). But I think maybe for those of us with social anxieties, being on cam and chatting with people in the digital sense helps fulfill that part of us that DOES need some interaction and conversational feedback, while still allowing us the security blanket of being able to mute/block/ban those who make us uncomfortable or overstep boundaries.

While interacting online is easier I still need to take many days away from being in front of the cam each week to feel calm. Even digital interactions are draining though safer than in person ones.

 

[AnnieQt]

I'm also most self concious when i can't see myself. I'm often terrible on film when someone else is filming me - or photographing me. I was doing a photo shoot a while back that wasn't getting anywhere..when the photographer, an ex camgirl - had the bright idea of bringing out a mirror. As SOON as i could see myself - I immediately adjusted my poses instinctively...and the whole thing flowed much more naturally.

I always wondered why I could only take a good picture if I took it myself and this totally nailed it, thank you! I will have to get a mirror next time I try to have someone else take pics of me

One of the things I hate the most during my shows is when my entire room becomes a 'passive' audience. It gives me the same awkward feeling I get when i'm on stage.

You explained this feeling I had better than I had even understood it myself. When people stop talking it becomes less "hanging out and having fun" and more "oh god you're all just staring at me and now I'm totally overthinking everything I do" lol

Plus I think a lot of camgirls were "Internet people" before they started camming , like the type of people to hang out on forums and make Internet friends and stuff, and I think anxious/shy people are maybe more likely to be Internet people.

I also agree with everything GenXoXo posted. I played World of Warcraft and got a lot of my previous social interaction with my guilds and whatnot

 

[LunaLore]

A job that lets you work from home, choose your own hours, and ban anyone who stresses you out. I think camming can exacerbate anxiety in a lot of ways but it's a pretty good option.

Also for me, being on cam is a way different experience than being outgoing in person. In fact because I'm so shy, sometimes I need camming as a social outlet. It's a safer way to socialize for me, because barring a few trolls, everyone who is in my room presumably likes me in some way and wants to be around me. So even though I'm very shy in person, it's easy for me to be outgoing on cam.

Plus I think a lot of camgirls were "Internet people" before they started camming , like the type of people to hang out on forums and make Internet friends and stuff, and I think anxious/shy people are maybe more likely to be Internet people.

This is it exactly for me!

I am so, so, so very anxious. And not only that- but I'm quite anti-social.

And by that I mean I don't ever want to hang out with people physically. internet? Yes. IRL? Fuuuuuck no.

Camming is a very good way to get my social needs out of the way and still stay in my comfort zone. But at the same time since I'm playing "Internet hostess" it's helping me a lot with my anxiety as well. I'm getting more comfortable chatting with people irl. I know how to make small talk and I've gained a lot of confidence in me. Yes, I'm still anxious. Yes, I can still be anti-social. But it's really helping me a lot too! ^~^

 

[IndicaDesires]

Camming helps my anxiety. I can be productive from my own home and not have to deal with the public in general. And there are some days that leaving my apartment seems really overwhelming. If I had a different job, I'd be forced to work regardless. You can't call in as a server and say "sorry. My anxiety is too bad to come in today"

With camming I can take mental health days. Those are important.

Also, everything Gen said is on point. I'm definitely a big internet personality type of person. It's just easier that way.

Also, despite my anxiety, acting has always been something I enjoyed. And while I don't play a ROLE on cam or anything, I'm always just me, I still am able to feel like I'm performing. It's nice.

 

[SpankyHam]

WOW! I suffer from pretty severe social anxiety, finding that so many in this community suffer the same is pretty mind bending, but really makes sense when you think about it.I know for me starting conversations are really hard, but I have no problem once someone else starts, so I'm drawn to more " chatty " people. However, in my professional life I'm pretty confident, I have no problem getting out and going to work, but leaving the house to do normal stuff like shopping freaks me out. Perhaps the fact that you are working on cam helps, being " in control " so to speak ? I've spoken to so many models that say they are really shy IRL, I never really understood that until now.
Fucking psychology..................

 

[Mira_xo]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of camgirls who say they suffer from anxiety, or are shy/introverted when off cam. I'm curious if there's something that draws people with these issues to camming, since it seems sort of contradictory to have a job which requires being social and extroverted.

I suffer from pretty bad social anxiety (self diagnosed). Camming lets me create an environment where I control the situation by choosing when I work, what I do, and who can communicate with me. While sometimes, especially when there is a ton of discussion going on between the members, MFC stresses me out, it's nothing compared to being in a large shopping mall with hundreds of people where I would feel claustrophobic and anxious. I think any job that allows you to work from home attracts introverted people.
Edit: Editing to add the fact that I can feel successful and overcome my anxiety of not making money/not doing anything with my life/etc.

 

[RheaMelaina_R]

I've found that the cam community became a huge support group for me because so many other camgirls (and members) suffer from anxiety disorders. Its a place where I can outright say "I'm not feeling social today" and that's okay because most of them feel this way at some point. I feel like that's not the case in the outside world.. Where they're likely to try and force you into social situations when you're not feeling up to it. The community is so accepting and understanding. We all like to have a little more control over our social interactions. The rules of "normal" society are thrown out too most of the time. Its nice to express yourself and be admired and welcomed for it, instead of shamed. It can be an awesome self-esteem boost for models and members.

 

[AngelKisses00]

I also suffer from sever social anxiety and panic disorders, being a cam model seems to help it because I have control, I find that being able to control how the room goes and the conversation makes me feel more relaxed. Up until I cam across the cam world I could barely hold a job because my anxiety and panic attacks were so bad that even being in a small gas station would kick up an attack.

 

[jazzgeoff]

It seems you all generally find camming to be almost therapeutic when it comes to anxiety. I'm curious though, we all know guys on cam sites can be really cruel, does this affect anxiety for you, does it just make you angry? or do you just develope a thick skin and ignore it/ slap them with a ban. Or maybe a little bit of all of these things. Not that i need to make an example here, but was in a low ranked models room recently, she wasn't having a good day but trying to keep smiling and some douche comes into her room and says "I've decided to blow my wad over you today, congratulations" he was gone so fast i assumed she banned him, but i can't help but think when things arn't going your way, something like that just has to feel like a punch in the face.

 

[JackieMarie]

I have trouble making myself go to work. I've had it happen with every hourly job I've ever worked. I work somewhere a while, find reasons to say I like one aspect or another of the job. I build up a good amount of anxiety about working the same place every week and being on time (I'm perpetually late and having to work on a specified schedule really stresses me out). After a while of pretending I love my job and showing up consistently, I start to call in every other week. I'll get ready for work and start having a panic attack as I walk out the door and have to go inside and call in and calm myself down for a mental health day. Then after a month of that I'll get to the point where my alarm clock triggers my anxiety and I'll start crying and having a panic attack as soon as I wake up and realize I have to work. Then I realize I can't do it anymore and quit and look for another shitty job again. After so many cycles of that, my boyfriend explained to me what camming was and I immediately jumped into it. I never have to be on time for anything. I never have to rush, talk to people I don't like, answer to anyone. And I never have to make myself stop crying before I get online. Camming doesn't stress me out, and my introvert confidence is higher than ever. I honestly think it helped with my self worth and confidence a ton. Camming is bawss.