Quote Originally Posted by BigSkinny87 View Post
I was wondering if any of the seasoned fighters or boxing enthusiasts have any advice for over-coming mental anxiety in the gym.

I by nature, am a pretty shy person. I also suffer from social anxiety, even despite my physical stature which is 6'3" 205lbs. I am 23 years-old and have been boxing for about 2 years now.

In the gym I tend to feel awkward when shadowboxing. I know I need to prep my mind for what I should be focused on, technique, footwork, combos, but I feel like every one is watching me even though I know they are not. Self-conscious, too damn self-conscious

Where I go is a relatively small gym. I also have a hard time with getting in the ring and sparring. As a boxing student, I get timid and feel like I don't want to hurt the other person. I tend to wait for punches to come and get hit a few times before I start firing back and going on the offensive.

How do I go about getting over these issues. It's a boxing gym. It's a sport. You hit people. You get hit. How do I take the personal feelings out of the equation?

Unfortunately this un-easiness is something I suffer from in any social event, or in groups of big people.

Thank you in advance!
Its like that with any new place you go to and your meeting new people, once you get to know people your be fine. I was the same too when i started boxing, and also when i first started high school.

And i haven't got anxiety, but i was shitting bricks both times. Because you feel unsure and your not comfortable with people you don't know or new surrondings. Its just human nature.

Your be fine and in the end your be thinking to yourself, what the hell was i worrying about in the first place, good luck bro.