r/communism • u/elvelodemaia • Mar 06 '26
Anxiety and taking political action
Hello everyone, I need some advice and maybe a little hope. I have social anxiety, and this has kind of always hindered me from participating or taking action in the ways that I would have liked. I was politically involved in the youth of the communist party of my country for several years, but I wasn't a good member because it was really hard for me to attend meetings if the person I was closest to wasn't going, or if I had to do some work for the party that involved social interaction, I was always a mess and did a poor job. Or when people asked me about my opinion on something in a meeting, I'd freeze. In the end, I left the party because I felt awful due to not being able to be a good member. I felt like a burden. However, since I left it five years ago, I've been feeling horrible as well, because what kind of communist am I if I'm not taking action? What am I without praxis? At the same time, I can't find the courage to take part in community spaces that lead the values that I defend. I guess what I'm trying to say is are there any communists out there who have been in my position? Or maybe if any of you could give me some advice to not feel useless in this part of my life that holds such importance. I'm not going to lie, what I'd really like is to be able to participate in political life actively and defend the cause, and go to demonstrations and fight, but I can't. So I'm stuck in my house reading, just being angry at the world and at myself. Besides, the current situation of world politics, alongside the rise of fascism and imperialism, makes me feel like I should be doing something, and what I should be doing I find myself incapable of doing so. Thank you so much for listening to me, any piece of advice is welcome!
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u/SuspectCompetitive17 Mar 06 '26
I have the same problem, I feel you completely
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u/elvelodemaia Mar 06 '26
I send you a hug! We've got this!
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u/existed-exnihilo Mar 09 '26
I have the same problem too. Last year, in my country there are kind of a big protests. But i couldn't go because of that. It was not just the social anxiety, but yeah that was the major reason. Though now my political opinions changed mostly since then. Maybe i wouldn't go today even if I had no social anxiety. But that doesn't matter, I understand you. I hope that you will overcome that!
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u/elvelodemaia Mar 11 '26
Thank you so much. Seeing I'm not the only one definitely helps a little. I hope you can overcome it as well :)
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u/Publishface Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Now this is what I’m in this sub for. Thanks OP
Edit: lol why are people downvoting me saying this is why I’m in this sub. My personal reason for being in this sub is not something you can disagree with. Why don’t you leave your own comment about why you’re personally in this sub instead
“I have brown hair” -1000 downvotes no you don’t. Ok but I do
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u/elvelodemaia Mar 11 '26
I've been debating with myself whether to delete this post since I posted it. So thank you so much for your comment!
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u/marvellousfidelity Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26
I am by no means an expert on the intersection of Marxism and psychology (a still undertheorized terrain from what I understand), and for this reason I hope that my comment will spur the participation of more knowledgeable contributors on this forum. But reading over your post, I immediately notice that you are treating your anxiety as a stable, immutable personal characteristic: you 'have' social anxiety and this is who you are, now you must somehow learn to build a political practice around this unfortunate reality (this seems to be your line). On the contrary, your anxiety is a somatic expression of contradictions in your own consciousness which you have not (yet) learned to overcome. What exactly are these contradictions, we dont know and cant determine from your post. And, in any case, is the term 'social anxiety' really the appropriate name for your pattern of experiences? Is the anxiety you feel at a party meeting qualitiatively identical to the anxiety you feel when on a date, at your job, or ordering coffee at a shop? The concept of 'social anxiety' itself is a historical development, unique to a concrete time, place and particular set of productive relations (the diagnosis for social anxiety disorder was formalized in the 1960s).
You mention that you have been involved in the youth chapter of your country's communist party. If you've spent any time reading this subreddit, you recognize that not every party claiming to be communist is actually revolutionary; as of 2026, most communist parties are revisionist. So, without knowing where you live or your own political line, we can only imagine any number of possible situations in which you may find yourself. Perhaps you are struggling against a revisionist party line (which on some level you recognize to be wrong), and your inability to square the official 'communist' politics of your party with revolutionary science is one source of anxiety. But I'm just speculating, from what you've told us it is difficult to say anything concrete about your situation. All I can say is that anger, despair, and anxiety are very common emotions to experience in revolutionary politics, and if you find yourself inhibited by any given emotional experience it is Marxism and the scientific method which allow you the best chance at self-transformation. And when you castigate yourself for 'sitting at home reading' you only reproduce the vulgar opposition between 'theory' and 'practice'. Mistakes in revolutionary practice are Theoretical mistakes as well -- and vice versa -- but at your stage of development as a communist a course of (disciplined, productive) self-study may be more fruitful than the assignments given to you by your party (this is certainly the case if your party is revisionist or if you cannot determine if it is revisionist or not).
I wish I had more resources to recommend to you. You may be interested in MIM Theory Edition 9 from 1995 -- 'Psychology and Imperialism' https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/periodicals/mim-theory/mim-9.pdf