Do You Have Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety disorder affects millions of people. It wasn’t widely recognized in years past, and it was often misdiagnosed. But in recent years, it has gained acknowledgment in the medical community, and physicians, therapists, and psychiatrists have finally started treating the disorder.
People with social anxiety fear social interaction and social events. The amount of fear that is experienced varies from one person to the next. Some are able to interact socially, despite the fear, while others experience the fear to such a huge degree that they don’t even want to leave their homes, answer the door, or answer the telephone.
Often, people do feel some level of anxiety when going on job interviews, asking someone out on a date or speaking in public. This is normal anxiety that most of us do experience. However, when the anxiety reaches a level where it is altering your life, you may have social anxiety, and you should seek treatment.
If you find that you are avoiding social interaction, and you can’t find a viable reason for that avoidance, you probably have social anxiety. People who are socially anxious often feel that people are watching and judging them. They fear making a fool of themselves in public. Social anxiety doesn’t just strike when you are in a social situation, the fear and anxiety may start to build when a social situation is anticipated.
For instance, if you are invited to a party, you might start to feel anxiety before the event. You may start to make excuses as to why you cannot attend. You may attend anyway, and then experience very uncomfortable symptoms, and become fearful and overwhelmed to the point where you can no longer function properly.
Common physical symptoms of social anxiety include: rapid heartbeat, tremors, sweating, diarrhea, confusion, blushing, nausea, difficulty talking, muscle tension, dry throat, dry mouth, muscle twitches, dizziness, feelings of being smothered, shortness of breath, chest pains, difficulty swallowing, and paleness.
Mental and emotional symptoms of social anxiety include: avoiding social situations, becoming isolated, feelings of being overwhelmed, feelings of embarrassment, intense self consciousness in social settings, distorted thoughts, a blank mind, an overwhelming need to escape, and feelings of inadequacy.
Behavioral symptoms of social anxiety also exist. Not everyone who suffers from social anxiety has destructive behavior, however, some people with social anxiety will turn to drugs or alcohol because they feel that this helps them function better in social interactions.
If you feel that you suffer from social anxiety, there is help for you - you just have to be willing to seek help. Therapy and medication are quite effective, and there are alternative methods of treatment that also work well, without the use of medication.
