Do you find it hard to socialize with other people?
Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of going to a social
event?
It can be very easy to confuse social anxiety and shyness since
they share many of the same characteristics.
While shyness is a personality trait social anxiety is a
mental illness.
With that being said, here are eight signs you might have
social anxiety.
#1 You're always self-conscious.
One aspect of social anxiety is the extreme fear of being
judged.
According to Kocovski and Endler if you have social anxiety You'll
constantly worry about the way you look or act and what others think of you. Your
greatest fear is of embarrassing yourself in front of others. A shy person on
the other hand, will only worry about being judged in certain situations like
in public speaking or when meeting someone new.
#2 Your anxiety feels out of hand.
There are times when it's normal to feel shy or nervous
around other people for example when you move to a new school or have to
perform in front of an audience. But social anxiety is irrational and
unwarranted. You may feel distressed about things as simple as making eye
contact with someone using public transportation or eating in front of other
people. The fear is always there.
#3 It interferes with your performance.
Have you ever called in sick to work when your anxiety
became too overwhelming? or have you kept quiet when you were having trouble in
class?
Social anxiety can impact your performance in many ways with
the constant fear of people's judgement
You may even be afraid to do well to avoid drawing
attention. You don't pitch ideas at meetings or raise your hand in class or
join clubs because of how much anxiety it creates.
#4 It affects your relationships.
While it's hard to make friends when you're shy it can feel
almost impossible when you have social anxiety.
For a shy person, it's usually about breaking the ice and
going through the initial awkwardness of meeting each other But having social
anxiety can complicate your relationships. You feel tense and uneasy around
people no matter how close you are or
how long you've known them.
#5 It doesn't go away with familiarity.
It's normal to feel shy at the beginning of a new
relationship But as you get to know each other the tension will start to subside.
This isn't the case if you have social anxiety Instead you always experience
fear distress and embarrassment whenever you're around other people.
Doesn't matter if it's your parents siblings or best friend you
always feel uneasy and stressed unless you're alone.
#6 You overanalyze everything .
Have you ever said things to yourself like;
"I took too long to reply and now she doesn't like me
.."
or
"He didn't say hello this morning because he's upset
with me .."
Social anxiety can make you obsess over your social
interactions. You may spend a lot of time and energy analyzing other people's
facial expressions body language and tone of voice to see if they really mean
what they're saying or not.
#7 You avoid social situations.
Are you often absent or very late to social gatherings?
It's a serious matter if your social anxiety leads you to
avoid social situations all together. You decline invitations, refuse to speak
in front of people and you would rather sit in the corner to avoid being
noticed and mingle with anyone else It doesn't matter if it's a normal day at
work or school your own birthday party, or even your wedding day.
#8 You have
physical symptoms.
Do you feel nausea? dizziness or chest palpitations when
you're in social situations? Just like most anxiety disorders social anxiety is
often accompanied by physical symptoms.
Some common ones are sweaty palm, shortness of breath lightheadedness
and trembling.
While these are also the same signs of someone having a
panic attack..
You'll be able to tell the difference if you only show these symptoms when anticipating or being out in a social setting.
Do you relate to any of these symptoms above?
Let us know in the comments below. If you do,you're definitely not alone nor are you bad for feeling this way.
References:
American Psychological Association (2013). Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition. Washington, DC; APA
Publishing.
Psycom (2017). “Social Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms, Causes,
and Treatment.” Retrieved 31 March 2020 from
https://www.psycom.net/social-anxiety...
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (2013).
Social Anxiety Disorder: Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment. British
Psychological Society, Leicester (UK).
Kocovski, N. L., & Endler, N. S. (2000). Social anxiety,
self‐regulation, and fear of negative evaluation. European Journal of
Personality, 14(4), 347-358.
Heimberg, R. G., Hofmann, S. G., Liebowitz, M. R., Schneier,
F. R., Smits, J. A., Stein, M. B., & Craske, M. G. (2014). Social anxiety
disorder in DSM‐5. Depression and Anxiety, 31(6), 472-479.
Davila, J., & Beck, J. G. (2002). Is social anxiety
associated with impairment in close relationships? A preliminary investigation.
Behavior Therapy, 33(3), 427-446.
Moitra, E., Herbert, J. D., & Forman, E. M. (2008).
Behavioral avoidance mediates the relationship between anxiety and depressive
symptoms among social anxiety disorder patients. Journal of Anxiety Disorders,
22(7), 1205-1213.
Roth, D., Antony, M. M., & Swinson, R. P. (2001).
Interpretations for anxiety symptoms in social phobia. Behaviour Research and
Therapy, 39(2), 129-138.
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