The Symptoms of Social Anxiety

MANY individuals get self-conscious or jittery on occasion, like when speaking in front of an audience or being interviewed for a job. But social anxiety is more than nervousness or occasional shyness, or fear.

With this form of psychological distress, an individual’s fear of embarrassment can be so intense that he may detach himself from the outside world just to stay away from situations that might trigger their social anxiety disorder.
But, no matter how excruciatingly timid they may be and how bad the nerves can go awry, they can learn to be more relaxed in any situation and take control of their life.

Commonly called social phobia, social anxiety involves a heightened fear of specific social situations, especially those that are strange or unfamiliar or in moments where the sufferer feels he’s/she’s being closely watched or judged by other people. These social situations can be so scary that they get paranoid just by thinking about them or do unnecessary or even silly things just to avoid them.
Meanwhile, a person suffering from social anxiety may experience the following symptoms or signs:

Behavioral symptoms
 A need to always have a close friend tag along wherever the individual goes
 Hiding in the background or staying quiet so as not to be noticed and embarrassed.
 Avoiding social gatherings to a point that hampers their life
 Drinking before social gatherings to ease their tensions

Physical symptoms
 Feeling nauseous
 Hot flashes, sweating
 Tightness in chest, fast heartbeat
 Shaky voice, trembling hands
 Upset stomach
 Blushing
 Shortness of breath

Emotional symptoms
 Scared that others will notice that they are jittery
 Intense worry that lasts for days or even months prior to a social event
 Extreme worry of being judged by other people
 Fear that they will commit mistakes
 Excessive anxiety and self-consciousness in all types of situations

The level of severity of the symptoms can vary extensively between sufferers. But in all cases, they can be reduced through cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a form of psychotherapy that has proven to be very effective in the last couple of decades for treating depression and the negative thoughts that trigger social anxiety. It can also be learned and practiced at home, as well as with a therapists or in a group environment. It’s also

recommended that people suffering from social phobia make lifestyle changes so they become more active and can engage with people in a healthy manner that will help to reduce their anxiety over time.