subject: Social Anxiety - Do You Suffer From This? [print this page] Social Anxiety - Do You Suffer From This?
There is more than one type of anxiety disorders and one is called Social Anxiety or Social Phobia. Most everyone gets nervous when having to make a speech or confronting a social situation, but someone with social phobia it gets much worse. It's more than being shy or nervous, it means being so anxious over it that you will go out of your way to avoid it.
Social anxiety disorder involves intense fear for certain situations, especially those that you are not familiar with or which may put you in a situation to be watched by others. Being in these situations can be so freighting that just the thought of it can consume you and you do what you can to get out of it.
You may feel you are the only one suffering from this but you are not. There are actually many children and adults that suffer from social phobia but each have their own triggers that bring on the fear.
Most people get nervous under certain situations but people that suffer form social anxiety may show the following psychological symptoms. Intense worry for days or weeks before an upcoming event, fear that you will act in a way that will embarrass you and avoiding situations that will make you uncomfortable.
Physical symptoms would be fast heart beat, shaky voice, sweaty hands, upset stomach, dizziness and shaking.
There are some things you can do to overcome anxiety. Some things you can do on your own, some of which are lifestyle changes. Start off by cutting back on caffeine, get more sleep and stop smoking. These can be the beginning steps to help you overcome your fears.
