What Is Social Anxiety?

What is social anxiety?

So, you have been having these unsettling feelings, fear of being judged by others, saying something and then feeling embarrassed or humiliated later, trembling, palpitations, and uncomfortable meeting new people.

During this short article, I am going to explain in concise details what precisely social anxiety is.

According to the NHS, social anxiety is the feeling of fear when in social gatherings before, during and after an event.

1 in 13 people worldwide suffers from social anxiety, and it starts around the age of 13. Source.

Marked fear or anxiety in one or more social situations, excessive blushing, rapid speech, Fear of being judged by others, saying something then feeling embarrassed or humiliated later, trembling, palpitations, uncomfortable meeting new people, excessive sweating and so on.

So, while I have just mentioned a number of signs and symptoms to describe social anxiety, let me break them down and dive into them to tell you exactly what they mean and how you can hopefully identify them.

Signs and Symptoms 

So, at the top of the signs and symptoms associated to social anxiety, is the discomfort and nervousness that comes with meeting new people.

The consistent overwhelming feeling when you have to put yourself out there to meet people, situation where you have to meet with strangers, friends, and even family sometimes, going on a date, attending parties, having to answer a question in class, being on the phone…all of these can trigger your anxiety.

Not saying anything at all when interacting with others to avoid “messing up” or embarrassing yourself, or even ending up rehearsing what you want to say in situations where you have to say something.

The fear that people would recognize that you are anxious and dreading they might point it out or speak out about it.

Constantly making excuses to avoid social events.

Excessive uneasiness up until the day of an event may cause you to have negative thoughts, always expecting for the worse to happen to you, you might even convince yourself that you are uninterested in going.

Physical Symptoms of Social Anxiety

Overwhelming anxiety could trigger fight/flight response mode, your body releases a hormone that prepares you to either stick to your guns and fight or run for the hills. Being put in overwhelming situations like these could trigger emotions such as crying

Psychical symptoms

• Heart rate increases
• Feeling dizzy
• Sweaty palms
• Shortness of breath
• Upset tummy (butterflies).

Conclusion

Having social anxiety can have a massive impact on your life. If you realize you do suffer from any of these signs/symptoms, you should seek help. You are not alone!

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope it was informative, insightful, and most importantly, useful to you. Mental health is an important topic that affects us all, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

If you have any thoughts or comments, I encourage you to leave them in the comment box below. Your feedback is essential to me and helps me create content that is tailored to your needs.

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