You hate to stand in line in the grocery store. "Everyone is watching me..." You know that it's not REALLY true, but you just can't shake the feeling. While shopping, you think that people might be staring at you from the big mirrors on the inside front of the ceiling. Now, you have to talk to the person who's checking out your groceries. You try to smile, but your voice comes out weakly. "I'm making a complete fool out of myself!" Your self-consciousness and anxiety rise to the roof...
Does this sound like you? If it does, you just might have social anxiety. Ready for the good news? You're NOT alone! In fact, social anxiety is the third largest psychological problem in the world today.
About social anxiety
Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is a disorder in which a person has an excessive and irrational fear of social situations. This is when you fear being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others. It's a given that many people experience anxiety in social situations. Especially when meeting new people or being in front of many people. But the fear is usually not severe and typically passes. For people with social phobia, however, this anxiety in certain situations is excessive, extremely intrusive and may have debilitating effects on personal and professional relationships.
How can I tell if I have social phobia?
If you usually become anxious in social situations, but doing fine when you're alone, then social anxiety may be the problem. Take a look at the following situations:
- Being introduced to other people
- Being teased or criticized
- Eating or drinking in front of others
- Being the center of attention
- Using public toilets
- Talking on the telephone
- Meeting important people
- Making "small talk"
Do you experience significant emotional distress in those? This is certainly not a complete list of signs. Let's move on to some symptoms any physical manifestations, shall we?
Symptoms & physiological manifestations
- Racing heart
- Blushing
- Dry throat and mouth
- Trembling
- Hard time swallowing
- Muscle twitches
Not easy, but there's hope!
Getting over social anxiety disorder is not an easy task; yet many thousands have already done it. And so can you! I know that now, while you're in the middle of the problem, it might feel hopeless - that you'll never ever get better. Life is just one gut-wrenching anxiety problem after another. But this can be stopped, quenched, and reduced in a relatively short period of time - You just need to TAKE ACTION. Never quit. Always push forward. Your solution is out there waiting for you.
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