Lack Of Social Anxiety

If someone has a social anxiety disorder, that person gets nervous and over thinks about doing something because of the concern of doing something embarrassing. Having social anxiety makes the person who is suffering the disorder thinks that he/she is not acting right, he/she will be made fun of, and that others will notice his/her discomfort. Social anxiety makes it difficult for someone to meet new people and for showing his/her real personality. According to the Social Anxiety Support community, some

Although they recognize that the fear is excessive and unreasonable, people with social anxiety disorder feel powerless against their anxiety. They are mortified they will humiliate or embarrass themselves in public situations. Social anxiety is the fear of being judged by peers that has no known causes and can be treated with special help by doctors.

This type of Anxiety Disorder has a direct correlation relating to social situations. A person experiencing this disorder has a chronic fear of other people’s perceptions of them. They are especially likely to avoid any situation where they are being observed by others such as giving presentations or activities that must be performed in front of an audience, large or small. In extreme circumstances where social anxiety disorder exists, a person will avoid social situations all together and will become a “hermit” in their own individual abode. This disorder is impairing to one’s normal life functioning because it often affects a person’s ability to perform the essential duties in a work environment. It also deters them from engaging in typical conversations because the fear of being embarrassed or judged is so extreme (Fleming, 2012).

Social anxiety is “a feeling of discomfort, fear, or worry that is centered on our interactions with other people and involves a concern with being judged negatively, evaluated, or looked down upon by others” (Social Anxiety Support, 2014). Social anxiety can affect anyone. Individuals with social anxiety tend to prefer to keep to themselves because they are afraid others will judge them negatively and have a hard time interacting socially.

Social anxiety latches on to its victims and sucks all hope and motivation for self improvement and success to the point where it seems that any and all attempts to overcome it are out of reach. What once was a crippling disadvantage, is now what I have to thank for becoming my true self. It took four years to be able manage the sense of trepidation and overwhelming panic when going about day-to-day activities such as asking questions in class or even having a conversation with any acquaintances; however, I would not change anything that I have experienced.

Social anxiety is the third largest mental problem in the world. Social anxiety is fear of interaction with other people, being judged, embarrassment, humiliation or depression. In the United sates about 40 million Americans have this Disorder. Social anxiety can be caused by biological, psychological and environmental factors; these factors can be effectively identified and treated.

People with social anxiety disorder become anxious that they will make mistakes, feel awful, and humiliated in front of others. The fear become immense due to a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. As a result of that people undergo extreme distress in certain social situation and try to avoid them.

No one wants to feel invisible or have a constant fear they will embarrass themselves just simply by speaking. In the United States today, even with our say-anything society, many people struggle with these exact worries on a day-today basis. Social anxiety is a disorder that many, even doctors, write off as having shy or introverted qualities. Despite the lack of knowledge and awareness for the disorder, social anxiety is a growing problem in our country and around the world.

In simple terms, social anxiety is a disorder that dramatically influences people's daily lives and their relationship with society [10]. In addition to this, social phobia leads people to experience excessive stress and deep fears intensively in a social situation [10]. It should be noted that social anxiety disorder manifests itself with various symptoms that can be listed such as blushing, sweating, trembling, tachycardia, nausea, stuttering, cluttering and more [11,12].

What is social anxiety, how is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety? Social anxiety disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as “excessive fear in a social situation in which the person believes he or she will do something embarrassing or have anxiety symptoms, that will be humiliating” These feared situations can vary from interpersonal social interactions in small groups to talking to strangers and performance fears.

     People who suffer from a social phobia will worry a lot about making a fool of themselves in front of other people, and will feel very anxious before going into any of the social situations that worry them. They may go through, in great detail, all the embarrassing things that could happen. When they are actually with people, they will feel even more anxious, and may be unable to say, or do, what is intended. In a way, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You worry so much about looking worried that you actually do look worried. People experiencing both of these types of social phobia have many of the same physical symptoms. You may get a very dry mouth, sweat a lot, and feel your heart racing. Other people may be able to see some of the signs of this anxiety, such as blushing, stammering, shaking and trembling. Sometimes you may breathe too fast, which can give you feelings of numbness or pins and needles in the fingers and toes. This can make the anxiety even worse.     These feelings of fear and bodily symptoms can end in a panic attack. This is a short period, usually lasting only a few minutes, during which people feel overwhelmingly anxious, terrified of losing control, and may feel

Social Anxiety Disorder affects more than 15 million adults in the United States (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Studies have recently placed Social Anxiety Disorder as the third psychological disorder in the United States, after depression and alcoholism (Richards, n.d.). The onset of most symptoms begins in early adolescence, around age thirteen (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Even with early onset, thirty six percent of people with symptoms report waiting ten years (or more) before seeking help (“Social Anxiety Disorder”, n.d.). Diagnosis can be delayed if the symptoms are minimized to be attributed to being merely shy or introverted. Other times, if the person has become socially withdrawn in response to their Social Anxiety, the behavior can be interpreted as being aloof or uninterested (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Further complicating timely diagnosis and early treatment is because many people with symptoms hesitate to talk about their feelings with others due to their fear of being judged negatively (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). People with the disorder can be held back by their terror of feeling humiliated or embarrassed (“Social Anxiety Disorder”, n.d.). Left untreated, anxiety can interfere with social relationships, work, school, and the normal enjoyment of life (“Social Anxiety Disorder Social Phobia”, n.d.). The disorder can result in a low self-esteem, passivity, negative

, 2009). A major reason for why people might experience social anxiety disorder is because they have the idea that they won’t be accepted by their peers. Social anxiety disorder can go unknown, some are unaware that they have this disorder, it is easy to perceive it as just being nervous in a crowd or being shy, but when you start to avoid social environments with family and peers that’s when it should be considered a problem. Also I feel that if one is always talking down on themselves, such as saying “I won’t fit in” or “no one will accept me” then this individual should seek mental health help. Filho et al.

For instance, most people have felt shy or insecure on occasion, however, it does not interfere with their daily routines. On the other hand, people suffering from social anxiety disorder experience severe emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms. These symptoms hinder the person from functioning normally on a daily basis (Smith/Jaffe-Gill, 2014). Emotionally, the person fears being criticized and judged by others in everyday social situations. He or she is scared that they might embarrass or humiliate themselves. Frequently, when speaking in public, a person with social anxiety disorder might think, “Was that a yawn? She thinks I’m boring!” (Stein, 2007). These negative thoughts lead to serious physical symptoms, such as shortness of breath,

Social anxiety is a disorder in which individuals assume that they will be negatively evaluated. This results in an extreme fear of social situations or performance-based situations (Iverach, Rapee, Wong, & Lowe, 2017, p. 542) for a period of time lasting longer than six months (Brundage et al., p. 498). Those with social anxiety fear negative judgement during