Taking a Look at Shyness

Communication apprehension has played a huge role on my life. Growing up I thought I was a social butterfly, not worrying about what people thought about me or how they viewed me. I had some great friends growing up that were always supportive of me. We would hang out all the time and meet new people and just have fun. It wasn’t until I was a little bit older that I learned of the fear of public speaking.

I have always been a shy person who doesn’t know what the reason for being shy is. There has been always a question that I ask myself. Is it just me and my genes or I am always affected by what people think? Is it how my parents has raised me or is it how I was created? Some enduring issues apply to my situation and might overlap, but I am going to focus on one of them which are nature and nurture.

I’m pretty shy but i’m slowly learning to not be because being shy misses a lot of possibilities you want to do but being shy passes those

If you suffer from shyness, you are not alone, for shyness is a universal phenomenon. According to recent research, “close to 50 percent of

Everyone knows the feeling of wanting to speak to someone yet the fear of rejection is stuck in the back of your mind, refusing to leave. "Painfully shy", a term used by fellow peers when describing me, and I must admit that they are far from wrong. I find myself stuck in an endless cycle of worry and regret, missing out on great opportunities as the thought of socialising with people I don't know makes my stomach churn and my palms sweat, a wave of nausea crashing over my entire being. I don't think "shy" is the correct label for me. However, I'm unsure what it is that's wrong with me, nor do I know if I will ever find out.

"Social anxiety is the fear of interaction with other people that brings on self-consciousness, feelings of being negatively judged and evaluated"(Richards). An example of feeling social anxiety may be present in front of a large group of people. Something as simple as responding to questions in class can spark social anxiety. As for myself, I avoid raising my hand in class, even if I may know the answer, for the fear of being wrong and judged by others. When a teacher calls on me in class my heart races, my cheeks turn a bright shade of red, and I feel as though I cannot breathe.

People with this disorder have trouble talking to people, meeting new people, and attending social activities. They fear being judged by others. They may understand that their fears are irrational or unreasonable, but feel powerless to overcome them. This is symptom has nothing to do with shyness. Shyness is usually a short-term thing and people deal with it better. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) approximately 15 million American adults have social anxiety

I’ve always been a shy person but for the most part I was able to be “successfully shy”, as the PsyBlog defines it, until beginning of high school. It was a mix of things that got me there, but some of the behaviors I exhibited reminded me of the “safety behaviors” described in the Social Anxiety Disorder section. I remember, for example, if I went out to a restaurant I would ask my mom or sister if they would like to split dinner with me so I wouldn’t have to talk to the waiter/waitress or at the very least the only thing I would have to order would be a drink. I also remember purposely standing somewhat angled behind my sister when we went to a store so if a sales person would ask my sister and not me if we needed help. (all of the other safety behaviors sounded very familiar, eye contact, rehearsing the conversation, etc.) I don’t do these behaviors anymore and what helped me a lot was talking to myself (No one is going to remember you tripped five minutes from now) (Not to say I had social anxiety disorder but it reminded me of my own experience).

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).

One of the reasons I think the Shy Man was Shy was because, he didn't want anyone to find out he was robbing a house. He only really talked to the people he needed to so his plan for robbing the house would work. On page 84 line 408, when he was robbing the house he told blackie to lay down and be quiet so he wouldn't bark and wake up the owners of the house for him to get caught. He lived alone until he got the dog, but he didn't just get the dog to “get the dog”. He got Blackie so he could train him to not bark when someone is coming into the house because when he would rob the the dog won’t bark. One of the Shy man’s traits is secretive. I know he is secretive because he had this entire plan that no one knew about and it worked. Furthermore, he lives in the middle of the country, and doesn't really live next to

Social anxiety has been one of the biggest obstacles that I have overcome in my life. I realized that I was always a little shy, but then noticed the anxiety coming upon me during social interactions. I knew the only way to beat it was to face it. Slowly facing my fears by testing certain strategies to use in situations helped me realize that social interaction was not as bad as it first seemed. There was this one girl in some of my classes that I knew would not judge me when I told her what I was going through. She was able to put me in situations with people I was unfamiliar with so I could practice my small talk, and with more and more practice, I had less anxiety, while also widening my social circle. I learned that I had been letting

A shy person may avoid social situations and as such on a personal and professional level they may not reach their potential.

Frequently people experience the feeling of being self-conscious or nervous in social situations. This however, can become a problem when it interferes with everyday functioning, for instance; when one avoids particular places or situations because of the feelings that they may induce.

I do feel as though I experience some form of communication apprehension if I am talking to a peer that I don’t know too well. I usually don’t know what to talk about. I hesitate in sharing some things because I’m not sure how the other person is going to react. A lot of the time I think interpersonal conversations with people I don’t know well drain me. For example, on campus I have a lot of acquaintances that I run into every now and then. I find it awkward having to mutually stop and have a quick usually impersonal interaction. If I know I’m going to run into someone like that I get anxious, I would much rather walk a different route and avoid the situation all

I was known to be an introverted and quiet person. As I reflected, I questioned if I want to be like this forever. Of course not. In life, there are times where I have to deal with different people. I used to be nervous whenever I have to public speak and present in front of the class. But this all changed in Junior year of high school. In my Psychology class, we had to do a lot of presentations and public speaking. I was nervous in the beginning, but then it gradually goes away after practicing a lot.