What is Social Anxiety?

What is social anxiety? Most of us feel uneasy in social situations at some point in our lives – especially meeting new people or when we are in the spotlight. It’s completely normal to feel uncomfortable, shy or worried in situations where we might feel judged, such as when meeting your partner’s family for the first time, at a job interview, or on your first day at a new workplace.

That said, this type of anxiety usually passes with time, and it rarely prevents us from doing fun activities or essential things. Ongoing anxiety about social settings, on the other hand, can be crippling for some people. It can end up affecting their career, relationships, and overall quality of life. This type of persistent anxiety is commonly referred to as social anxiety.

What is social anxiety?

Social anxiety is described as feeling an excessive and persistent dread of being judged by others. If you struggle with this condition, you may feel concerned about being embarrassed or humiliated. Or, you may tend to think of yourself as odd, ugly, foolish, or imperfect in some way. You might also be worried about showing outward indicators of anxiousness, such as sweating, blushing, or trembling when in a social situation.

As you can likely guess, people with social anxiety understandably feel anxious in situations such job interviews, public speaking, parties, work meetings, first dates, or even when going shopping. As a result, they may try to avoid these circumstances as possible.

If you struggle with social anxiety, your constant worries may often mean that you miss out on fun activities, opportunities or events. If you begin to isolate more, it can also start to interfere with relationships and have a substantial effect on your confidence and self-esteem.

What are the signs of social anxiety?

Physical and psychological problems are both common indicators of social anxiety. The following are some of the physical symptoms that can be particularly difficult to deal with for people who suffer from social phobia:

• Excessive sweating
• Shaking/trembling
• Stammering when trying to talk
• Diarrhoea or nausea

These physical symptoms can increase anxiety further because the person is afraid that others will notice them.

People with social phobia are additionally fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing and having something bad happen as a result.

Those who suffer from social phobia may also tend to avoid situations in which they can be humiliated or embarrassed. If avoiding the situation is impossible, they may become very uncomfortable and distressed, and they may try to leave as quickly as is possible. This can have a significant detrimental impact on their personal lives, careers, and capacity to carry out their daily tasks.

You may be diagnosed with social phobia if you have the typical symptoms above that are causing you distress and hindering your daily functioning for a period of at least six months.

Social anxiety vs shyness

Shyness certainly shares features with social anxiety. For instance, people who are shy also tend to feel increased anxiety towards social situations and have a fear of being judged negatively by others. However, the main difference between the two, is that social anxiety is more persistent and causes higher degrees of social avoidance and distress. As a result, social anxiety has a larger impact on a person’s quality of life and is also more commonly linked to other mental health issues such as depression.

What’s more, shyness is regarded as a normal personality trait and is pretty common. In one study, nearly half of the adolescent participants identified themselves as shy. While shyness and social anxiety disorder do have certain similarities, research has revealed that most shy people do not fit the criteria for social anxiety disorder.

Seeking help

If you constantly find it difficult to connect and engage with others in social settings, getting professional support to help you overcome your fears can be extremely beneficial.
To learn more about how our team of psychologists can help or to book an appointment, call 1800 327 477 today or click here.