Do You Really Have Social Phobia?
What’s the difference between social anxiety disorder and feeling embarrassed or nervous in any social occasion? Well, first you have to ask yourself, do you skip class just to avoid class introduction that would skip class altogether? Or would you feel embarrassed and nervous but would try to overcome them anyway?
A person with this panic disorder would usually feel intense fear in any social gathering that they would do everything they can to avoid it. This is different from just being embarrassed or shy. This disorder is also called social phobia.
When a person has social phobia, he or she feels intense fear speaking in public. They are afraid that their voice would shake and their face would turn beet red or they would freeze. Thus, they get so humiliated that they would do anything to avoid experiencing it again. People with social phobia would avoid any occasion to speak in public, may it be in school or at a social gathering.
But what causes this intense fear of facing the public? Well for people with social phobia, they usually have anxiety attacks when in front of a lot of people because they are actually afraid of being scrutinized, judged or embarrassed in public. Sadly, social anxiety disorder is common and there are a number of people who struggles with social phobia. And this can be triggered by different things for different people.
Each person has something that they are afraid of. And for some this will actually develop into social phobia if not checked. A thing that can trigger an attack is talking to stranger, eating at restaurants, or going to parties. But the most common trigger of anxiety attack is public speaking.
So how would you know if you have social phobia? Getting nervous or embarrassed in front of the public is normal but when your nervousness or embarrassment in front of the public interferes with your normal routine and causes tremendous distress, then you have social anxiety disorder. People with social phobia worries for weeks ahead of the scheduled public speaking that in the end they would call in sick or they would shake so much when speaking that you won’t even understand what theye saying.
Some other symptoms of this panic disorder are intense worry days ahead of an upcoming social situation, extreme fear of being watched by people you don’t know, too self-conscious and anxious in everyday social situations, and a fear that of embarrassing or humiliating one self. And most of all, you avoid social situations so much that you might not even go out much.
Physically, people with social phobia would experience trembling or shaking, rapid breathing, sweating or hot flashes, upset stomach or nausea, dry mouth, muscle tension, blushing, dizziness or faint, clammy hands, or twitching in a social situation. They may also feel their heart pounding or their chest feels tight.
Social phobia is actually distressing to people who feel it as this limits their social interaction due to anxiety attacks. Social interactions are essential in getting a job and even in school. So people with phobia actually work harder in school to graduate as they would try to avoid speeches, social interactions, and some even avoid class introduction. So if you are exhibiting symptoms of social anxiety disorder, you should definitely consult your doctor.
Social Anxiety Treatment Learn how to get rid of panic or anxiety attack fast and naturally even if you have tried every single method and nothing just seems to work for you. Tips for Panic Attacks
