What Is Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a fear of social situations and can cause the sufferer much distress, it is also known as social phobia. It is an inability to function normally in some everyday situations, it can be linked or its root can develop from being shy or from an incident that may have happened years previous. Some of the symptoms are blushing, stammering, sweating and trembling. The anxiety that is experienced by the sufferer can lead to a full blown panic attack.
Here is a little test called ‘the social anxiety test’, a simple test that anyone can do themselves to see if they think they may be suffering from this condition. It is based on answering some simple questions, which are as follows:
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Do you fear social situations where you feel you may be judge by others.
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Do you decline to take part in social activities through fear of embarrassment.
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Do you find that when in a social situation that you sweat, tremble, blush or stammer.
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Do you always feel anxious when in a social situation.
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Do you feel that it interferes with your daily life.
There are a lot more questions that can be asked and would be by a professional, but this is just a simple test that will give you an idea of whether you should seek further help through a Doctor. If you answered yes to all the above questions then it would be beneficial to get further help through your Doctor who may well refer you to a specialist in this field.
There are many reasons that can play their part in the development of anxiety in social situations and often it can be from a childhood social activity or school where a comment may have been made or you may have been made fun of for some reason, kids tease and make fun of each other all the time, but some kids are more sensitive than others and an incident in childhood can travel with a person into adulthood and end up causing some form of anxiety.
Although the person may know that their fear of social situations is totally irrational and unreasonable they seem to be powerless in stopping the fear. This is why it is important to get help as it can effect all parts of their life from simple daily routines to their working life. The sad thing about this condition or phobia is that many people that suffer from it continue to do so for many years rather than seek help, they just suffer in silence. Therapy again is probably the most effective remedy for this condition, getting to the root of the problem is the only way to overcome this anxiety.
