Social anxiety is a common psychological problem that affects up to 15 million people in the U.S. It may begin as early as the early teen years.
Sometimes confused with shyness, social anxiety is much worse. It is a condition that can become so serious as to leave the person who suffers from it not wanting to go into any public situation.
Those who suffer from social anxiety are familiar with the most common symptoms. You have felt the unease when being introduced to people you don’t know. The bull-sized butterflies of anxiety have beaten the inside of your stomach when you felt you were the center of attention. Thoughts that others were judging you negatively in social situations have flooded your minds. You’ve felt like you were being watched critically when doing something.
Social anxiety is a phobia in which a person experiences anxiety in social situations. People with social phobias often struggle to cope with anxiety triggered by different types of social situations. People who have social anxiety will often struggle when interacting with others. This is due to the anxious thoughts and symptoms that are triggered when confronted with a social situation like meeting new people, attending a social event or interacting with a large group of peers.
Social anxiety is an anxiety disorder in which a person feels anxious and uncomfortable when having to engage in social situations. People with social anxiety are affected at varying degrees, and some feel so nervous about interacting with others that they actively try to avoid people and social situations. It is difficult to live with social anxiety. Those with social anxiety do not want to feel isolated and alone, but the anxious feelings they have about social interaction can be overwhelming.