Are you wondering whether it’s normal to be this anxious speaking with or just being around others? Do you play memories of being awkward or embarrassed over and over in your head for days, even years? People with social anxiety, or social phobia, are most worried about being judged or humiliated in front of other people. Often it begins in your teen years or even earlier.
Some signs of social anxiety when interacting with others include:
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Blushing
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea
- Racing heart
Your go-to way to cope with this is to avoid social situations, which can be very isolating, lonely, and frustrating. Canceling plans or ghosting is your forte. It has likely affected what career or job you have chosen, or it didn’t and now you’re miserable because you work in a people-oriented field.
You may also feel that most people never really get to know the real you, because you’re “hard to get to know.” Meaning that you rarely open up out of fear that they will judge you. After all, judgement and criticism are your enemy and you do not tolerate them. You may even tell yourself that you hate people. But you still want relationships- are you just a walking contradiction? What are you supposed to do?
You’ve been called many names: shy, quiet, sensitive, introverted. The world needs people like you. The conscientious. Therapy for social anxiety may help if you are ready to stop being held back by your anxious and self-conscious thoughts, form strong and amazing new relationships, and live the life you want.
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