Not everyone who has social anxiety disorder will be anxious in the same situations. Different people deal with different situations differently, so there really is no one size fits all magic pill.
We all get embarrassed once in a while, we trip over something and look around to check no one else saw, maybe we drop some food on ourselves and feel silly. These feelings are perfectly normal and most us will just move on and never give them another thought.However someone with anxiety disorder will run and rerun every moment through their mind and let the second of embarrassment turn into anxiety.
Do you feel sweaty and sick when going into a new situation? Do you start trembling and feel your heart pounding in your chest? If this sounds like something you experience every time you are faced with a new social experience or situation then you may have or be developing an anxiety disorder.
The feeling of embarrassment that the person with social anxiety suffers from can be so severe that they stop going out into public places. Over time they spend more and more time with only family members and withdraw from their social circle more and more.
Social anxiety isn’t something that only happens when you go out to a bar or party. When they are at work dealing with people who are in higher positions within the company they start to feel anxious and that can affect their thinking and reasoning which makes them look less knowledgeable, this is how social anxiety can affect your working life as well as your social life.
Speaking in public is a common fear of people with social anxiety disorder. Other fears can be eating in restaurants, using public restrooms, and using telephones.
No one really knows why but women are more likely than men to have social anxiety disorders, some people have a theory that there are many men who suffer but never say anything and don’t get treatment for it. If this is the case they must just retreat into their own world of pain and that is a shame, there are ways for all of us to get help and no one should suffer from anxiety disorders alone.
If your child or someone you know is considered to be a shy person then you probably know what to do , however if they start avoiding every social occasion, avoiding parties, meetings and maybe even eating alone constantly, you may have a case of social anxiety disorder on your hands. It is best to see a professional at this point rather than leaving it to long, the sooner that treatment starts the greater the chance for recovery.
Understanding anxiety is a goal every person who has anxiety hopes for. Many people with anxiety feel no one understands, anxiety is not something you have to suffer with alone.