A List of Signs of Social Anxiety
Are you stuck and feel like you just have to give in to your social anxiety and give up? See if the following signs of social anxiety resonate with you. You might be surprised what you learn along the way.
Irrational Thinking
Social anxiety means not thinking in a logical way. It makes you think that people are talking about you, judging you, or otherwise thinking badly of you when in reality, they probably aren’t noticing you at all.
Your mind is also rarely clear and you have trouble staying calm when faced with challenging situations.
Work Interference
Social anxiety interferes with things career-wise. It means you probably avoid jobs dealing with the public, freak out about job interviews, and couldn’t imagine taking a job that involved any form of public speaking.
Isolation
You are imprisoned by your social anxiety. You might literally be a prisoner in your house or just not have any friends. Your social calendar is non-existent and nobody ever comes around to check on you.
Effects on Physical Health
Social anxiety is bad for your health. Being in a constant state of arousal is obviously not helping your physical health. Plus, not going to the gym because you’re afraid people are staring at you means that you aren’t making progress on your weight loss or fitness goals.
Social anxiety also makes it hard to fall asleep. You can’t sleep because you’re worried about events that are happening weeks or months in the future.
Not a Good Friend
Social anxiety does not make you a better person. When your social anxiety takes hold, you just aren’t that fun to be around. You avoid eye contact, fail to make introductions, and have trouble keeping up your end of the conversation.
Wasted Time
Social anxiety wastes your time. So much of your life is wasted worrying, avoiding, and preparing mentally for the worst.
Misunderstood by Others
Social anxiety isn’t well understood by others. Since it’s “all in your head,” they might think you’re just making it up or making things into more than they are. If it was a physical illness, others would find it easier to understand that you needed medication or maybe to see a professional about it.
Social anxiety is just not easy to explain to others. Everyone has a bit of anxiety about social interaction, so it’s incredibly difficult to convey to others how badly your social anxiety makes you feel.
Low Self Confidence
Social anxiety detracts from your self-confidence. Being around other people reminds you of your social anxiety and erodes your self-confidence.
(Watch the video below to learn more about social anxiety disorder)
Affects Dating Relationships
Social anxiety makes you invisible to the opposite sex. You probably fear talking to people you find attractive or may try online dating without success.
Not Living in the Moment
Social anxiety makes life less fun. You never know when you’re going to have a full-blown panic attack. Every social encounter is a new chance at embarrassment.
You live in fear instead of in the moment. You feel as though you will never live the life of your dreams. You feel like you are not the person you could truly be because of your social anxiety. There is never really a time that you don’t have a care in the world.
Shame
You are ashamed of your social anxiety. It makes you feel ashamed and embarrassed to be socially anxious.
I know it feels like you can’t change, but that’s not true! Do you feel angry that social anxiety is controlling your life? Are you ready to make a change?
As much as avoidance and safety behaviors might feel like they are protecting you, in the long run, they are preventing you from living your fullest life. But it’s only when you get to the point of deciding to make a change that things will start to turn around.
Related Articles About Social Anxiety Symptoms
- 100 Safety Behaviors for Social Anxiety
- Take the Social Anxiety Quiz
- Learn About the 4 Types of Social Anxiety
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11 Signs of Social Anxiety
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