Social Anxiety
Social Anxiety is a problem that plagues many people in our society. Do you remember the last time you had to make a speech or participate in a publicly viewed contest? Before it even starts, you find yourself fidgeting in your seat. You feel beads of sweat drip down your face and your skin gets cold and clammy. Your symptoms escalate as your public moment draws closer. Finally, when you go on stage, everything you have memorized or practiced goes out the window. You stand there in the spotlight or in front of that panel – frozen, with your mouth dry and your heart beating a mile a minute.
At that very moment, you were experiencing what is referred to as Social Anxiety.
Social Anxiety is an experience of anxiety in relation to social situations. You may also experience social anxiety when you are in a position where other people are evaluating you or your performance. Everybody experiences a certain level of social anxiety every now and again. The only difference is the degree anxiety and the type of social setting that triggers it.
A social situation that you perceive as stressful may not be the same for other people. For example, speaking in public might make you very anxious while some people thrive in that kind of scenario. In reverse, a good public speaker may do poorly in intimate social events that you may do well in. There are a lot of different types of social anxiety. Shyness is a broad form of social anxiety that encompasses many different situations. Some people have performance anxieties, stage fright, interview anxiety, etc.
There have been many different theories as to what causes social anxiety. But the general feeling is that it is caused by a preconceived perception that people will judge you negatively. It is also said that social anxiety occurs when you want to make a good impression but feel you do not have the capacity to do so. This experience has also been related to childhood traumas and early developmental experiences.
In general, the level of social anxiety felt by a person is mild to moderate. Most of the time, a certain level of functionality is retained despite the presence of anxiety. And after the cause of anxiety passes, you usually revert back to your previous state. It is when social anxiety becomes crippling, persistent and extreme that it is referred to as Social Anxiety Disorder. It is also referred to as Social Phobia.
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