What Is Social Anxiety?

Who among us has never been in a large group of people and felt timid, nervous, and even downright terrified? Feelings such as these can happen from time to time, especially if we are a generally shy person. But when feelings of fear and panic are present in all situations such as these, you may be exhibiting signs of social anxiety persistent and severe heightened fear and panic in social situations. When these feelings take over and begin to impact the way in which you socialize and engage in personal relationships, it is thought that treatment can significantly benefit the way in which we manage these overwhelming feelings.

Social anxiety is defined as feelings of fear or panic in anticipation of social situations or while participating in social situations. These psychological feelings that people are judging you or you are under a microscope can lead to physical symptoms that may include increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking, headache, and diarrhea, among others. While social anxiety is considered an occurrence, social anxiety disorder falls within the umbrella of anxiety disorder that encapsulates everything from generalized anxiety disorder to obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias.

A diagnosis of social anxiety disorder is generally made when there is ongoing and persistent feelings of panic and apprehension associated with commonplace social situations; daily life is thwarted by these feelings of anxiety and the sufferer sees the ramifications in their relationships familial, platonic, and romantic. People who experience this type of anxiety feel as if their every move is being watched and they are convinced that they will humiliate themselves in a room full of people. Often the fear is so palpable that all social interaction is avoided in order to avoid the feeling.

In fact, for anyone who has ever experienced stage fright while performing in front of a group of people, the feelings associated with social anxiety are much the same thing. Those who suffer from this type of anxiety feel in a constant state of stage fright whenever they are in social situations as if they are expected to perform.

Not surprisingly, those who suffer with this anxiety and are not aware of the magnitude or definition of what they are managing - will often attempt to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs during social engagements. Such substances often have the ability to lower inhibitions enough that sufferers can mange their social time without feeling incapacitated. But this is hardly the safe or effective way to treat anxiety.

Treating this anxiety can be done in a number of ways. Cognitive-behavioral therapy with a licensed and reputable therapist teaches the patient how to rewire their thoughts and change their behaviors associated with the source of anxiety. Often there is a certain amount of exposure therapy wherein the patient is introduced to sources of anxiety but in a controlled and safe environment. The hope is that continued exposure with positive outcomes will eventually desensitize the patient from this type of anxiety.

Medication is also available that treats a wide variety of anxiety. Your doctor is best in the position to determine what medication may work for you and will monitor your progress. In most cases, a combination of therapy and medication works most successfully in treating social anxiety.

For more information on anxiety try visiting http://www.BestAnxietyRelief.com a website that specializes in providing anxiety related tips, advice and resources to include information on social anxiety.

Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is characterized by a persistent fear of any kind of social interactions and the feeling of intense e...

How To Recover From Social Anxiety?
There are many people that have a social anxiety problem and they live this way for many years without doing anything, they t...

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Social anxiety disorder is a condition, more than temporary, and sometimes permanent, in which the sufferer feels a distinct ...

Social Anxiety Disorder Medications
Social Anxiety Disorder (sometimes called simply "SAD") is a temporary-to-permanent condition that is similar to depression, ...

Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder
There is no clear mandate on the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. There are many assumptions about it, which include a...

Severe Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder is a kind of social phobia in which a person has acute fear of eating, drinking, talking or being wat...

Anxiety Symptoms: Top 5 Most Common Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Social anxiety disorder is the fear of social interaction and other aspects of social life. It is also a fear of confrontatio...

Overcoming Social Anxiety Disorder
The first step in overcoming social anxiety disorder is to learn as much as you can about it. This helps you to recognize the...

Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a condition in which the patient or sufferer experiences great trepidation from being around other...

Social Anxiety Disorder Treatments
Most anxiety disorders respond well to two types of treatment: medication and psychotherapy. These treatments are prescribed ...

Common Social Anxiety Symptoms To Watch For
Social anxiety is just one of the many forms of anxiety disorder. To the person suffering from social anxiety the symptoms ex...

Recognizing Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Social anxiety disorder is a very serious mental illness that affects many more people than most imagine. Due to the nature o...

Anxiety Disorders: How To Cope
Depression can, and sometimes does, go hand in hand with anxiety disorders. There are a few different kinds general and soc...

Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Disorder
Social phobia or social anxiety disorder is the constant fear of being criticized or evaluated by other people. People who s...

Symptoms Of Social Anxiety Disorder
If there is something that makes you think that you might be suffering from what is generally referred to as social anxiety d...

Symptoms of Teenage Social Anxiety Disorder
Adults are not the only ones that can suffer from social anxiety disorder, it can affect teenagers to. Social anxiety disorde...

Social Anxiety
Many times people tend to get extremely shy, fearful or overtly self conscious, while interacting in a variety of social situ...

Do you Need Social Anxiety Support?
Social anxiety can be triggered by a variety of causes. It can be triggered by stress, such as major transitions. Changing jo...

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common type of anxiety disorder in which a person experiences excessive worry, tensi...

What Is Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder, or SAD for short, is used to describe an anxiety disorder that causes you to fear being around other...