fitness and health

Scared to go out to a meeting to speak to a client? Need to deliver a speech but feel like fainting at the thought of going in front of the class to present? Scared to attend a social gathering for no apparent reason? You might be suffering from social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety disorder
also known as social phobia
is a kind of mental disorder where the sufferer experiences a severe or unreasonable fear of social gatherings where there is a possibility that one may get embarrassed or ridiculed. Most of the time
these anxieties arise from an intense fear of being closely watched or scrutinized - from the simple things like the way they dress
talk or act; to important job functions like performing in front of a crowd
giving a presentation
or finishing an interview for a job application. This kind of phobia gives sufferers a feeling of being trapped or shut away from the world.

They say social anxiety disorder is closely related to shyness. However social phobia differs in the sense that this disrupts normal socializing functions. It is true that everyone goes through a stage of shyness in their life
overcoming it is a different thing. When it becomes too much that it interrupts your daily life and relationships to the point where you are sick with worry
it is time to seek counsel. It is good to know the signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder to be able to determine and treat this said condition before it worsens.

People with social phobia manifest 2 basic kinds of symptoms: emotional and physical. The emotional symptoms include: an intense fear of being in situations in which you don't know people
fear of situations in which you may be judged
worrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
fear that others will notice that you look anxious
anxiety that disrupts your daily routine
work
school or other activities
avoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention. The physical symptoms include: Blushing
profuse sweating
trembling or shaking
nausea
stomach upset
difficulty talking
shaky voice
muscle tension
confusion
palpitations
diarrhea
cold and clammy hands
and difficulty making eye contact.

Basically
this phobia manifests a symptom of being overly anxious around other people. Sufferers think that other people are more confident that they are
that other people are better them. They feel uncomfortable being around people that it makes it difficult for them to eat
drink
work
asking questions
asking for dates
even going to the toilet
when other people are around.

The good news is that there is a cure for this condition. For the past 20 years
a combination of talk therapy and medications has proven most helpful to limit the effects
if not cure
this mental condition. Certain anti-depressants (Paroxetine
Sertraline and Venlafaxine)
anti-anxiety medications
and beta blockers are used to help Socio-phobic people to balance certain chemicals in the brain and minimize panic attacks during periods of heightened anxiety. Talk therapy teaches people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to situations that trigger their anxiety. The therapist helps the patient confront the negative feelings about social situations and the fear about being judged by others. Patients learn how their thinking patterns add to the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and how to change their thinking so the symptoms begin to lessen.
To be shy is quite normal
everybody has gone through a similar phase. Getting past that stage is the difficult part. Ultimately
it ends up to building your confidence to a certain level for you to be comfortable enough to move normally. In case you’ve been diagnosed as a socio-phobic
it is nothing to be ashamed of. With a little bit of therapy
proper medication
and enough support from people who believe in you
you’ll slowly be able to do socialize and function normally within a group without being too anxious.