Am I just shy or could I have Social Anxiety?
I'm the same way. I do or would do everything that you've mentioned, and I could easily be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. I've never tried to get diagnosed with anything, but from my understanding to be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, it basically goes by how much your social anxiety affects your life. Clearly, it's holding you back very much, like it holds me back very much, thus we "have" the disorder. But really, disorders are just labels, and everyone's disorders vary greatly, especially social anxiety. Even if you do have SAD, don't be discouraged. You can make very big advances no matter what disorder you have, but especially with SAD. You need to learn to be confident, if you aren't already. You need to actually not care what others thing, and realize how silly it is to let your shyness limit your life's potential. Exposure is the way to get past social anxiety; that's when you just get out there and face your social fears. Just socialize, do everything you're afraid of, and eventually your feelings will be in sync, at least for the most part, with your thinking. You'll no longer feel that overwhelming anxiety whenever you have to talk to someone, although you may still have some, and you may still be a little social phobic. In fact, I've found the social phobia doesn't really go away too much, but once I'm in the social situation, I handle it a lot better now a days. I thought it was essentially impossible for me to get a job due to my social anxiety, but I did. I'm now 6 months into my job, and I hardly feel any anxiety, and I deal with lots of strangers and co workers every day. Something I've always wanted to do, and maybe you'd like to try, is just going to a random place in a city a while from where you live, and just go into stores and socialize. Go to parks, wherever, and just say really basic things to people. Say hi to everyone you pass, and look them right in the eye. They'll think you're not shy at all, and you'll build a great deal of confidence. You'll never see them again; it would be a very safe way to practice. Worst come to worst, just get professional help. A support group would work well for SAD, since it doesn't really matter how well the material is, all that matters is that you're in a group and talking. Whatever you do, don't do nothing. It won't go away and your life will never be what you want it to be. I hope things get better.
Do I have social anxiety or am i just shy?
i dont know how to tell. i'm fun and loud around the right people if i know everyone there well and theres not a lot of people, but at school, i just walk around wiht my head down not saying anything at all. when people talk to me, i say the minimum i have to so i dont seem rude or if its loud enough that i can get away with it, i'll pretend i didnt hear them. when i have to stand up in class to give a speach or something, i'll think about it for at least one day before nonstop, then i'll get really shaky, sometimes for the rest of the day afterwards. last year i had to give a 5 minute speech to my class and i was nearly crying. i'm not too bad with school because people leave me alone for the most part but the weekend is a huge relief. i always think pple are watching me. whenever i hear anyone laughing, i think they're laughing about me. I get self concious just walking down the street. i'm okay with talking to people online who i dont know, but i cant play online games where there are other people because i'm so afraid i'll mess up even though they dont know who i am. so...am i shy, or do i have social anxiety? please help, i cant go to a therapist.
Do I have social anxiety or am I just very shy?
So ever since 3rd grade I've been very shy. I hate attention! I always feel like people are watching me when I know theyre not. It just feels that way. Also, I am very skinny which I hate I know I look anorexic. I'm like the skinniest person at my high school. so that is one of the reasons why I' so self conscious. Anyway, I don't have a lot of friends at school and I dont interact with them much. Whenever someone asks me something I get nervous and either say I dont know just so I dont have to say a lot. Also, my heart starts beating rapidly when someone I don't know very well talks to me and people just don't talk to me because they know I don't talk much. Also, when I'm embarassed I start crying which makes it worse because then I'm embarassed of crying. I remember in seventh grade I had to give a presentation and nearly started crying and the same thing happened in 8th grade! It's like I can't control my emotions! I feel so silly for it as well, I feel like a 5 year old for getting so upset.
Do I have social anxiety or just shy?
Please don't be rude about this I just want to know and one of my family thinks I'm social anxiety 1)I don't make eye contact with people when I talk 2)I barely talk 3)I don't like it when people stare at me 4)I don't like working in group activities 5)I don't like to talk out loud to the class 6)I don't like to do presentation (idk how to spell it lol) ... But please don't be ruse about this I'm just asking if I'm social anxiety or just shy also I'm 13 Thanks :)
How do I know if I have social anxiety or I'm just shy?
shyness is more to do with if your not an outgoing personality who would rather stay on the outside of a group of people, slightly awkward until they feel comfortable enough to join in to the conversation, lack of eye contact and lowered voice when answering direct questions.Social anxiety is when you start having a anxiety attack with the thought of being in a situation where you have to speak or perform to a group of people about a topic. It’s the fight or flight mechanism and the adrenaline rush that stays at level 10 when it should be level 4. It’s pure panic and nerves rolled into one.Both shyness and social anxiety can be successfully treated when diagnosed by a mental health professional, through relaxation and breathing techniques, diet and lifestyle changes. Medication can be used if necessary.Hope this answers your questionSarah
Shy vs social anxiety?
There is a difference between being shy and having social anxiety. Shy would be more of a communication issue, not feeling comfortable introducing yourself, very quiet with groups and afraid to speak up. Social anxiety is more of a feeling of discomfort when in large groups and feeling nervous/anxious/sweaty palms, etc. I use to get this every time I went to school ( highschool) and it finally went away once I finished. Its the feeling of ambiguity that makes you nervous and unsure esp in a large crowd. Case in point, I would say based on what you wrote, that you have a slight social anxiety. You could possible be shy, but from what you wrote you seem tense and nervous more so.
Is it social anxiety or shyness?
Notice the question is asking for a category, that's all. You want to know what you should call your problem, yes? You're not asking for any insight that might lead to its resolution, you just want the name of the beast?This isn't just a random thing -- you and I evolved from monkeys and lizards, and we got these big brains on our heads, and those big brains are big fans of boundaries. Your bedroom is a safe place, but the living room isn't, because there are people out there. That's a boundary. "Shyness" is cool, it's just a personality characteristic, but "social anxiety" is a malfunction, right? Another boundary -- a boundary between "ok" and "not ok".What other boundaries have you got? How about the boundary between "my friends" and "everyone else"? We evolved to survive, but in the big brains of humans, that goes a bit overboard, and "survive" starts to include all sorts of needless forms of self-protection as "make sure that my self-concept is on the safe side of an abstract boundary that defines insiders and outsiders", etc.We're lizards in the jungle, and the jungle is in our own minds and cultural dialog -- reacting to perceived threats where none exists, because we have cooked a jungle out of abstract concepts, each of which has a boundary which separates it from other things.Does any of this make any sense? Is this any way to live? No, of course it's utterly silly. But this is what the mind does, by default. You just have a more-aggressive than average case of "ego protection mechanisms" going on. Your mind thinks that you're defined by the most important boundary of all -- the one between "me" and "the world", and it feels frightened like a small lizard in a jungle of powerful predators.There's a deep question hidden in this: how did you get to be a lizard, so small and vulnerable? How do you know that you're contained by that boundary? What if that isn't who you are at all? What if that's just the reactive, unquestioning behavior of a machine that got its start hundreds of millions of years ago, and the real you isn't represented at all in that stew?That's where you go to resolve not just this frightened-lizard thing, but a whole bunch of other things that you haven't asked about. It's called "awakening" by some people. (See also: One-Piece Puzzle, chapter 2)
Asperger's Syndrome, Social Anxiety or just Shy?
Found a great website for Asperger's and just re-posted your question there. Check out the answers http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt222455.h...
How do you know if someone has social anxiety or is just shy?
Social Anxiety while it is hard to identify simply by looking at someones behavior, do they blush often? do their hands shake or are they trembling? do they seem to be out of breath or light headed?If they do most of these things you could safely assume that they have social anxiety, while it is more a mental thing there are many physical symptoms shown when someone is anxious. those who are shy tend to avoid eye contact, especially if they do not know what to say.Shy people will get comfortable around you eventually, while someone who suffers from social anxiety will always seem to be withdrawn and nervous.My best friends are a good example, one suffers from social anxiety, the other is just shy.The first friend has been with me for years, she still gets uncomfortable around me at times, there is this constant fear she has that I am going to leave her. She hates social gatherings, unless she is extremely comfortable she will not talk much and simply seem as if she is only half there. Her withdrawal makes it hard for us to connect, I try to be understanding but at times it can be extremely infuriating, it is like trying to connect with a wall. How do you even try to do that? Overall Social anxiety makes it hard to have proper conversations, the most important thing to remember though is that it is very rewarding to be there for someone who has social anxiety. When someone who never opens up starts talking about something extremely personal, it feels like taking a drink of water right after waking up from a long nap. It is amazing.Now a shy person opens up, they tell you things you could never have guessed and as time goes by they get much more comfortable around you. It stops becoming impossible to figure out how they feel because they are comfortable enough to show you, they start opening up and do not stop, it is not nearly as on and off as it is with someone that has social anxiety. There is a constant flow of communication with a shy person, the most important part is getting to know them. Comforting her is easier because I actually know what wrong, I do not feel as if the is a lot of confusion.There is a massive difference between shy people and people with social anxiety, shyness while difficult to manage, is not nearly as debilitating as social anxiety.