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Without doing research first, a person would probably deduce that shyness is the same as social anxiety disorder; the two are worlds away from each other. People with social anxiety want to have friends and lead normal lives, but they fear rejection or embarrassment in particular social situations.
This article will look at different social situations and give you an insight into what the socially anxious person feels in those situations. We will look at social anxiety in the classroom, dating, and eating in public.
Social Anxiety Disorder in the Classroom
We all know it is important to ask for help in a classroom setting if you have concerns, a question, or do not understand something. For a person with social anxiety disorder, the fear of “asking a stupid question” might be enough to keep them from asking at all. In some other cases, they might not ask a teacher for help because they fear that the educator will think they are “dumb” or “stupid.” In some cases this will lead to poor grades for the social anxiety sufferer.
Individuals with social anxiety disorder are often overlooked or “invisible” in the classroom. They will appear to be uninterested by teachers because they fail to ask for help when their grades continue to fall. Sometimes the fear that comes along with social anxiety is so great that many will choose to drop out of school.
Dating With Social Anxiety
Did you know social phobia sufferers are far less likely to get married or even date for that matter? Dating is one of the social interactions that people with social anxiety disorder fear. It is the fear of rejection that will keep people from dating. Statements such as “I won’t or don’t know what to say” or “He or She won’t like me” are common from those who suffer from this debilitating anxiety disorder. Men with social anxiety will tend to have worst end as far as dating goes because of social norms, because it is usually expected that a male will approach a female to initiate courting.
Eating and Writing in Public
Most people eat out at restaurants, but for the person with social anxiety it is a dreaded experience. A person with social phobia will fear that when they’re eating out that other people will think he or she is not following proper eating manners. If with social anxiety does choose to “eat out” they will endure it with extreme distress.
Lastly, we look at sufferers who fear writing in public. Signing forms or other documents in public is a trivial act to most people. For those with social anxiety, blushing, sweating, and trembling are all too common physical symptoms that occur when trying to write something in front of others. The person with social phobia will think the person in front of them or behind him or her is criticizing their penmanship. Sometimes the person who suffers from social anxiety will think the person watching him or her thinks the sufferer is taking too much time to write or sign something.
Social anxiety disorder can limit a person socially, financially, and academically. If you’re an anxiety sufferer and want to stop the cycle of fear, then check out our article on finding help for social anxiety.
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