9 Signs of Social Anxiety to Watch For

Social anxiety can keep you from participating in life. You may experience signs of social anxiety at the thought of attending a social event or participating in a social situation. Outings such as grocery or Christmas shopping can feel paralyzing to you. In some cases, people suffering from social anxiety experience panic attacks.

Signs of Social Anxiety to Look For

Social anxiety will isolate you even from your closest friends. You may have to miss important functions and celebrations or turn down opportunities for advancement. This type of anxiety can display itself in physical and mental symptoms.

Become aware of the signs of social anxiety. If you experience the following signs, speak to a counselor about ways to overcome your anxiety. You can learn to reframe your thoughts and change your emotions and behavior.

Fear or Dread Over a Social Event If you have ever felt dread while anticipating a social event, you are not alone. Roughly 7% of adults and 9% of adolescents had social anxiety disorder in the past year, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.

Women are more at risk than men of the signs of social anxiety. The fear creeps over you, and before you realize it, the physical manifestations begin. Your mind races with negative thoughts. Your hands may tremble. Anticipation brings about fear or dread.

Low Self-Esteem You can lose your self-esteem when you feel uncomfortable around others. You may dislike yourself in response to believing that others don’t like you. It can make it harder to join functions when you feel you don’t measure up.

Self-Consciousness You may become hypercritical of yourself. You may compare yourself to others in appearance, body shape, weight, size, intelligence, beauty, career, or relationships. You fear people judging or making fun of you. You might be afraid of offending others through speech or appearance. This self-consciousness can be severe, so you refuse to attend social events.

Relationship Issues Due to Anxiety Relationships are difficult to form when anxiety and low self-esteem stop you from engaging with others. Missed opportunities and the chance to deepen current relationships will only feed low self-esteem. Problems in your family may revolve around your unwillingness to socialize or allow others over to your home.

Feeling Faint When faced with a social event, you may feel faint, lightheaded, and dizzy. This could be due to a sudden increase in heart rate and shallower breathing. Adrenaline and cortisol, stress hormones, are released to prepare you for either a fight or the energy to escape.

Excessive Sweating In response to the fight-or-flight response, you may break out in excessive sweating, chills, or trembling. You may find it harder to breathe or swallow. As the adrenaline rush begins to wear off, you should feel better.

Nausea Social anxiety can cause digestive distress, leading to nausea, vomiting, excessive burping, acid reflux, heartburn, and stomach cramps. In extreme cases, stomach upset from diarrhea can occur. Your physician may recommend medication if you experience gastrointestinal issues routinely due to stress and anxiety.

Racing Thoughts Any anxiety can give you a sense of “brain fog,” where you cannot seem to focus or concentrate on tasks. Your mind races from one thought to another. You may leave tasks half-done or forget important details. This response is natural as your body floods with stress hormones. However, chronic anxiety can exacerbate the issue.

Panic Attack Anticipating Social Situations A panic attack comes on suddenly. You can experience one on the day of a social event or days or weeks ahead as the stress builds from anticipation. Panic attack symptoms can include numbness or tingling in the extremities, trembling, chest tightness, trouble swallowing, rapid heartbeat, faintness, and stomachache or headache.

A panic attack typically peaks in about twenty minutes, but the symptoms can last for an hour afterward. Panic attacks can feel like a heart attack, so check with your doctor if you experience one for the first time to rule out a medical condition.

You can learn how to control social anxiety and lessen the effects of panic attacks with the help of counseling that combines evidence-based psychological methods with the Christian faith.

Christian Counseling for Social Anxiety in Richardson, Texas

If the signs of social anxiety are interfering with your life, contact at Texas Christian Counseling, Richardson today to schedule a session with a Christian counselor in Richardson, TExas. You can overcome anxiety and enjoy social situations and relationships again.