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Shyness or Social Anxiety... Do You Really Know For Sure?

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Are You Just Shy?

Are you suffering from shyness? Or could it be something more? Some people who think they are just shy are really suffering from social anxiety. Social Anxiety is often misdiagnosed as simple shyness.

Ask yourself the following questions:

*Do you worry for days, weeks, months about an event you have to attend?
*Do you immediately start coming up with excuses not to attend an event?
*Do you have an extreme fear of being judged by others?
*Do you have extreme fear of talking to strangers?
*Do you find it almost impossible to use the phone?
*Do you panic when someone knocks on your door?
*Do you avoid going to the store?
*Are you extremely afraid of looking, doing, or saying something "stupid" in social situations?

If you answered YES to any of these, you may be suffering from SOCIAL ANXIETY.

Social Anxiety is a form of shyness taken to the extreme. If you are shy, you may blush when meeting someone new. If you have social anxiety, you may also blush, but you may also feel nauseous, light-headed, you may tremble, your heart may race, and you may want to run for the nearest exit. Yes, it is a severe form of shyness.

by stopping those negative thoughts

Negative thoughts play a huge part in the life of someone with social anxiety. These negative thoughts are sometimes subtle. They are also so automatic that we probably don't even notice them.

Examples of negative talk could be:

*If I make a mistake, no one will like me
*I sound stupid
*I don't fit in

You really need to stop and pay close attention to your thoughts, and change those negative thoughts into positive ones.

Another effective way is to picture a huge red stop sign and say the word STOP! Redirect your thoughts and be consistent in doing so.

Resources

Painfully Shy: How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life: Great book that not only lists symptoms and possible causes, but it also lists some self-treatment options.
Dying Of Embarrassment: I personally have this book and it is not only great for helping with social phobia, it is great to refer back to when you have setbacks.
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: I also own this workbook, as it was recommended by my therapist many years ago. It is over 400 pages packed with excellent information. Overcoming negative self-talk, Assertiveness, Self-Esteem, and Coping with panic attacks are just a few of the 19 chapters.

Poor Coping Game Plan

are you guilty of these?

Are you trying to overcome your social anxiety? Or are you just using a poor game plan to try and cope with social anxiety?

Coping with and curing social anxiety are two different things that will take you in two totally different directions. One will lead you to possible agoraphobia, while the other will lead you to a confident, outgoing lifestyle.

People with a poor game plan who are just coping with social anxiety sometimes aren't even aware of what they are doing. An obvious way of just coping with social anxiety is by avoiding social situations.

A less obvious way of just coping with social anxiety is actually going to a social event, but maybe hanging back in a corner, or not talking to anyone, or making an excuse for leaving early.

All of these are subtle and not so subtle ways of coping with social anxiety. The bad news is, you are not overcoming social anxiety.

Avoidance is the worst possible thing you can do when you have social anxiety. Are you guilty of these?

Resources

Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe: Working Through Social Anxiety: Excellent book that continues to sell out. Dayhoff is a psychologist who has overcome social anxiety herself. This book is a comprehensive self-help guide for sufferers.
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness. From cognitive exercises to nutrition advice, this book is geared to those suffering from anxiety, depression, and much more.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated: I own this book as well, and I along with over 135 people give this book a 5 star rating. From how to diagnose your moods to understanding them, this book is packed with information. Want to build your self-esteem or do you need ways to defeat guilt? It's all covered in this book.

Anxiety and Animals

It's a wonderful combination

Animals are a person's best friend... For people with anxiety, animals can be very therapeutic.

It's a fact that if you are sad, or anxious, snuggling with your animal can really help.

So, let's show off all of our pets and give them the fame they deserve!

Shyness or Social Anxiety... Do You Really Know For Sure?

Are You Just Shy?

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Conquer Your Social Anxiety

by stopping those negative thoughts

Resources

Poor Coping Game Plan

are you guilty of these?

Resources

Anxiety and Animals

It's a wonderful combination

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