Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and more specifically, being negatively viewed by people around you. As you can imagine, this disorder affects every part of a person’s life. People with social anxiety would find it difficult to be in normal everyday social situations. It’s important that we become sensitive to their needs and understand how they feel rather than make judgments or ask them to “get over it.” Here are some things that people with social anxiety do that you may not realize, are a result of their disorder.
Things That People With Social Anxiety Do
1. They Decline Invites
Social gatherings are just emotionally and mentally draining. Just the thought of being surrounded by people terrifies them. It may seem rude but in reality, they may truly want to be there. But the fear takes over any positive feelings they may have about the event.
2. They Stay Quiet In Conversations
They’re constantly afraid of saying the wrong thing so they may stay quiet and prefer to listen when in a group conversation. If they do think of saying something, they go over it in their heads multiple times before saying it out loud.
3. They May Talk Too Much
Some people do the opposite and tend to talk too much. They see awkward silences as much more terrifying so they may just keep making conversation. They very often regret this afterward, thinking that they came across as annoying and uninteresting when in reality, the people they talked to may not have thought anything of the sort.
4. They Ignore Texts And Phone Calls
Anxiety can be debilitating enough to make someone fearful of picking up their phone calls or answering texts. Again they may be scared of saying the wrong thing in their conversation.
5. They May Always Be Late
This is because it takes time to convince themselves to step outside the door. They may overthink everything from what they should wear, whether people really want them to be there, and whether they’ll actually enjoy themselves. These thoughts and feelings can keep running through their minds until they finally muster up the courage to step out that door. It may come across as a character flaw but it is just a result of the disorder.
6. They Think Of The Worst Case Scenarios
In any situation, their mind is thinking of the worst possible things that could happen. If they’re going on a road trip, they’re convinced that there will be an accident. If they’re sick, they’re convinced that something is seriously wrong with them. This makes it all the more hard to put themselves out there to experience new things.
7. They Have Low Self Esteem
People with social anxiety more often than not, suffer from low self-esteem. They see themselves as incapable of doing daily normal activities without feeling anxious and this makes them feel inferior especially around confident people. This is also due to the fact that they are very concerned about what other people think of them.
8. They Need Alone Time
They very often need some time alone to themselves to recuperate and regain some of their energy before going back out into social situations.
9. They Have Days When They Can’t Get Out Of Bed
People with anxiety often get very little sleep. This is because worries and concerns continue to plague their mind without letting them relax. Alternatively they may sleep excessively as a form of escape. There may be days when they’re unable to get out of bed because anxieties and worries fill their mind before they even wake up completely.
10. They Are Perfectionists
They may not come across as a perfectionist because they very rarely complete projects. While this may come across as laziness, the reason they don’t is that they’re afraid they’ll never be able to make it as perfect as they envision it.
11. They Have Difficulty Concentrating
People with social anxiety often have trouble concentrating in class or at work since their minds are always hung up on their worries.
For those with social anxiety, every ordinary day is a struggle that needs courage and strength. Next time you meet someone with social anxiety, try to understand their point of view, make yourself aware, and offer them support.
