A marked fear or dread of social situations.
A fear of being boring.
A fear of having nothing to say of interest.
A fear that you will act in an embarrassing or humiliating way and that other people will think you are stupid, inadequate, foolish, etc.
A fear that you may say something supid, inappropriate or come accross as being stupid, crass or not know what you are talking about.
In some cases the fear is only for certain situations where you will be looked at by others even if they are known to you. For example, you become very anxious if you have to 'perform' in some way, such as giving a talk or presentation, taking part in a discussion at work or school, etc.
You may find you are OK in informal social gatherings
with people that you know.
You may be OK on a one-to-to basis or with two other people, but once it gets past your comfort zone, you feel very, very anxious.
In other cases the fear occurs for most social situations
where you may meet strangers.
Social phobias can even include eating in public places as you fear you may act in an embarrassing way.
Action of Social Phobia.
You avoid such situations as much as possible.
You become very anxious and distressed.
You may develop some physical symptoms of anxiety such as: a fast heart rate, palpitations, shaking (tremors), sweating, feeling sick, chest pain, headaches, stomach pains, a 'knot in the stomach', fast breathing.
You may have an intense desire to get away from the situation.
You may even have a panic attack.
You may blush easily.
You may find it difficult to maintain eye contact.
Social phobia can greatly affect your life.
You may not do as well at school or work as you might have done, as you tend to avoid any group work, discussions, etc.
You may find it hard to get, or keep, a job as you may not be able to cope with the social aspects needed for many jobs, such as meeting with people.
You may become socially isolated and find it difficult to make and keep friends.