Do you dread all situations in which you are in contact with other people, mainly strangers? Do you always manage to decline invitations to events?

Are you continually worried about the judgment of others and afraid of being humiliated?

You may be suffering from social anxiety disorder. Let's do a check in.

What is social anxiety disorder?

Social anxiety or social phobia is a disorder corresponding to the marked and intense fear of social situations during which the person may be observed by others.

It is an excessive fear of one or more social situations residing primarily in the fear of being the object of attention of others, of being evaluated and of being misjudged.

This fear leads the person suffering from social anxiety disorder to adopt avoidance behaviors in order to avoid being exposed to these situations.

How does social anxiety manifest?

Social anxiety disorder results in different symptoms, including:

intense anxiety during one or more social situations during which the person is exposed to the attentive observation of other people,

the fear of showing visible symptoms of anxiety (fear of trembling, blushing, sweating),

the fear of being judged or humiliated by others with the impression that other people will notice and judge one's weaknesses,

the fear of embarrassing someone else with their behavior,

poor self-esteem,

a lack of self-confidence,

a distrust of others, a defensive attitude towards others,

a feeling of shame after each social situation,

avoidance behaviors in social situations and protective behaviors when the situation cannot be avoided (keeping distance, avoiding eye contact).

People with social anxiety therapy may develop perfectionistic behavior in an attempt to always provide a positive image of themselves.