Social Anxiety Symptoms

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WARNING ABOUT SOCIAL ANXIETY SYMPTOMS: All of the social anxiety symptoms mentioned on this page can be fully attributed to anxiety. However, the same exact conditions could be symptomatic of other illnesses. Therefore, DO NOT use this as a method of diagnosis. If there is any question, you should get a physical examination from your doctor to confirm that your symptoms are a result of anxiety.

Social anxiety and social phobia is usually a result of the desire to avoid one or more emotional energies encountered in social situations. This could include feelings of awkwardness, insecurity, rejection, embarrassment, and so on. Common social anxiety symptoms include shyness, introversion, rapid heartbeat, nervousness, self consciousness, hyper-sensitivity, dwelling on mistakes, fear of public speaking, and sweaty palms.

A more complete list of social anxiety symptoms, in the words of social anxiety sufferers themselves:

• Tension headaches, migraines, stress sensations, tense feelings
• Overwhelming worry, overly analytical about interactions, paranoia, desire to escape social encounters, obsessive thoughts
• Soreness, aching, or pains in the neck, back, shoulders, arms, legs, etc. Jaw pain and teeth grinding.
• Avoid interacting with others, introversion, social isolation, shyness, emotional withdrawal, feeling alone, poor self-esteem
• Butterflies in the stomach, social fearfulness, nervousness, insecurity, self-consciousness, apprehensive, trembling
• Frequent worrying, feelings of panic, fear of public speaking, feeling out of control, easily startled, jumpiness, intense fear, feelings of dread
• Heart pounding, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
• Diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, stomach cramps, acidic stomach
• Difficulty relaxing, constant fatigue, easily tired
• Memory problems, dizziness, dreaminess, confusion, trouble thinking clearly, lightheadedness
• Feeling cold or clammy, chills, cold feet, cold hands, sweaty palms
• Impatience, hostile feelings, irritation with others, mood swings, loss of sense of humor, argumentative
• Rigid body movement, rubbery legs

As you can see, social anxiety (and anxiety in general) can result in a myriad of symptoms - and there are more! But please remember that all these social anxiety symptoms could also indicate other illnesses. Therefore, do NOT use this list as a method of diagnosis - get an exam from a doctor to confirm that your symptoms are indeed related to anxiety.