Take the Social Phobia Test

Gloria Goodwin — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:05:20 +0000

Many people feel anxious when they are faced with the task of standing in front of a group of strangers and giving a speech. These feelings are normal and typically not debilitating. If, however, the thought of meeting a stranger, attending a crowded party or giving a speech makes you so anxious that it consumes you, you may be suffering from social phobia.

The Social Phobia Test

If you think that your anxiety may be a bit more serious than average, answer these questions: Do you experience high levels of anxiety in the following situations?

Speaking to a large group of strangers?
Phoning a person that you don't know?
Being the center of attention?
Saying something wrong or being misunderstood in front of others?
Performing an activity in front of others?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may be suffering from social phobia. Continue reading to understand why:

Speaking to a Group

Most people would prefer to not have to stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech, but most people can complete the task with relative ease. People who experience social phobia often worry about speaking in front of strangers to the point of physical illness. For people with true anxiety, the thought of speaking in front of strangers can make them nauseous, weak in the knees and even make their heart race.

Phoning a Stranger

For most people, calling up the delivery service and ordering dinner isn't even something that they have to think about. For people that suffer with social phobia, even the thought of picking up the phone can cause anxiety symptoms to set in. While the average person has no worries about phoning someone they don't know, a person with social phobia is so uncomfortable at the thought that they often can't bring themselves to complete the task.

Being the Center of Attention

There are people in this world that virtually light up when they have the opportunity to be the center of attention. For others, the thought of having everyone's eyes trained on them is enough to make them want to run and hide. Whether it's due to shyness, a lack of self-esteem or a perceived oddity, some people have no desire to have attention place upon them. If the thought of having a group of people paying attention to no one else but you makes you light headed and ill, you may be suffering from social phobia.

Saying Something Wrong

No one wants to hurt anyone's feelings purposely, nor does anyone enjoy giving the wrong answer in a classroom full of people. There are some people, however, for whom the thought of saying something wrong is so overwhelming that they don't speak at all. If you find yourself in a social situation and are so worried about saying something wrong that you choose to not speak, you may have social anxiety.

Performing in Front of People

Most people don't worry about performing an activity in front of others. Whether it's participating in gym class, taking part in a work activity or simply socializing, group activities can be a fun way to socialize and meet new people. For people with social phobia, however, performing an activity in front of others can be simply paralyzing. These people are overwhelmed with the thought that everyone will be watching them and that they'll do something to embarrass themselves. If the above situations seem to fit you perfectly, you aren't alone. Millions of people in the world suffer with social phobia on some level. While some anxiety can be healthy and help you to perform at your best, crippling levels of anxiety aren't healthy and can wreak havoc on your emotional well-being. If you find yourself suffering with social phobia, there are steps you can take to cure your illness. There are natural remedies that you can take, confidence-building tricks that you can practice and even professional help if you feel that you need it. No matter how you choose to overcome your social phobia, it's important for your emotional health that you start taking steps to cure it. While you may never be totally comfortable in group situations, you can learn mechanisms that will help you to cope and that will keep your levels of anxiety low.

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Social Phobia

Do I have Anxiety - 10 signs to look for

Gloria Goodwin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 02:12:04 +0000

It is totally normal to feel scared and tense when facing a stressful situation in life. Anxiety is a natural response of your body towards danger. It might be regarded as your body's automatic alarm system that goes off when you feel vulnerable and threatened. In moderation, it is not always bad to feel anxious. In fact, anxiety might help you to stay focused and find a solution to the problem. However, when it becomes constant and interferes with your activities and relationships, it is not helpful anymore. That's when you are required to take action as you have crossed the line and are into anxiety disorders' territory. There are numerous symptoms of anxiety, and their intensity, number and frequency will vary from individual to individual as each person has a unique chemical make-up.

Anxiety Symptoms associated with body:

1. Allergy problems: Your allergies become worse than before. You will notice that you are allergic to more substance and the allergic reactions are frequent and take longer to subside.

2. Looking pale: Anxiety makes you feel pale and blanched. You will look sickly and pasty.

3. Heart palpitations: It is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety. You will feel like your heard is racing, pounding, beating fast, skips a beat, beating too hard, or stops and collapses in the chest. Mostly when you feel your heart skips a beat, flops, or stops, it produces a tickly feeling in your chest and makes you cough. During such situation if you measure your pulse, you will observe that your heartbeats are haphazardly spaced. The rhythm of your heart might be normal or irregular during anxiety. You might also feel palpitation in your throat, chest, or neck area.

4. Dizziness: Anxiety makes you feel suddenly woozy, light-hearted, and dizzy. You may experience a feeling like the room is spinning. Furthermore, you can feel like fainting or passing out. Sometimes you might also think like the floor is moving, and it will be difficult for you to balance and stand up straight. You will most probably have difficulty in placing your feet at the right place as your perception of ground will be wrong at that moment, and you will be disoriented. In some cases, people have reported that they feel like they are firmly standing on the floor but the floor is moving or vibrating. Unfortunately, this symptom is sometimes stubborn and persists if we do not take proper action for its elimination.

5. Chest pains: People having anxiety feel pressure, pain, muscle twitching, shooting pains, numbness, burning, fullness, or uneasiness in the chest region. These pains or sensations might be positioned in one spot, or might shift all over the chest region. The pain(s) can also radiate to the right shoulder, left shoulder, or the breasts. Such sensations can be sporadic or remain indefinitely. You may experience sharp piercing or stabbing, or persistent tightness, or any other combination.

Anxiety Symptoms associated with mind:

6. Brain fog: You will feel difficulty concentrating, thinking and forming thoughts. Your thinking will feel like impaired and muddled. Some people regard this feeling as being foggy headed. You will feel difficulty in comprehending and recalling things that you once knew, and your thoughts will seem illusive.

7. Depersonalization: Anxiety will make you feel disconnected from the real world. The person feels like he or she is not a part of what is going on. We can regard it as a dream like state. Sometimes, you will feel very unreal and think you are losing your mind. These thoughts might have you questioning your sanity. Consequently, it will make you panic with nervousness and fear. Things around you might seem like shimmering, hazy, foggy, or tunnel like.

8. Nightmares: People having anxiety problems might have frequent nightmares or bad dreams.

9. Fear or losing control: In a group or crowded area, you might believe that you will do something embarrassing, like passing out, gagging, vomiting, stumbling, etc. It may be difficult to control your body among people resulting in a self-conscious feeling.

10. Déjà Vu: Anxiety makes you feel like you have experienced the present situation before. Listed above are some of the common symptoms of anxiety. If you are experiencing a combination of any of these feelings, there is no need to be concerned as there are a number of solutions to this problem. By following some simple methods or procedure, you can effortlessly eliminate anxiety from your life.

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