You know you have social anxiety when..

Right. As I think I explained in my last bp, social anxiety is a spectrum. There are many degrees to wich you can have it.

I want to be clear that social anxiety (SA) is NOT a personality trait. It is not the same as being introvert. You can be an introvert AND have SA. But you can also just be an introvert. As an introvert you typically prefer being in smaller groups of people, you prefer having a lot of alone time, and you prefer quiet places to crowded and loud places. This is typically an inherited personality trait. But simply being introvert does not make you socially anxious.

The introvert/extrovert spectrum is of course also fluctuating and you can be anywhere on the spectrum. But again, you are not suffering from social anxiety just because you are an introvert. Introversion is when you prefer something, anxiety is when you fear something.

Social anxiety is not about being introvert. It is about percieving danger that is not there. Nobody has a socially anxious personality. You may be an extrovert and have social anxiety. You then actually wish to be with people for the most part, however, you are prevented from socializing as much as you want to by your anxiety.

So. Here is a list of things that could indicate that you are struggling with social anxiety:

– You worry about how other people percieve you.

– You are afraid to speak your mind, especially if you do not hold the popular opinion.

– You go out of your way to avoid certain social situations.

– When you have been to a social gathering you feel exhausted, worried about what the other people now think of you, afraid that you made a bad impression on people, you are worrying about stupid things you may have said or done, you may feel sad or even depressed about the outcome of the event, and so on.

– Things, even small things, generally worry you more. You worry about the way someone looked at you, about the tone in someone’s voice when they said something to you, you worry about a specific word someone used when they said something to you etc.

– Bying something at a store can be a challenge for you.

– Using public transportation can induce anxiety for you.

– You are afraid of inviting people in to your home.

– You often feel guilty about things you have said or done, or things you didn’t do.

– You are scared of being judged.

– You feel intense anxiety when having to perform in front of an audience.

– Talking to someone you really like or admire makes you very anxious and scared and you may avoid it altogether.

– School was never your thing.

– You have a feeling of not fitting in anywhere.

Now. These are just examples. The list is endless, really. But the list goes to show that having social anxiety makes you worry excessively about everything.

An analogy could be that when you are at a party, or any social gathering as a matter of fact, your brain percieves danger, and this makes your body react as if there is a lion in the room. Thus, while everyone else is enjoying themselves, you’re left fighting the lion.

The good thing is knowing that your system is actually trying to protect you. It is reacting to former traumas that you have experienced in your life that made you feel unsafe.

So. Now, when your brain percieves danger it sends signals to your body to be alert to protect you from this danger, and then you experience anxiety. Wich means your system is working, however, it is misinformed and thus is actually overworking. And you can use energy psychology to realign your system and be free of your anxiety.

Using energy psychology belongs in another bp.

That is all for now.