Essay On Social Anxiety Disorders

Heart racing, knees shaking, arms trembling; it was the first day of my sophomore year and I was about to enter my AP World History, class. My palms were sweaty; I didn’t know what to expect, but afterward, the teacher gave a brief overview of the course. He mentioned how it was rigorous and demanding course, and it would prepare us for college-level courses, such as developing our speaking skills and helping us receive college credits. We focused on teaching the class about the content, which was good opportunity to defeat my fear. At this point, I had to get over my fear of presenting in front of others, but the thought of it tortured me. All I could think of was my 10-year-old self speechlessly standing in front of many students with so

Social anxiety is something I have always had although I did not always know what it was. I thought it was only something that those living under a rock and had never seen people had. I now know that anyone can have it. When I was a little kid, people would tell me what beautiful features I have and I would be so shy and self-conscious that I would hide behind my parents. My parents thought I was just shy but that was only part of it. I have failed many times and wasted many opportunities to expose myself to my anxiety and maybe even overcome it. Although I have always had social anxiety it only escalates the older I get. There was a time where I did not want to face my fears. I was told by not only my mom but many others that I would become agoraphobic. I never tried to get better. Ignoring “the monster” as I call

I had arrived at my destination- a lot sooner than I wanted to. I hurried in the classroom to get the best seat, which was always in the back row by a window. The professor walked in with an energy that I had never encountered before. She carried herself with an air of confidence. She spoke with certainty. She introduced herself and dove right into the first lesson before the first five minutes of class were even over. She informed us that today we would be introducing ourselves to the entire class. I could feel myself becoming nauseous. My hands started shaking and my mind started sorting through a million cliché facts about myself. I could not seem to think of my favorite color at the moment. I am an average, boring, normal eighteen-year-old girl who has a crippling fear of public speaking. That is as far as I got before I heard the professor call my

Anxiety is one of the most well-known disorders across the globe, but it comes in many different forms effecting numerous types of people. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is one of the main run-offs of anxiety that exists in the world today. It is absolutely normal to feel a little nervous or anxious before trying something new; however, Social Anxiety impels the individual diagnosed to feel distress and agitation in most, if not all, social situations that they partake in because they are afraid of the possible embarrassment that may come from it (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).

As I was growing up, I would have never expected my life would come to this. It began gradually and continued until it engulfed me. My whole life revolved around it, and would change the person I am for the rest of my life. The constant fear and paranoia, are unimaginable, and no description, or imaginary details can truly capture the extent of its effects. It is my bully, yet I cannot tell someone, get help, and stop it. This bully is not in my class, but instead in my head. His name is anxiety.

Social anxiety is fear of communication with other individuals and it may bring feelings of self-consciousness (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams,

I push myself through the masses of students in the hallway, knowing that my eyes are beginning to water. My friends approach me tentatively, draping their arms across my shoulder, inquiring as to what ails me. The only response is the shuddering of my frame and a barely audible whisper. "I don't know what's wrong anymore." I am ushered to the bathroom, or the guidance center, or some secluded space, my friend murmuring reassurances all the while. "It'll be ok, Jess. It'll get better. Everything is going to turn out fine." I remain taciturn, save for an occasional sniffle.

     Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgement, evaluation, and inferiority. Put differently social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression. If a person usually becomes anxious in social situations, but seems fine when they are by them selves, then social anxiety may be the problem.

Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia) is the third largest mental health care problem in the world. Latest government epidemiological data show social phobia affects over 7% of the population at any given time. The lifetime prevalence rate (i.e., the chances of developing social anxiety disorder at any time during the lifespan) stands at above 13%.

As famed philosopher Epictetus once stated, “Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems” (Epictetus). Feelings of anxiety affect all of us at some point in our lives, but for some it can transform into a pernicious cycle that affects their everyday experiences and interactions. This mental disorder provides multiple obstacles to the affected person's interactions, relationships, and moods; and eradicates their ability to perform crucial acts of wholeness. Although millions of people worldwide suffer from mild anxiety, social anxiety has developed into an obvious obstacle to wholeness for affected people. Specifically, social anxiety hinders a person's ability to fully function

Through perseverance, dedication, and patience, isolated people can immediately change transform themselves to fearless people who have no difficulty whatsoever with communicating. This has been proven throughout the ages and in my family as well. Whether you are the extreme loner at your school, or a jobless person willing to sacrifice anything to receive a job, you can become intrepid conquering your isolation issues.

Bone-shaking anxiety filled the morning of my first day of high school. Coming from Christ the King, I had never had more than twelve kids in a class with me, and now I would have a minimum of twenty? That alone made me nervous, but I also had to walk through the dreaded Senior hallway to get to my Science class, and I was terrified at the thought of making my way through that maze of giants. However, everything went smoothly in those areas, and all that awaited me was the class that I feared the most: Concert Band I. It was one thing to walk through the hallway with upperclassmen, but now I had to be in a class with them. Needless to say, I was mortified until I walked into the room and the first sentence I heard was, “Hey Erik, welcome to

In high school I wanted to try something crazy. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and really push my boundaries. I was involved in a health occupations club for future medical students and at the end of the year we would go to a conference and compete in an event. We could choose any event we wanted, and since I was an introvert, I would always choose the event without any public speaking. I decided my junior year it was time for a change and I would finally chose an event with public speaking. I had a partner so it wasn’t as terrifying, but I had social anxiety so for me it was still horrific. I never considered the psychology behind why public speaking was such a nightmare for me. I never thought my race, gender, age, and personality were all working against me.

Feeling anxious before giving a speech or presenting a project is normal, but when that anxiety carries over into being nervous before going to a casual party or meeting up with friends, that is when it might be more than just nerves. Social anxiety is one of the most common forms of anxiety. About fifteen million adults in America suffer from social anxiety, with the typical onset age being thirteen (Social Anxiety Disorder). Overcoming social anxiety takes tremendous efforts and can take many years. There are many different methods people have tried using to overcome their fears. Two common ones people use are learning to control their breath and cognitive-behavioral therapy. With persistence and determination, people can learn to deal with their social anxiety the healthy way, or better yet, overcome it completely.

Going past the cafeteria door and having no one to sit with, once you’re inside, is horrible. But people watching and whispering to others, not things about them but things about you, is even worse. It makes you feel eager, the need of knowing what is going on and what they’re saying. But once you do, you wish you hadn’t. It tears you apart. It breaks your heart and when you try to forget what you’d just heard you just can’t, it stays there forever. And whenever that memory and those words can come back to mind, they do.