Social Anxiety is the experience of fear, anxiety or panic in social situations. You may fear being around people, feeling that you are being watched, criticised or judged. You may fear embarrassing yourself or making a fool of yourself in some way, being rejected or disgraced. You may experience feelings of dread and nervousness leading up to a given situation. Perhaps you analyse and re-run situations in your mind over the event, questioning how you could have performed better?
If you suffer from social anxiety, you may find everyday tasks to be a real ordeal – tasks which most people take for granted, such as speaking on the telephone, shopping, working and socialising.
This leads to an avoidance of situations and depending on the severity, can lead to phobic reactions.
If you suffer from social anxiety, you may be reluctant to talk about it or to seek help; this is very common. The condition is not widely recognised amongst the general public. In fact it was only recognised as a disorder in the 1980s.
Testimonials for Social Anxiety
“Most helpful was your constant reassurance and confidence in me. I was really impressed by your ability to understand and to quickly get to the core of the issues.” Beverly, 57 – Manager
“It’s been an amazing experience. I didn’t expect it to have such a big effect on my life, but it has been great. The sessions were far more effective than I could have imagined and have helped in more areas in my life than the initial problem. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. I can’t tell you how much it has changed my life – I am now engaged to be married next May!” Lois, 36 – Retail Manager
“I was nervous about coming but you put me at ease very quickly. I trusted you a great deal and never felt unsure or worried about telling you things. I could very quickly see the difference in myself. I stopped being miserable all the time, I took control of situations and I felt much happier. Most helpful was learning to relax and to be open to new situations. Thank you again. You were wonderful and just what I needed” Alice, 27 – Research Assistant
