Social phobia?

[Twinkle1881]

Hi all. Sorry if this post belongs in another section, I wasn't sure, but I think this is more phobia than normal (!) anxiety ... does anyone else feel afraid of being seen by someone they know in the street? If I see an acquaintance out and about, even if it's someone I like, I will do anything to avoid them seeing me. I have even got on the wrong bus deliberately to avoid being seen by a work colleague (who I get on fine with). Also, I can't go in the garden if the neighbours are out in theirs. And for the last few days we've had scaffolders and a house-painter working on the back of the house, and I can't even go in the kitchen because I don't want to see them/them to see me through the kitchen windows. I don't even know what it is I'm afraid of, I just feel desperate at the thought of being seen in these situations. Can anyone else relate to this? I'm starting to feel as if I must be psychotic.

[JohnLuke300]

I can assure you that you are not alone with these problems, all these are common symptoms of social phobia. I have experienced all the same problems you have since childhood, they are classic social phobia symptoms. You are not psychotic but a normal rational person inflicted with a severe and disabling condition.
The root cause with me is the way I perceive that other people view myself, this again is common with social phobia and is basically a self-esteem issue. It is common with the condition for you to assume that other peoples estimation of you will be lower than it actually is. This leads to negative thinking, self doubt and avoidance strategies.
To overcome it you have to realize that peoples opinion of you is probably better than you realize and that avoidance only maintains the phobia. Identifying all your avoidance issues and making an active effort to stop avoiding is the only real way of improving. This will not be easy as avoiding is probably as much a behavioral problem as it is a conscious decision.

I would be interested to know if you have any other avoidance issues other than those you expressed in your post. For me these are only the tip of the iceberg.

I hope my advice has been of help and if there any other problems you would like help with or you would like more advice with the problems you have mentioned I would be more than happy to assist. Remember you are not alone and good luck :).

[Janvi]

Hello Twinkle,

You are not alone with this. even i suffer from social anxiety i think. You know today is my birthday and im nervous since this morning coz i think ill have to cut my birthday cake this evening as ive invited some close family at my place. Plus you know i suffer from mouth twitch which is terrible compare to your case. My prob is whenever someone takes my photograph my mouth twitches and thats very embarassing infront of everybody. I wish God could help me overcome this problem.

[allangering]

Social phobia is a type of anxiety problem. Extreme feelings of shyness and self-consciousness build into a powerful fear. As a result, a person feels uncomfortable participating in everyday social situations.People with social phobia can usually interact easily with family and a few close friends. But meeting new people, talking in a group, or speaking in public can cause their extreme shyness to kick in.With social phobia, a person's extreme shyness, self-consciousness, and fears of embarrassment get in the way of life. Instead of enjoying social activities, people with social phobia might dread them and avoid some of them altogether.
Of all the treatments available, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to work the best for treating social anxiety disorder, or social phobia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the premise that what you think affects how you feel, and your feelings affect your behavior.