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Essay / The difference between social anxiety and shyness
The blood was pounding in his ears and his heart was pounding in his chest. His hands were trembling. His vision was ruined, as if he was looking through the wrong corrective glasses. His face grew hot and sweat accumulated in his clammy hands. His roaring heartbeat drowned out his teacher's voice asking if he was okay. Tears blurred his vision. His chest tightened. He couldn't breathe. He shook his head vaguely and ran out of the classroom, only stopping when he reached the hall, completely exhausted and gulping in deep gulps of fresh air. Although shyness is similar to anxiety, and it is easy to confuse the two, anxiety is much more serious and is a real disorder that can make people unable to cope in social situations if they are considered something else. Anxiety is characterized by hyperfocus and excessive analysis of daily activities. People diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) will continue to revise their past actions and criticize themselves, sometimes even imagining themselves in future situations and anticipating the difficult feelings and thoughts they will experience. They even convince themselves that everyone will notice that they are uncomfortable and judge them for it. They have what Jenny C. calls reverse narcissism. Instead of wanting to be in the spotlight and draw attention to themselves, people diagnosed with SAD have deflated self-esteem and avoid the spotlight. People diagnosed with SAD are not necessarily shy. Normally, they may appear talkative and friendly, but beneath the surface, they may struggle with anxious thoughts that affect their social behavior, making them unable to cope with public activities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Shyness, on the other hand, is characterized by the tendency to feel uncomfortable or tense in social gatherings, especially with unfamiliar people (American Psychological Association, “Shyness”). Very shy people may show physical signs of illness, such as blushing, sweating, racing heart or stomach ache, negative feelings about themselves, worries about how how others perceive them and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions. This definition is eerily similar to that of social anxiety, and it is obvious that the two can be confused. However, the symptoms of shyness pale in comparison to those of social anxiety. Some main symptoms that differentiate the two are the severity of the fear, the level of escapism, and the functional impairment it causes in a person's life. In addition, after getting to know each other, symptoms of shyness begin to appear, unlike SAD. Although shyness can progress into social anxiety, it is not a natural progression and many people diagnosed with SAD do not consider themselves shy. Social anxiety disorder is undoubtedly a truly life-limiting condition, not only because of the physical symptoms it creates, but also because those who suffer from it tend to beat themselves up about it, which does not help. that increase anxiety levels (MacDonald, “How to Tell the Difference Between Social Anxiety and Shyness”). They understand that their fear is logically unjustified, but they cannot control it. Unfortunately, when social anxiety is often not treated in.