15 Things Only People With Social Anxiety Will Understand

There are things only people with social anxiety will understand. From having to deal with frequent panic attacks to being overly concerned about one’s appearance. We all know the feeling of being nervous or uncomfortable in a social situation. But, if you have social anxiety, these types of situations become too stressful.

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is the fear of social situations that involve interaction with other people. You could say social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being negatively judged by others. Some people who are introverted feel anxious and may unintentionally create socially awkward situations. However, there are some differences between introversion and social anxiety.

If you have social anxiety, you may go out of your way to avoid all social interactions because things like making small talk and eye contact make you uncomfortable. These are the common things only people with social anxiety will understand - and deal with on a regular basis.

While you may feel alone, you should know that this condition is quite common! It’s estimated that about 7% of the population suffers from some form of social anxiety.

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Music: YouTube Audio Library
Visuals: Adobe Stock / Pexels / Pixabay / Other
Voice-over Recording, Audio & Video Production by Brainy Dose

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[mattismikelsen]

It really sucks when you try to talk, but you panic and your words doesnt make any sense

[tinabeyond]

You know you have social anxiety when you’re walking along the sidewalk, the bright car lights are on you and you feel like the people in the car are talking bad about how you look 🥺

[exdd]

I hate when people say "Why you're so quiet? Just talk about anything" like if this would be so easy then I had already talked about my whole life

[gudetamas]

Teacher: ok so there's gonna be an individual presentation and-

Me: *dies

[thebouncingorca]

Social anxiety is like being trapped in a cell and watching everyone else running free :/

[AndreaS-ruyw]

Is it just me? Im “ashamed” to have headphones in public? I have this feeling like everyone is judging me and have this anxiety like they can hear the music. Lol

[aaliyahvalentina]

I try to tell my family.. but they always say you’re just shy. But they don’t understand how I feel.. and it really sucks

[william]

My home is my escape. As soon I leave my house, my anxiety level rises and when I’m near a bundle of I go into panick!

[frood]

You know you have social anxiety when you’re in class and you feel like everyone is staring at you and criticizing you in their thoughts.

[briannaroman]

It’s honestly so exhausting because for me, it triggers with something as simple as WALKING. Really, social anxiety? I cant just walk? In peace?

[karissanaomi]

Reading these comments honestly makes me feel so much better that I'm not alone with this.

[Breadslicefish]

Everyone thinks I’m just “shy” and forces me into social interactions, and it’s awful because when I don’t talk im scared there judging me and when I do I’m scared there judging every single word I say and how I say it.

[houseofmortality]

You forgot our ongoing struggle to make eye contact

[deborahv]

You know that feeling when someone send you a message and you read it.
And you think that the other person it’s waiting for you to answer but you don’t know how to respond so you panic.
Yeah...

[EbiFromPluto]

i hate when people tell me "you're so quiet" as if it's gonna solve anything😭that statement just causes me to stress more🙃

[iilluminumooconfirmed]

My heart rate increases when I walk past someone.

[mallorielouann]

When I was little, my dad would take me to the park and I would wait for all the kids to leave before I even got on the playground. I'm in high school now and people always ask, "why do you never talk?" And it annoys me sooo much. I just wish that people would understand and most of all I just wish I could get out of this mindset.

[taylorday]

*actually starts a conversation with a random person*

Brain: Hold up, wait a minute, somethin' aint right!

[sanikasuresh]

I can't even walk properly in public thinking that people are judging me and making fun of me😪

[woofwoofshizun]

That is why I wanna be a psychologist when I grow up, I wanna help all these people suffering from social anxiety like me

Edit: Thanks a lot to everyone that encouraged me.
Just some extra info: My plan for the future was to do mbbs and then become a psychiatrist but the entry test didn't go very well. I took a break for a year to prepare myself better for it but there's too much competition, i couldn't get in. I didn't want to pursue it further. At the start of 2020 i lost my mother to kidney failure and saw my sister go through depression which strengthened my resolve to be a psychologist if not psychiatrist, at this point it didn't matter if I'd earn less compared to psychiatrists. Fortunately I started my first semester for bachelors in psychology a week ago. I hope everyone in the comments achieves their goals and have the best physical & mental health.
(ps. eng isn't my first language so ignore the mistakes)