My Everyday fight With Social Anxiety By Katherine Lightwood

My Everyday fight With Social Anxiety

By Katherine Lightwood

"I know you are little shy, but things will get worse if you keep acting that way." 
Said a guy ( well I don't want to mention who, let's say just another anonymous). And this is just one guy. In my everyday life, I face so many people like this that I've lost count. People of the world, this is a glimpse of one moment in the life of a socially anxious person.

Social anxiety, it is so much unnoticed and misunderstood in society, in the same way, it is also an enigma in clinical psychology.

Have you ever find yourself in a social situation when and all of a sudden a strange chaos in your body starts to occur? Your heart starts to race a hundred miles an hour, your mind blanks out, a huge knot forms in your stomach or chest. And the problem is more you fight it, the worse it gets. So you might find yourself thinking yourself all the worst case scenario that might happen.

This is something scientists and physiologist still trying to find out where shyness ends and social phobia begins. When it comes to social phobia or social anxiety, around 15% of people would meet the qualifications for that. Social phobia or social anxiety as it's better known is something that is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Psychiatric Disorders, it is a recognized clinical condition. When it comes to an interaction of shyness and social anxiety, a lot of research that I read suggested that this is actually a spectrum.

In my case, social anxiety tends to be at an extreme level. I find it very difficult to talk to my classmates, colleagues and especially authority figures like my teachers. People often tell me to interact more and more then I might get rid of this problem. And this is such a horrible idea that you can't even realize. If you suffer from a proper social anxiety disorder than facing your fears head-on is not a very good idea. Although it is not for everyone. As I said, anxiety is measured in a spectrum and everyone those who suffer from any anxiety issues stands on a different level on the spectrum. So, there is shyness which is very different from clinical social anxiety.

Let me give you a glimpse of my life what I face every day. To get ready to go out to my institute for my regular classes feels like getting ready to go into a battle where I will not survive when for everyone it's a very small issue. When I have any doubt or problem and I need my teacher's help it's literally impossible for me to get up, walk up to them and ask for the answers. I get so much frustrated and sad because I can't make simple conversation with people I want to talk to, without feeling light-headed. I have problems with higher authorities and by chance, if they have any kind of intimidating personality it's impossible for me to look at them straight in the eye and listen or talk to them. My anxiety causes me physical pain, extreme chest pain, and nausea. I feel like someone has drained energy from me after talking to anyone. And after this, if anyone says 'oh you are little shy' or 'why are you so shy?", then it feels like I want to punch a hole in their face and say "oh !! why are you bleeding from your nose, it's not that bad." Excuse me for my language but it enrages me when I listen to people who say stuff like that which they don't have any idea about.

So, that was my thought of the day. To see more posts like this make sure to visit our main page. And do not forget to visit our institute's page to know more about graphic design, 3D, animation courses and other awesome stuff. Till then good day to you.

Katherine Lightwood