Does this sound like SA or just shyness?

[p i a n o♬]

So, I looked up some SA symptoms and I had most of the symptoms. I'll put an "x" next to the ones I have.

Intense fear of being in situations in which you don't know people
xFear of situations in which you may be judged
xWorrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
Fear that others will notice that you look anxious
xAnxiety that disrupts your daily routine, work, school or other activities
xAvoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
xAvoiding situations where you might be the center of attention
xBlushing
Profuse sweating
xTrembling or shaking
Nausea
xStomach upset
Difficulty talking
Shaky voice
xMuscle tension
xConfusion
xPalpitations
Diarrhea
Cold, clammy hands
xDifficulty making eye contact
xLow self-esteem
xTrouble being assertive
xNegative self-talk
Hypersensitivity to criticism
xPoor social skills

Things that would be a problem for someone with SA;

Using a public restroom or telephone
Returning items to a store
xInteracting with strangers
Writing in front of others
xMaking eye contact
Entering a room in which people are already seated
xOrdering food in a restaurant
Being introduced to strangers
xInitiating conversations

Does it sound like SA? I'm between SA or just really bad shyness right now. I'm staying with the shyness for now..

 

[zav943]

Psychological problems like shyness and anxiety aren't cut and dry as you would want them to be; they are almost impossible to pin down because your emotions are too complex and dynamic to sort out properly and in a definite way.

So my advice to you: don't bother trying to diagnose yourself...because you might not really have any disorders, but by convincing yourself that you do, you will develop them, and your situation will get worse.

Just accept yourself for who you are: someone who has some kind of social disorder (be it anxiety or shyness or just normal social apprehension that everyone has) and try to address it in your own way...and we're always here to help if you hit a rough patch

Hope that helps

 

[p i a n o♬]

...because you might not really have any disorders, but by convincing yourself that you do, you will develop them, and your situation will get worse.

Yeah, that's why I've been trying to stay away fromt his website, but i was too curious. ::

Bleh, I think I'll be avoiding all SA things. If it gets even worse though, I think I'm going to have to get some help..

Thanks for replying!

 

[harlseq]

You're over analyzing it.

If you're already past your early-mid twenties and haven't been in a serious romantic relationship of some kind then you most likely have significant, life-affecting issues with SA or extreme shyness.

 

[AnxietyDave]

Sounds to me that you might be at the beginning stages of developing SA. It might also just be acute shyness but with all of the symptoms you have marked off, SA is definitely a possibility, rather accept this and begin to work on overcoming it now before it has a chance to develop into a full blown disorder.

Just remember, the sooner you are able to nip it in the bud the easier it will be for you to be able to overcome it. All the best and I hope this helps.

 

[SilverFire]

Here's a different take: I think that SA/shyness/love-shyness/sensitivity are all part of some unnamed nexus. Some people have parts of one or parts of another, but it's all the same thing. For me, I have no problem interacting with strangers when I know I have power (i.e. cashiers, used-car salesmen, bank tellers), but I tend to avoid calling people on the phone, and I absolutely, positively hate parties. So labels probably aren't helpful in the sense of saying "oh you have THIS, you must do XYZ" and "if you have THAT, you're ok". What situations you tend to avoid or cause you unease -- that's the deal. You can work on those.