Shyness and social anxiety can be very detrimental to the quality of the lives of those who suffer from them. They are not, however, mutually exclusive of one another, and one may point to the existence of the other. If you suffer from social anxiety, then you will display symptoms of shyness, but you can display symptoms of shyness, even quite severe ones, without actually having a social anxiety disorder. Shyness is a natural tendency of human beings when faced with unfamiliar social circumstances or situations. Social anxiety on the other hand manifests itself in a variety of ways that does not only include shyness. People often find it hard to differentiate between the two, so lets now look at the underlying characteristics of each of them, with the intention of making it easier. A good example to use is a young girl being introduced (by her parents) to a young boy. The young girl may exhibit shyness in the form of being unable to talk to the young boy. If she suffered from social phobia, she would first refuse to even meet the boy, then on being made to, she would say nothing to him, and then she would make an excuse to leave as soon as possible. So, social anxiety is really just an extreme amplification of the symptoms of shyness. Still, though social anxiety can be described as an amplified form of shyness, shyness is often not the best indicator than someone has social anxiety. Therefore, for a diagnosis of social anxiety to be made, someone must display more characteristics of social anxiety than just shyness. Perhaps, aside from avoiding the boy, the young girl should also manifest physical symptoms such as trembling or the inability to speak. The good news is that both shyness and social anxiety are now treatable, as not so long ago medical professionals did not really know how to deal with them. If shyness or social anxiety are a problem for you then you should not hesitate to ask for help. There are a range of methods of treatment available, all of which have been proven to work.

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Learn More : Shyness And Social Anxiety Or Overcoming Social Anxiety

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