The intense emotions of social anxiety include fearful anticipation of embarrassment and humiliation. Then, there are the attendant physical manifestations. These include sweating, blushing and stammering and classic panic attack symptoms. They serve to exaggerate the self-consciousness around all or most social situations.
Social anxiety is often fuelled by fears of being judged and found wanting.
And that it is much better therefore not to engage but to hideaway. Of course, these powerful anxiety feelings will often be prompted by trauma and perceived social failures in the past (often in childhood). But what to do when the trauma has been relieved yet there are still habitual fears that it would be better to avoid the risk of being judged and found wanting?
The answer then maybe is to realise that most social interactions are not prompted by the natural instinct to judge others but by the more profound need we all have to give and receive attention.
So for those of you still reluctant to engage even after the trauma has been cleared, begin to see social interaction and opportunities (such as at parties or gatherings) , not as situations to be feared but as opportunities for your natural need for attention exchange to be met – as a hungry person might fall ravenously on a table full to groaning with good food.