It’s commonplace to feel nervous in some social scenes. On the other hand, Social anxiety disorder (SAD), is sometimes referred to as a social phobia. It is a type of anxiety disorder that causes extreme panic in social contexts. One of the social anxiety symptoms is racing heartbeats.
People with this disorder may understand that their fears are illogical or unreasonable but feel helpless to prevail over them.
Moreover, recognizing these social anxiety symptoms can be confusing. Thus, we are listing 10 strong signs of social anxiety you should be aware of.
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10 Social Anxiety Symptoms You Must Know
Below are physical responses (social anxiety symptoms) that may be evident to other people. Please note that they are always stronger and more evident to the person exhibiting them than to the person displaying them.
1. Blushing (Face Turns Red)
Blushing is a common physiological reaction that results in the face, neck, or chest turning red. It is one of the usual social anxiety symptoms, which involves a fear of being in the limelight or negatively appraised or judged by others.
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2. Excessive Sweating
Anxiety triggers your fight-or-flight mode. This sends a rush of stress hormones through your bloodstream. Your heart races, your blood pumps, and your internal temperature increases. So, you start to sweat.
3. Swallowing/ Lump in Throat
Anxiety and stress can constrict the throat muscles, seeming to some like” a lump in the throat.” If that happens to you, take it as one of the social anxiety symptoms.
4. Shaky Hands are One of the Social Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety triggers your fight-or-flight mode, causing stress hormones to flood your body and speed up your heart, blood pressure, and breathing. This can make your muscles tense, leading to vibrating or shaking of the hands or other parts of the body.
5. Racing Heartbeat
Heart palpitations feel like your heart pounds, flutters, races, or skips a beat and may be felt in the chest, neck, or throat. Numerous people experience heart palpitations along with anxiety. When you feel edgy about a situation, it accelerates your heart rate.
6. Weak, Shaky Voice
When our brain releases adrenaline, it increases our heart rate, and when talking, it feels like the voice box is quivering along with the rest of the body (and it is). That can make it sound like it’s cracking or wobbling.
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7. Muscle Tension
Muscles naturally contract when a person’s fight or flight system is sparked during moments of stress. This muscle contraction is helpful when the body and brain signal a person is in trouble.
But when a person is stressed for an extended period, the muscles are also contracted for that period. Ultimately, this tension contributes to pain, discomfort, and issues with mobility.
8. Facial Tics/ Neck, Mouth
Stress causes muscle strain, which disrupts nerve energy and body signals. Anxiety can also lead to extra adrenaline. So, some muscles may begin to twitch. People may develop a variety of tics or twitches due to stress. Arm and leg cramps can be common too. Tics can get worse as stress increases.
9. Rising Blood Pressure
Besides racing heartbeat, rising blood pressure is also one of the social anxiety symptoms. Anxiety doesn’t cause hypertension. But episodes of anxiety can yield dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure. And they can damage blood vessels If those temporary spikes happen frequently.
10. Facial Freezing
When a person feels anxious, their body responds by sparking the fight or flight mode. A SAD symptom is that the blood vessels constrict, which, in turn, decreases blood flow throughout the body.
This typically causes numbness and tingling, affecting the hands, feet, legs, or face. When they feel anxious, a person who clenches their jaw or shoulders might notice increased strain around the face, head, and tongue.
Last Words on Social Anxiety Symptoms
SAD can be a chronic mental health condition but learning coping techniques in psychotherapy. Also, taking medications can help you build confidence and enhance your ability to interact with others.
