What is SA?
In it’s simplest terms social anxiety or ‘SA’ is a fear of people: of being around, having to interact with, being watched, criticized or judged negatively by, other human beings. For sufferers of SA, everyday tasks which most people take for granted – working, socialising, shopping, speaking on the telephone, can be a wearing ordeal marked by persistent feelings of anxiety and self-consciousness. Sufferers typically experience feelings of dread and nervousness in the build up to the feared situation, and analyse or ‘replay’ the situation in their mind when it’s over, ruminating on how they could have ‘performed’ better. Sufferers may also experience physical symptoms such as trembling, blushing or sweating. At a deeper level, sufferers often experience chronic insecurity about their relationships with others, hypersensitivity to criticism, and deep-rooted fears of being judged negatively, mocked, or rejected by others. There are two forms of SA, performance social anxiety where these
