Is it Normal to Avoid Things When You Have Anxiety?

Avoidance is an expected symptom of anxiety, especially if the type of anxiety is social anxiety, also known as social phobia.

Significance

• According to MayoClinic.com, social anxiety disorder is an exaggeration of the normal feelings of anxiety you may experience in public. Public speaking, a blind date or performing in front of others may give you a quick sensation of nervousness or tension. For someone suffering with social anxiety disorder, these feelings are greatly exaggerated to the point of being almost unbearable.

Features

• Because social anxiety disorder makes any activity done in public (working, eating, living) feel embarrassing and uncomfortable, many who suffer from social anxiety disorder avoid those situations that make them feel self-conscious.

Escalation

• According to MoodClinic.ca, untreated anxiety disorders can become worse over time. Instead of just avoiding eating in restaurants, someone with social anxiety disorder may also avoid eating in public at all, including at fast food outlets, at the homes of family or friends, or in any place where people are present.

Treatment

• There are a number of treatments available to treat social anxiety disorder. In most cases the condition is combined with depression, as those who suffer from social anxiety disorder feel hopeless about their illness. Medication, therapy and meditation can offer relief from the isolation that social anxiety disorder causes.

Misconceptions

• While more severe conditions such as agoraphobia (fear of leaving one's home or a room) and obsessive compulsive disorder (the ritualistic repetition of actions), have their origins in anxiety, those who suffer from social anxiety disorder may not immediately display those extreme characteristics for years. This is one of the reasons that seeking immediate treatment for social anxiety is important.