Defining when social anxiety is a problem is particularly useful as it helps to focus on the features that prolong the agony and cause the pain.
Always remember that social anxiety is normal.
You can never expect to be completely free from it because it is a natural process that occurs in every one of us.
Time spent searching for a cure is time wasted, energy is better focused on reducing levels of anxiety so that it no longer interferes with your life.
For this to be considered a problem there are some general guidelines which can help us to distinguish a disorder.
Firstly the problem must interfere with the persons life.
It must also cause a significant degree of distress and have persisted for at least six months.
The problem can usually exist in people with varying severity and function.
Some people suffer the anxiety when faced with certain situations, for example public speaking, this is usually referred to as social phobia and is normally a lot less debilitating.
In cases of social anxiety it is more likely to affect most situations involving interaction with others, this is sometimes referred to as generalized social phobia.
This technical definition of the problem provides a starting point for our understanding.
The next step is to think about how social anxiety affects you.
What are its main symptoms? No two people are ever exactly the same and there are many possible symptoms.
Think carefully about how social anxiety affects your thinking and behavior.