What is shyness?
Shyness is a psychological condition which makes a person feel discomfort in social interactions which means one faces difficulty in creating a good relation with the people they meet.
Scientists have found the gene for shyness. They would have found it years ago, but it was hiding behind a couple of other genes. Jonathan Katz
Jonathan Katz
Shyness varies from person to person. For some people, the problem is that they experience difficulty in interacting with others and have trouble thinking what to say to people in social interactions. For others, it may involve severe anxiety and panic attacks with crippling illustration of uneasiness. For most of the people, shyness exhibits itself as a combination of both to lesser or greater degree. Shyness can be devastating for those who experience it and if one ever finds himself in such condition, the first thing they need to do is relax themselves.
Shyness and Social anxiety:
Normally shyness brings the feeling of fear in any situation and extreme self-consciousness which causes the person to become tense and panic mainly due to social anxiety. The person feels terrible and fails to act confidently and calmly and this grows out of control and he feels terrible about himself about not being able to act normally around anyone. Relaxing yourself under such circumstances is the key to avoiding such socially awkward situations.
In the year 2020, due to all the social distancing measures video calling has become a lot more common, be it any office meeting or a chatting with a client over a video call has become a lot more convenient for most of the people as it allows them to work from and avoid any rules and regulations in a office of face to face encounter.
This may be good news for some people as it cuts unnecessary travel on a daily basis. On the other hand, people who have anxiety issues, video calls can actually trigger anxiety to a great extent.
The common symptoms experienced by a person struggling with social anxiety and shyness experience:
- muscle tension
- hot flushes
- nausea
- a possible panic attack.
Overcoming Digital Shyness:
Such people feel that the best way to deal with shyness and social anxiety is to avoid the situation that makes them nervous and anxious. The thing they don’t understand is this is only going to make it worse in the long run. Instead one should learn not to avoid these situations but should take some time to recognize the signs of social anxiety he is experiencing.
An estimated 7.1% of U.S. adults had social anxiety disorder in the past year. Past year prevalence of social anxiety disorder among adults was higher for females (8.0%) than for males (6.1%)
National Institute of Mental Health
Some of the tips that may help a person overcome virtual shyness are listed below;
- Breathe slowly – The person should breathe slowly from the stomach and not forcefully from the chest.
- Relax the muscles – Start relaxing your face muscles, then neck and shoulders, arms, back, chest and leg muscles by making each muscle relax one by one.
- Relax mentally – When the person inhales, he should take in all the positive thoughts and when the person exhales, he should take out all the negative thoughts from his mind.
