What are the first signs of social anxiety?

In my experience, one of the first and biggest signs is avoidance. When you start avoiding doing things that you want to do. For example, when you want to talk to someone but you don't. When you want to raise your hand in class and give your answer, but you don't. When you're invited somewhere that you do want to go, but you give an excuse not to go ordecline. Overall, when you start avoiding opportunities for interaction even though you want those opportunities.

1)When someone starts a conversation with you,you'll keep thinking about almost everything,will he likes me?,am i embrasing myself?,what should i say?,should i leave now?and etc.

2)When you saw someone whispering eachother you will think that they were talking about your disadvantages while the fact is they're not.This is the problem that make you start to avoid from socializing.

For me, it was these things:

1. A constant worry about being judged by others.

2. A feeling that I was unliked, and permanently unlikeable, and thus I withdrew.

3. A worry when a relationship between me and another person would develop-a fear that it would fall apart eventually, so, why bother?

All of these tendencies changed over time.

Similar to Zora 17.

Even though I wanted to go somewhere, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't.

Whether it be going to school, going for a walk, needing something down the street, being invited to see friends.

I noticed that I was isolating myself too much too late. At the time I didn't want to do anything, I didn't. But now even when I would love to do something, I can't.

My experience is if i do something in public or anything say im at the mall and walking around in a busy story i start getting shaky and freak out so i curl up somewhere normally in a bathroom and calm down so i cant really go to malls or concerts or any place like that because of my social anixextyanyone have ideas to help me with this?

My first sign of social anxiety was isolation and choosing to stay home rather than doing something fun with my friends.

1) Paranoia

People look weird to you, and you wonder if there's anything wrong, go to the bathroom to see if there's anything in your teeth, but there's nothing.

You hear someone laugh, and then for some reason imagine they are laughing at you.

You see groups of friends chatting and you begin to think they are talking about you, that probably some rumor has spread and everyone knows you have some problem.

2) Discomfort in public

You do not feel good anywhere that has many people, be it a mall, a fair, or a school.

Any place with people becomes a battlefield, you are constantly feeling threatened and want to get out of there as quickly as possible.

If you become the center of attention (like at a birthday party), you can panic (stall, run or scream)

3) Avoidance

You start refusing invitations, making excuses, even if it's something you want to do.

Things you wanted, you lie to yourself saying that you do not want more, that are not more important, because deep down you are terrified.

You maintain a normal social image on the outside, pretend to be a busy and active person, but in fact you're just running away and you're ashamed of it.

4) Isolation

You spend more time alone than with anyone.

You are no longer going to many places, even the ones that used to go.

You distance yourself from friends and family, and begin to dissociate yourself from reality.

You start falling behind, while everyone of your age are having fundamental experiences, you remain immature, inexperienced and scared.

5) The mental prison

You can not do what you want to do anymore, and you blame yourself for it.

"What's wrong with me?" Everyone can do it, so why can not I? I'm weaker? Am I inferior? Am I a broken human?

You no longer know how to do things, while everyone was learning, you were alone at home. The world seems strange and you do not have experiences, it's like an alien who does not understand this planet.

When you realize that all the excuses you gave were false, and that you ruined your life, you no longer know and can not even get your life back. You have no strength, you blame yourself, you care.

You keep thinking:
"If I had done it differently in the past, none of this would have happened.I am this way because of me, I can not complain, there are people with real problems like cancer and I am perfectly normal, but I am weak, I can not do anything"

[If you are an young adult]

So you realize you need to work, have a life, support yourself, but you can't even leave the house, you can't even go to the corner store, you can't even talk to your aunt on the phone.

Your friends are married and you are still a virgin, you do not know how and you can not even relate to a woman / man, and if you can, you ruin everything in no time.

You see your colleagues traveling to other countries, enjoying the holidays, and you're at home in front of the computer, lamenting that you can not do anything.

You try to change it, you suffer so much when you try and end up isolating yourself even more...