Social Anxiety Research Paper

Words: 668
Pages: 3

Trembling hands, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, all characteristics of social anxiety. I can't remember my life ever being absent of this unforgiving disorder, yet it took 13 years for me to realize that feeling such an extreme amount of anxiety wasn't normal. Throughout elementary school people categorized me as "shy"– a word I have come to loathe – because even then I refused to engage in a conversation longer than a quiet "hi". Teachers, peers, friends, and family always asked me why I was so quiet but I had no answer. I physically could not make words come out of my mouth, I recognized that my fears were irrational, but I felt powerless.
Approximately 5 million Americans have social anxiety making it one of the largest psychological disorders