Those who suffer from social anxiety often avoid talking when they don’t have to. This can result in making them seem overly shy, sad, angry, snobbish, submissive, or mentally slow when in reality they are probably none of those things. Here are some common difficulties that people with anxiety encounter when it comes to talking
Speech Problems and Incoherency
- Anxiety in general causes people to want to avoid things that increase their anxiety – like talking
- An anxious person may be fully capable of forming sentences clearly and eloquently on paper, and yet incapable of stringing together a few words when it comes to speaking in public due to the high levels of stress they feel in social situations
Feelings of Inferiority
- Sometimes we can find ourselves feeling inferior to those around us
- This may be caused by inexperience, lack of self-confidence, or being faced with a new or unfamiliar situation
- While feeling inferior is a common experience it is also harmful to you
- Try concentrating on the things you value about yourself or about others
Fear of Being Judged
- We are constantly told that it doesn’t matter what other people think, while simultaneously being told that first impressions are everything
- The more you say, the more chances you will have to impress others and be judged favourably by them
- You will be able to conquer your fears of being judged and find yourself being seen not as you fear (in a negative light), but rather as you truly are
Mind Goes Blank
- When you open your mouth and find that there’s nothing there
- For people suffering from anxiety, this happens every time they open their mouth
- The fear of that blank mind and the social awkwardness that it can create can keep an anxious person from even trying to speak
Inability to Put Thoughts into Words
- Speaking is not like writing words on a page or thinking thoughts in your head
- Practice condensing your thoughts into a few succinct, bite-sized ideas
- You don’t have to serve up everything in your entire mind to your audience like a giant steak on a platter
