So many people struggle with social phobia and may not even be aware of it. It is one of the most common psychological problems in America today, suffered by millions of people. Many people will dismiss the condition as nerves, performance anxiety or awkwardness.

Some people are just more comfortable in front of others or interacting with others. If you have trouble feeling comfortable in group situations, if you avoid interacting with new people or fear talking in situations where people are looking at you, you might be suffering from social phobia.

This is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact it should empower you because now you know what you are dealing with and there are many ways to counteract the effects you feel.

Anxiety sufferers often go to great lengths to hide their conditions. This is of course based on the fear of ridicule or condemnation if other people actually knew how fearful they were in everyday life. However, if everyone actually felt comfortable enough to discuss their problems, they would quickly realize they were not alone.

The symptoms associated with social phobia are more frequently occurring than other anxiety conditions because so much of our daily lives revolve around social interactions.

For panic attack sufferers, the symptoms come and go as panic strikes but for social anxiety sufferers, the symptoms can often persist until they are alone or in a safe place. This is a very disturbing situation and why this condition wreaks so much havoc on so many lives.

Some of the symptoms associated with social phobia include feelings of panic, terror or overwhelming fear. You will recognize that these feelings are disproportionate to the actual danger or worry you may have. However, there is nothing you can do about it, your reactions are automatic, your actions involuntary.

Your heartbeat will likely increase, your breathing will become shorter and shallower, you may tremble or having a pressing desire to flee the situation. You may also go to great lengths to avoid the situation or interaction entirely.

Social phobia can come in generalized form where you find it hard to interact socially with others and therefore avoid interpersonal situations. The anxiety can also be directed towards more specific fears such as answering or using the phone or eating in front of others.

The type of anxiety you have will often determine the extent to which it affects your life but whether the affect is small or great you can deal with social phobia and other anxieties through cognitive behavior therapy as well as other treatments.

You can resolve your problems fairly quickly without drugs by taking certain steps to change your behavior and reactions to certain situations.

This is a learned response and therefore takes practice.

You can completely conquer your fears and train yourself to react normally to that which you previously feared. This is done through a process of gradual exposure in a controlled environment or situation to the activity you fear. Once you are able to confront your fear and face it, it will lose its power over you.