Shyness is a common sort of mild fear – if it's mild, it doesn't really spoil life. Many of us get a bit worried before meeting new people but find that, once we are with them, we can cope and even enjoy the situation. A phobia is also a fear. We all have fears about things such as heights and spiders but, for most of us, they don't really stop us from doing what we want to do. A fear becomes a phobia when it stops us from enjoying things or doing them easily. If you have a social phobia, you get very anxious when you are with other people, usually because you worry that: they may be critical of you; you may do something embarrassing. This can be so bad that you can't enjoy being with people or speaking in front of them. You avoid social situations altogether. Do you suffer from it? How does it effect your life?
I HATE strange people in person, they make me feel very uneasy. It's easy to talk to people on forums because there is no face to face contact. And I get to know the person with out any risk. The internet is kind of like a gateway, I can pick and choose the people let through the gateway.
I have social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. It is a horribly debilitating condition for me. I am actually on disability due to my condition..I certainly feel awful for anyone with this disorder
I think shyness is a matter of being introverted. Introverted people prefer their own company or the company of a select few, whereas extroverted people prefer large groups. Extroverted people often find introverted people shy or awkward, whereas introverted people often find extroverted people loud and annoying. I know I do! We're just different, and I think its the way we are born. I find being in large crowds very uncomfortable, even in large spaces like the food court at the mall. But I am fine around just a few people, whether I know them or not.
