The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook
14Other Day-to-Day Activities
Just about any activity that involves contact with other people can be affected by 
social anxiety. The following examples illustrate the range of situations and activities that 
are often difﬁcult for people who are socially anxious.
UÊSita avoids going shopping on Saturdays because the stores are so crowded 
and she is fearful of having other people watch her. In fact, just walking 
down a busy street is sometimes difﬁcult for her.
UÊMichael screens all of his phone calls. He is very anxious when speaking to 
people on the phone because he ﬁnds it is more difﬁcult to know how they 
are reacting to what he says as compared to speaking in person.
UÊKalinda has stopped going to the gym. She was ﬁnding that exercising in 
front of other people was causing her too much anxiety. Instead she exer -
cises at home, where no one can see her.
UÊReid noticed a small hole in a sweater that he had just purchased. Although 
he had not worn the sweater and it still had all the original tags, he was 
unable to return the sweater for fear of looking foolish in front of the 
salesperson.
In the space below, record the ways in which social anxiety has affected your day-to-day 
functioning.
SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER (SOCIAL PHOBIA)
When social anxiety becomes particularly severe, it may develop into a condition known 
as social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia ) is one of several 
anxiety disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition,