The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook
52WHAT ARE YOUR ANXIOUS BEHAVIORS?
Anxiety and fear are usually accompanied by a strong urge to do something to 
reduce these uncomfortable feelings. Are there behaviors that you use to reduce your 
anxiety? Here are some examples.
Avoidance of social situations.  Are there situations that you refuse to enter? For example, 
do you avoid going to parties, particularly when you won’t know people there? When 
the telephone rings, do you avoid answering it? Do you turn down opportunities to do 
presentations even when they are important? Avoidance is one of the most common 
behaviors that helps to maintain your fear and anxiety. Earlier in this chapter you rated 
the extent to which you fear and avoid various social situations. As part of this review 
of your anxious behaviors, look over that list again and note which situations you tend 
to avoid at least some of the time. If there are any other situations that come to mind, 
list them below.
Overcompensating for perceived deﬁcits.  Are there ways in which you try extra hard 
in social situations to compensate for ﬂaws or faults that you perceive yourself to have? 
For example, do you overprepare for presentations by putting together too much mate -
rial, memorizing the presentation, or reading the presentation word for word from your 
notes? Do you rehearse everything that you are going to say before meeting a friend 
for dinner, just in case you become overly anxious and lose your train of thought? Do 
you go out of your way to talk a lot to appear outgoing, just so people won’t notice that 
you’re anxious? Each of these is an example of how people sometimes overcompensate