Getting to Know Your Social Anxiety
59DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY HAVE THIS PROBLEM?
Are you aware of anyone else in your family having problems with shyness, social anxiety, 
or performance-related fears? If so, do you think that this had an inﬂuence on how you 
feel in these situations? If yes, how?
ARE THERE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO 
YOUR SOCIAL ANXIETY?
For some individuals, certain physical or medical conditions may inﬂuence their 
tendency to experience social anxiety. For example, people who stutter may be more 
nervous when talking to others compared with people who don’t stutter. Often, their 
fear is exclusively related to a concern that they will stutter and that others will notice. 
Similarly, people suffering from other medical conditions (for example, shaking due 
to Parkinson’s disease, having to move about in a wheelchair, not being able to write 
neatly due to severe arthritis) may be self-conscious about having others observe their 
symptoms.
Other people, although they may not be suffering from a medical condition, may 
still have a greater tendency than others to have shaky hands, blush easily, or sweat 
excessively, independent of their fears. For these individuals, these reactions tend to be 
very intense and may often occur even outside of social situations and when they are not 
particularly anxious. Although many people who experience these symptoms at such an 
extreme level are not concerned about others noticing, for some, having these extreme 
symptoms contributes to their social anxiety.
Do you suffer from any physical conditions or medical illnesses that add to your anxiety 
around other people? If so, record the details below.
DIARIES