I believe I have some form of social anxiety. I have never gone through any real therapy but I have always been able to deal with this problem by challenging myself in social situations.
My main problem is that while I am not worrying about a situation mentally (like meeting new people, or an interview) I have very strong physical symptoms of anxiety: jitteryness, sweaty palms, racing heart, chest tightness. I also have some degree of chest tightness everyday, unless I'm in a great mood.
I'm very confident in my abilities and know how to deal with all types of situations. A lot of people have come up to me and told me I look like a carefree guy, which I think I really am.
My problem is, when I get into a social situation with some degree of pressure, my body generates a huge amount of anxiety. This makes me extremely physically uncomfortable which i think, in turn messes with my head, making me actually start to worry. I tell myself in these situations all the time that whatever happens its not the end of the world. But the physical pain of this anxiety is so strong that it destroys my confidence and builds up the situation to be much more than what it is supposed to be.
does anyone else know what im feeling, by not being mentally worried, but physically a mess?