Читать книгу Anxiety Toolbox: The Complete Fear-Free Plan - Gloria Thomas - Страница 23

The computer has patently not helped us to interact with others. Instead of communicating face to face and developing relationships within the family and at work, many of us – kids, teenagers and adults – spend hours in front of the computer, cut off from genuine human contact. Today, you can, if you choose, virtually lead your life via the Internet – you can do your shopping, click on to chat rooms for conversations and even have a relationship over the net. Dating anxiety is very common, as the insecurities we have about ourselves can negatively affect the way we communicate. Using the Internet can make the initial process less stressful, but of course it throws up many other problems, not least of which are the expectations both parties have built up before they meet.

Social anxiety is often based on perception rather than feedback from others. People with social anxiety become very conscious of the signals that they are giving out and can easily find themselves blushing, tongue-tied or unable to eat, drink or talk; or the opposite – eating or drinking too much to cope with the situation. And, not surprisingly, this can often exacerbate an already difficult situation.