Experts offer students advice on social anxiety and avoidance habits

Neil Greening, chair of the Social Anxiety Alliance UK, told the BBC that feeling shy in unfamiliar situations is common. Social anxiety becomes more of a concern when it stops someone doing things, he said. Keeping quiet, giving short answers or staying at the edge of a group can be signs that someone is struggling, though those behaviours alone do not identify a condition. [1]

Prof David Clark, a University of Oxford psychologist, suggests paying attention to the conversation rather than monitoring yourself. He advises trying small actions, such as asking a question in a meeting, and seeing what happens. He also recommends dropping habits such as rehearsing every sentence or avoiding eye contact, and trying not to repeatedly revisit perceived mistakes afterwards. [1]