While we often think of spiders, snakes, and lack of space as something to fear, there are sometimes where people fear certain social situations. They feel anxious whenever they have to talk to people, especially the opposite sex. They might start to panic, be short of breath and start breathing heavily which can cause dizziness, sweating, and their heart starts racing. A very uncomfortable feeling. In the UK there are many cases of social anxiety among children due to the amount of time they spend on their phone, online, in isolation and not in social face-to-face situations. Not just children either, adults are being signed-off work because of their problem. The older generation might just say…. MAN UP!! And blame this type of behaviour on a ‘snowflake generation’

But how can we overcome/get over this? Can we simply face our fears and that will help? I suppose we have to want to first. I have no desire to conquer my fear of heights. Why? It doesn’t affect my daily life, but those who suffer from the above or something similar would need to. Is enough contact with the opposite sex going to make you feel a little less worse than last time until one day, boooom, you’re over it.


If you’re young there is always the chance you will grow out of a fear or worry. I personally can’t think of something I grew out of, although I’ve always been jumpy and that still remains, but I can think of a concern – because it’s not a fear – I developed in later life which is dogs. I feel very apprehensive when I walk past dogs nowadays. This all stemmed from when I got bit by a dog, and then I got bit by a dog again about a year later. That experience has made me wary of all dogs.

OK, time to go, but I’m going to end on an extremely informal phrase that is used to say you are very scared. I’m telling you this because if you ever hear it. I don’t want you to misunderstand and take it literally. To shit yourself / to shit your pants / to be shitting it / To be bricking it

Questions
How can you remember the last time you dreaded telling someone something?
Are you bothered about heights?
Are you a jumpy person?
Did you grow out of any fears?
Have you or someone you know ever overcome/got over any fears or worries?
What things are you concerned about?
Does your country have many 'snowflakes'?
Do you have any informal expressions in your language like to shit yourself?

Wordlist
Dread – a very very unpleasant feeling you get before you have to do something (usually used in the continuous form)
(not) To be bothered – something that affects you or not
A piece of cake – something very easy
To be a nightmare – a horrible situation
Terrified of – very scared
Heights – high places
Glass-bottom – when the floor is made of glass
Sends shivers down my spine – an expression used to say something scares you
Social situations – situations you have to have face-to-face contact with someone
Anxious – to feel nervous and uncomfortable
Panic – worry a lot about something
Short of breath – when you start breathing slowly
Dizziness – stand up, turn around 10 times and then sit down. You will then feel it
Sweat – when fluid starts to leave your body through the ‘skin’
Face-to-face – when you can see the other person or people in person in the same room
Signed-off work – when the doctor gives you the right to take some time of work for your health problem
Man up – a phrase used to tell someone to start acting like a REAL man
A snowflake – a person who is easily affected emotionally by things they see, read, or other people do
Overcome/get over – to be free of a problem
To be over something – to be free of a problem
No desire – no interest in doing something
Suffer from – have a problem with. Used to talk about medical conditions
To grow out of something – when you get older and no longer have a problem/or do something
Jumpy – someone who can react
Concern – a small worry
Apprehensive – unsure of what will happen
Stem from – the start of the cause of something
Wary – taking extra care because not your sure what will happen



Cheers
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