I just found out that July is Social Wellness Awareness Month. This is a great topic to discuss since so many of us will be meeting very soon in Chicago, and I'm sure we all want to be at the top of our "social wellness" game for the BlogHer Conference. I know I do.

Do new situations like parties and thought of meeting new people, scare you? Will you know what to say? Will you be tongue-tied? Will they stare at you and make you feel even more insignificant? Will they reject you outright? -- read full post

It's o.k. nobody will treat you that way at the BlogHer Conference...I promise.

Social wellness, is a measurement of the social health of an individual. It is the opposite of “social isolation”, a situation where an individual has no close personal friends at all. Astonishingly, this is currently the case for 50% of the population in North America where fully one quarter of the population also lives alone. Social isolation is a term well understood by the medical, psychological and sociological professions however its opposite, social wellness is an emerging science with almost no formal history and no academic definitions or degree programs. -- read full post

There are some people that are born with (what I call) the "X" factor, or what is known as being "extroverted", and these people feel confident and excited to be around others, they actually are good at it and enjoy it. Then there are those of us that are missing the "X" factor, we were born "introverted" and we are shy and sometimes insecure in social settings.

Confessions of a Would-Be Social Wellness Flip-Flopper...

As a child and all the way to young adulthood I was very shy. I walked with my head down, and if I had school books with me, I carried them up at my face with just my eyes peeking out in order to not bump into anyone. I was great around my friends, I just didn't like to be around big groups of people that I didn't know.

But once I was out of school and in the big bad world, my jobs required me to interact with many people, and at times even speak to both large and small groups of people. It was then I realized that even though I had no acting training at all, I was quite good at "faking" an outgoing and confident personality. The more I faked it, the better I got, and before I knew it I was able to, at will, "flip" from being introverted and shy, to "flop" extroverted and (somewhat) confident.

So now I'm what I call a "social flip-flopper", which is a step above from introvert, but not quite an official card carrying extrovert. It's actually quite nice, and I am happy being a flip-flopper. There is no shame here.

So where do you fall on the social wellness scale? Are you a flip-flopper like me?

How socially well are you? Here is a quick little survey to help you find out (it's only ten simple questions)...

Identify your level of Social Wellness.
Answer the questions below and check your score.

How Common are Social Phobias?

* About 3.7% of the U.S. population ages 18 to 54 - approximately 5.3 million Americans - has social phobia in any given year.
* Social phobia occurs in women twice as often as in men, although a higher proportion of men seeks help for this disorder.
* The disorder typically begins in childhood or early adolescence and rarely develops after age 25.

There is a big difference between being a bit shy, and having a social anxiety. But if you do suffer from a social anxiety, recognizing it and reaching out for help is the most important first step.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

A person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will make mistakes and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The fear may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. The anxiety can build into a panic attack. As a result of the fear, the person endures certain social situations in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether.

People with social anxiety disorder may have some or all of the following feelings in social situations:

* Fear that everyone's attention is focused on them
* Fear that they will make mistakes and everyone will notice
* Feeling that everyone else is more capable in the same situation
* Fear that they are being judged by others
* Fear that they will embarrass or humiliate themselves in front of others

If you do have trouble with anxiety, you are not alone.

At The Anxiety Blog...

This is a blog about anxiety or more to the point about the therapies and techniques I have tried over the years. I’m definitely not an expert, this is all from my personal experiences!

The types of anxiety I have suffered from (and still do to a degree) include social anxiety/social phobia, agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Liz is a BlogHer with social anxiety...

This is my space to jot down my my thoughts of my day to day’s aggravations. I have been diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and OCD. I like to blog to relieve the stress of trying to cope in the “normal” world. I also include my poetry, books that I like to read, movies that I like to watch, and other blogs/sites that I like to visit. Welcome to my world.

Sheila is a BlogHer blogging at To Shell or not to Shell

I don’t know whether to hide in my shell or to break out of this PTSD hell. This is my life of anxiety, confusion, dating, depression, divorce, family, OCD, and so much more. Grab a drink, have a seat and join in this messed up conversation in my head.

Note: This is my verbal purging. Sometimes it will make sense, some times it won’t. And if it doesn’t, have another drink and things will become a little clearer.

Denise from Health & Wellness did a great post back in May about Anxiety Disorders that is very informative, and worth checking out.

So, are you a BlogHer with social anxieties? Do you have any tricks that help you when you find yourself in stressful social situations?

Are there any other "BlogHer Social Flip-Floppers" out there? Will you be at the conference?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters