Social anxiety in is nothing but description for high level of consciousness or shyness amidst people. Imagine you are in a party, do you find it hard participate in the crowd? Do you feel anxious in such situations? Do you find yourself avoiding talking to people thinking that they may judge you? Does it disturb you that you do not have anything interesting to contribute to the conversations? Are you keeping yourself away from the crowd to avoid these problems? If you are able to relate to the situations there is a high possibility that you could be socially anxious. Social anxiety is a mutual feeling, many people face it. However, for some it could be a bit on the extreme end. When this happens the effect could be debilitating and destructing. It can have a direct effect on your confidence. People who are shy, suffer social anxiety, but then there are also people who may not be typically shy yet demonstrate the signs of social anxiety. So shyness is not all about social anxiety.