Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

I just re-took the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Test here.  Below are a comparison of my score 2 and a half years ago and today:

Jan 2010 :   45 (fear) + 36 (avoidance) = 81 , severe social phobia

Sept 2012 : 41 (fear) + 26 (avoidance) = 67 , marked social phobia.

This is not great news.  I would have thought/hoped I would have gone down a bit more than that.  I know the scale isn’t perfect and you can’t base the severity of your issues on a number, but it gives a rough idea at least.  I’m glad my avoidance score has gone down though; I guessed it would have done.  When I took that test last I was going through a really bad time and was skipping lectures on a daily basis and had trouble just going to the supermarket to buy food.  Nowadays I have no issues going out to buy food, using public transport, walking down a busy street, going to the bank to pay in a cheque, and going into a coffee shop alone, all things which, two years ago, used to strike fear into my heart.  The areas which drag me down are still public speaking and using the telephone.  Answering the telephone is less of a big deal to me now but I still would use email or text rather than call someone I don’t know, which is a form of avoidance and something I know I need to work on.

Seeing this results has inspired me once more to up my game and really really push myself.  I need to reevaluate where I'm at in terms of my anxiety and figure out what it is that still causes me anxiety and is holding me back.