I hate when people automatically label me as have some form of social anxiety. It's discriminatory and slanderous.

A group of us were having a casual conversation and I was doing fine until someone asked me a direct question about hobbies. Everyone turned to me and I didn't know exactly what to say and before I could say anything that girl at work who I used to describe as flat-chested chimed in, "give him a minute; he has social anxiety."

It's not even true. Maybe I do have a trace of it, but it's certainly not obvious and she shouldn't have volunteered it. She's not my spokeswoman and the only reason she knows that I might have it, which I don't... not really... is because she and I went to coffee after work a few weeks ago and I guess said I have a trace of it... which I told her in confidence.

The thing is that social anxiety is just a convenient label. I'm mostly just shy which is something that I keep to myself. I don't need people, especially at work, thinking I have social anxiety, and I hate that she made an announcement to the group about it. I feel vulnerable now that the whole incident keeps replaying in my mind.