You Don’t Have to Hide from Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder is a persistent mental health condition marked by intense, debilitating fear and avoidance of social situations. Oftentimes, the anticipation of the event, not the event itself, is what encourages the anxiety.
People with social anxiety experience different types of fear, such as being scared of talking to others, worrying about being embarrassed, or feeling judged. Social anxiety typically has physical symptoms, including blushing, sweating, trembling, increased heart rate, and difficulty speaking.
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, the ADAA, Social anxiety disorder affects 15 million adults or 7.1% of the U.S. population. Social anxiety affects men and women equally and typically begins around age 13.
Treatment and coping methods
Even though anxiety disorders are so common, not many people seek professional help. Anxiety is very treatable and with the right tools and resources, social anxiety disorders can improve fairly quickly. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps patients with social anxiety challenge negative thoughts and develop strategies to manage anxiety in social settings. The focus is on building confidence and coping skills, rather than completely eliminating the anxiety. Avoidance can often worsen the problem. It can be helpful to:
Observe your social anxiety. Pay attention to when you feel social anxiety so you can learn about the types of situations that you find yourself feeling fearful. Note your thoughts and fears when you think about that type of situation. This can help you notice common factors that make you feel anxious and better help you prepare for those situations in the future.
Learn relaxation techniques. It's also helpful to learn how to relax in moments of anxiety. Grounding techniques are a really good way to anchor yourself in the moment and redirect yourself away from anxiety. One example of grounding is the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This technique involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel/touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
Consider reality. Social anxiety causes people to think about negative outcomes of a social situation. Some fear that no one will talk to them or they will “mess up” somehow. But, these are thoughts or assumptions, not facts. Try to acknowledge that even if the feared situation might happen, how realistic is it for it to actually occur. You can also try to imagine what people/what you may say or do so you can prepare for any situation. That preparation might help ease the anxiety of what might happen.
Face your fears. Avoiding feared social situations will only make those situations scarier. It may help you in the short term, but it prevents you from learning and working through the feared experience. Facing the feared situations can help decrease your stress and anxiety about the situation. Practice and experience helps build confidence and shows you that the feared situations are not as bad as you once feared. They may even become enjoyable! It's important to be comfortable with the discomfort of social situations so that eventually, they won't be quite as uncomfortable.
If social anxiety is limiting your ability to function in your daily life, there are resources and help available. Social anxiety can be treated quickly with practical tools, and the first step is to reach out for help.
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