Anxiety of all kinds is extremely prevalent in today’s world. One type is social anxiety, which as you probably know, is associated with social interactions and fear of being judged. It can affect a person’s quality of life and daily routine in many different ways.
Nevertheless, social anxiety is treatable and not always lifelong. If you struggle with it, nothing is wrong with you! Current data suggest that about 15 million U.S. adults, or 7 percent, deal with social anxiety. Also, it’s a myth that only introverts or sensitive people experience it. If you’d like to learn more about this question of, can extroverts have social anxiety, read this blog here.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, social anxiety disorder SAD (formerly called social phobia) is defined as persistent fear of one or more social situations or performance type situations. The situations may involve new, unfamiliar people or scrutiny.
The main symptoms include fear or preoccupation around:
As with other mental health conditions, managing social anxiety can be challenging. Social situations are everywhere, from home to work to school to dating to travel to sports to music, and more. If you often feel judged, or worry about being judged, you may relate to social anxiety.
The cause of social anxiety varies. Here are some common triggers:
Some people have a combination of these, and they might change at different points in life. Shame is common with social anxiety, but try not to shame yourself. Everyone has struggles, and this is one of many possible manifestations when it comes to mental health.
There are various tools and modalities (and medications) as therapy for social anxiety. In this blog we will cover exposure therapy, an interesting option. It is arguably a more root cause approach, as you will see, and completely holistic. Plus, it is evidence based. Be sure to consult with your doctor for advice as well.
The concept of exposure therapy is just as it sounds: being exposed to the anxiety-provoking situation(s). It may seem counterintuitive, but facing your fears and anxieties head on can actually be quite therapeutic.
By engaging in a guided interaction where anxiety tends to arise, the overwhelming emotions of social anxiety may lessen. Exposure to the feared situations can be either in real life “in vivo exposure,” or imagined.
As the famous quote says, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Once people sit with or begin to gently notice their physical and emotional sensations, the intensity often subsides. And when the nervous system relaxes a bit, a therapist (or you yourself) can guide the person through an understanding of the cognitions (thoughts and perceptions). This part is sometimes called cognitive behavioral therapy.
It definitely can! As with everything, what works for one person may not for another. For someone with intense social anxiety, exposure therapy may not be the first method to try. They may need some other types of support first. A mental health professional can suggest how to go about this process of treatment.
Face your fear and take back your power! It is indeed possible. Here are 3 ways to begin.
It has been said that people fear public speaking more than death. This fact should provide some comfort! You are not alone in anxiety around being judged or how you’re perceived by others. The classic exposure therapy is exactly this. By standing up in front of people (or even one person) and giving a speech (or even saying a few words), that fear is directly faced. There are other real life ways to do this as well, such as going to a social event or having a difficult conversation.
The person may realize that although they felt strong or mild fear, they were able to do it. Nothing bad happened, and they may have even felt better than expected. The buildup beforehand is often worse than the actual experience.
Imagining feared social situations can be just as effective as being in real ones. Through imagining, the person learns that the stimulus or feared response/reaction/situation isn’t as scary as anticipated. Over time, stimulus and reaction are decoupled. In other words, the anxiety reaction is no longer as strongly associated with the social situation in the person’s brain. Imagined exposure can happen with a therapist or at home in a meditative type state.
Technology has afforded all industries, including mental health, great advances. New equipment and programs can be used to assist people with anxiety. A non “social” example is someone who fears flying and takes a virtual flight in a therapist’s office. For social anxiety, the virtual reality program could simulate a group setting or feared interaction. Similarly to in vivo/real or imagined scenarios, over time virtual exposure helps the individual be less anxious in triggering situations.
Remember that you have several treatment options at your disposal to cope with social anxiety – and maybe even eliminate it. Take your time trying out different strategies, including the types of exposure therapy we went over here. You may find that your anxiety is especially intense during a certain phase of life, and that it ebbs and flows. The fear is usually irrational and likely developed during a difficult or traumatic period. It may also simply be a brain “glitch” in a sense, meaning your brain is overreacting to perceived threats (often part of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD). Either way, be kind to yourself. Social anxiety is marked by fear of judgment, and we want to minimize self-judgment as much as possible too.
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