Social Anxiety

AFTER I had finished a thread on personality types some time ago, a reader informed me that he would consider himself an introvert, not by choice, but due to what he believes to be social anxiety. I’m going to talk about this as it is indeed a very common disorder.

Everyone feels shy at times; occasionally we are nervous to meet new people, speak in public or simply to walk through big crowds. However, it doesn’t typically affect our day-to-day life.
Social anxiety — also called social phobia — is a consistent discomfort or fear in interacting with others, or just being in crowded spaces. Some believe it is just a fear of public speaking but those with social anxiety have issues doing routine activities. Even one-on-one conversations can be taxing, as these individuals often feel stressed and worry about saying or doing the wrong thing.
They often miss out on exciting opportunities due to their intense fear of being judged, laughed at, embarrassed or criticised. They feel intense discomfort doing things that others consider normal such as eating in public or taking public transportation.
If they are in situations that create or increase discomfort, physical symptoms such as sweating, headaches, stomach issues or rapid heart rate may even be experienced. If the fear becomes too intense, panic attacks can also occur.
Symptoms of social anxiety typically begin in teenage years and levels of anxiety can either improve or decline with age. While it is rare, it is possible to detect social anxiety in young children with symptoms such as avoiding interaction with other children, avoiding activities at school, not asking for help when needed or frequent and unusual crying.
If you feel as though you may be suffering from social anxiety, it is important to seek the right treatment as the disorder can have severe negative effects on self-esteem, self-confidence and overall self-worth. It interrupts normal social learning, relationships as well as school or employment life.
There are many possible treatment options (for various levels of anxiety) but if you are experiencing social anxiety to the point where it is negatively affecting your daily life, I would advise you to go to your nearest health centre and share your concerns.
You may see a general practitioner who can refer you to a mental health professional or if you are already aware of one, you can go straight to them.
These individuals will typically ask a series of questions or may ask you to fill out questionnaires to get an idea of the extent of the anxiety. From there, they are able to decide what type of counselling method is right for you, as well as whether you need to be referred further for any medications that will help decrease some of the symptoms of anxiety. A combination of both counselling and medication is typically the best way to treat moderate to severe anxiety.
There are also things you can do on your own. However, self-help alone is typically for those who have only mild anxiety.
By now I hope you all know that education and awareness is the most important thing, to not only understand your disorder but to accept it. Research anxiety and know everything there is to know about what you’re feeling, including signs, symptoms and triggers.

You can also start to practice something that researchers call ‘graded self -exposure.’ It entails making a list of all the situations that create or increase your anxiety and expose yourself to them little by little. For example, if you have a fear of eating in public, you start with something small, for a short period of time and then further progress. The theory here is that you can train yourself to become tolerant of all exposures.

If you have access to the Internet, you can go online and do activities that are dedicated to reducing anxiety. These usually consist of workbook activities that teach you how to challenge negative thinking and irrational patterns of thoughts that may result in anxiety. (Tip, you can google or YouTube how to do those things).

Try mindfulness meditation! While I understand that many people don’t believe this works, it is very effective in reducing common symptoms of social anxiety. Mindfulness is a meditation technique designed to acknowledge and accept where you are in your life. It is an attempt to control your breathing and quiet your thoughts, only allowing yourself to focus on the present.
People with social anxiety tend to over think and mindfulness teaches how to get back to the present as well as settle the jumbled thoughts in your head.
The controlling of thoughts will help with the anxiety that comes with interaction. During a conversation, those with social anxiety are preoccupied with their own irrational thoughts rather than what the person is actually saying. For example, you may be focused on what you previously said, how the person may have taken it if you have something in your teeth and a million other things. Practising mindfulness will result in a more focused present.

I realise it is difficult to seek help for social anxiety with social anxiety! It requires a lot of strength and tolerance. However, I need to reiterate how crucial treatment is as untreated anxiety can lead to other mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse and agoraphobia which occurs when the fear becomes so intense that even leaving the house becomes an issue. Please let me know if there are any other disorders you would like to talk about.

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com
Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

Suicide Prevention Helpline – 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444 or 600-7896
Do not be afraid to reach out!

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