Social Anxiety: Strategies for Coping
Did you know that social anxiety, also called social phobia, is way more than feeling or acting shy?
Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that can be chronic in nature and is fueled by great fear. The persistent fear response experienced with social anxiety disorder is quite crippling as it greatly impacts one’s everyday life.
An individual who battles with social anxiety face struggles throughout their daily activities, relationships, work, and school.
Persons with social anxiety are also extremely self-conscious and display low self-esteem and self-confidence regardless of the social situation.
Statistics highlight that social anxiety disorder is rather prevalent in the United States, affecting up to 5.3 million people. In Ireland, social anxiety affects up to 16.8% of adults (1 in 8 people).
Social anxiety can be quite discouraging but with the right coping strategies and treatment options living a healthy lifestyle can still be your reality. There is therapy for anxiety in Ireland and throughout the world.
As you continue to read this article you will gain a greater insight as to what exactly is social anxiety, causes, symptoms, knowing when to reach out for help, treatment options, the importance of consulting a therapist and great coping strategies to employ.
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a mental health challenge that causes individuals to experience extreme and sincere feeling of nervousness and discomfort when placed in a social situation.
There are two main types of social anxiety disorder, generalised social anxiety (avoidance of most social interaction settings) and non-generalised social anxiety (avoidance of specific social interaction settings).
As humans it is normal for us to be faced with discomfort when placed in certain social situations (like a presentation) and even experience symptoms such as sweaty palms, but it doesn’t seek to overtake your entire life as with social anxiety.
When an individual has social anxiety disorder just the mere though of every social situation is terrifying. Social anxiety causes one to avoid social contact by all means necessary, whether it be as simple as small talk and eye contact. Though this is totally common for the average person to
do when communicating, social anxiety places a barrier here making it a source of total discomfort. With social anxiety the individual’s entire life is placed in disarray.
It's also important to note that with social anxiety disorder fear can be confined within two social situations which include starting a conversation and speaking in public settings. However, fear can also be connected to every and any situation for some individuals.
Persons with social anxiety normally have issues in these social situations:
Attending parties
Eating in the presence of others
Attending school
Going to work
Public speaking
Going on a date
Eye contact
Conversing with a stranger or starting a conversation with someone they know
The main thought process that happens in the mind of a person with social anxiety disorder is the fear of either being judged, embarrassed and possibly offending someone or having the attention focused on them.
What causes Social Anxiety Disorder in Ireland?
In Ireland social anxiety disorder cannot be tied to one specific cause. The causes relating to social anxiety vary and can include one’s genetics (family history), an overactive amygdala (the section of the brain that regulates your response to fear), growing up with parents that are controlling, exposure to taunting/bullying/discrimination/maltreatment/ physical or sexual abuse and a health-related illness that causes one to become self-conscious.
Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is accompanied by an array of symptoms and each person might display them differently. The pandemic has surely wreaked havoc on the social skills of a society and easily has introduced a situation of Covid-19 anxiety.
The normal way to communicate with each other has become circumvented by social distancing guidelines and stay at home orders that has introduced social challenges. This however is still different from social anxiety disorder which has distinct symptoms. Some common social anxiety disorder signs and symptoms include:
Overthinking and anticipating social situations
Persistent worry about an event even days or months before
The avoidance of social situations
Concerned about the persons who may notice your nervous behaviour
The consumption of alcoholic beverage to calm your nerves before
entering a social situation
Excessive anxiety that causes you to miss school or work
Constant worry of possibly embarrassing yourself
Physical Symptoms
Some of the most common physical symptoms related to social anxiety are:
Perfuse sweating
Blushing
Nauseousness
Shaking
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Inability to speak
Dizziness
Increased heart rate
Lightheaded
Muscle tension
Crying
Gastrointestinal challenges
When to Get Help for Social Anxiety
The main sign of knowing when to reach out for expert assistance is when social anxiety interferes with your everyday activities, or it causes you to be unable to make and keep friends. Other keen signs are anxiety and fear in social situations that feel totally overwhelming and unbearable to function normally.
Getting help means reaching out to a doctor or mental health therapist. Let them know your symptoms and how frequent you face them and in what social setting.
Best Strategies for Coping with Social Anxiety Disorders
We all are confronted with varying challenges throughout our lives and the use of coping strategies are very beneficial to allow you to keep moving forward.
Coping skills are very helpful when you are faced with social anxiety disorder. They give you the opportunity to overcome certain challenges and symptoms you would struggle with on a daily. Here are some great strategies to consider:
Deep breathing exercises
Muscle techniques
Exercise
Practice self-talk especially with negative thoughts (seek to confront your negative thoughts and pay attention to them)
Plan and Prepare
Mindfulness techniques
Start small by integrating yourself into social settings
Don’t focus on your mistakes but your progress
Treating Social Anxiety Disorder
Treatments for social anxiety may differ for each person but regardless there are varying options you can choose from that will grant you the progress you need. Treatment normally is a mixture of psychological therapies. Your therapist will make this decision for you based on your presented symptoms. Psychological treatment options for social anxiety disorder include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy therapy teaches self-control of anxiety by employing breathing and relaxation techniques. Most importantly it also teaches you how to tackle and change negative thought patterns by encouraging positive thoughts.
Exposure Therapy
This therapy motivates the slow and steady introduction of facing social situations thus breaking one from the habit of avoidance.
Group Therapy
This therapy helps to boost social skills and to encourage social interaction with others in social situations. Group therapy also gives a sense of support and practical practice an actual social setting which teaches you how to interact confidently.
Talking to a Therapist & How it can Help
Many persons question the relevance of talking to a therapist to help with mental health challenges. Particularly it is the same with social anxiety disorder. There is much doubt surrounding its benefits as people believe you don’t need to speak with a therapist as it something you should just get over by facing your fears. Of course, this is far from the truth and seeking the assistance from a therapist aids greatly in one forming coping mechanisms.
Talking with a therapist will also increase your social skills and self-confidence that helps to challenge negative self-talks and overall boost your quality of living.
At Fettle we are here to help you challenge and treat all your social anxiety symptoms with care always at the heart. We have a large team of social anxiety therapists who are fully equipped.
Check out our 6 Tips to Overcome Social Anxiety for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is social anxiety common?
Social anxiety is a fear of social interaction as earlier expressed. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 7% of adults experience this within a given year. In essence social anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health disorders and its treatment percentage is high once you accept the assistance you need from mental health professional.
What is the main cause of anxiety?
There is truly no one main cause for social anxiety but rather a mixture of reasons ranging from family history, brain chemistry, personal experiences, abuse, bullying, environmental factors or parenting model that was controlling.
How do you treat social anxiety?
Treating social anxiety can be a done with psychological therapy through our online therapists.
Isn’t social anxiety just shyness?
Social anxiety isn’t just shyness. Interestingly for many children shyness is common, but it can develop into a social anxiety disorder but not all the time. Shyness as opposed to social anxiety disorder is short-lived without interrupting your everyday life. Shyness isn’t persistent or draining like social anxiety.