5 Ways to Cope with Social Anxiety
Have you ever had the feeling that everyone was looking at you in a crowded mall or grocery store? This feeling is enough to make you sweat, avoid eye contact with others, or just skip going shopping all together. As you walk through the store or a crowded environment with people you don’t know, you begin to wonder if they are seeing the 50 things wrong with your outfit or hair. You are your biggest critic and your biggest fear is being negatively judged by others. We all feel shy or anxious sometimes, but typical shyness does not persist to the extent of intense fear or anxiety of social situations where the person may be scrutinized by others. This falls more in line with social anxiety disorder (social phobia).
People with social anxiety disorder feel this way in many arenas from walking into a crowded restaurant to answering a question during a meeting a work. Take the latter, answering a question during a work meeting comes with the fear of being humiliated by not knowing the correct answer, even if you do know the answer. So what do we humans do when faced with fear or anxiety? Whatever we need to do to decrease the anxiety. In this instance, it is likely the individual will avoid speaking during the meeting and possibly miss work all together on days they have to present.
Anxiety or feelings of fear serve a purpose. They are meant to alert us to danger and prepare us to survive. Our body prepares for this intense fear by going into fight or flight mode and the corresponding hormones are stimulated. As a result, physical symptoms occur such as increased heart rate and muscle tension. The body prepares to respond to a physical threat, however, because there is no actual threat, the excess energy is more detrimental than beneficial.
Here are a few signs of social anxiety:
Social anxiety is somewhat common with as many as 12.1 percent of the general population in the United States dealing with this in any given 1-year period. You do not have to struggle and are not alone. Seek professional help if you are experiencing social anxiety and it is causing significant distress in your daily life.
Here are 5 tips to help manage social anxiety:
Support is always available for social anxiety. You can start with your general practitioner if you do not already have a therapist. They can point you in the direction of a mental health professional. There are also online directories where you can find a therapist.
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat individuals. If you need professional help please seek those services.
Autumn Collier, LCSW is a psychotherapist at Collier Counseling, LLC in Atlanta, GA. She works with women in their 20's and 30's that are entering a new phase of their life (i.e. career, relationship, parenthood) and experience anxiety and depression.