When you think about social anxiety, does the word shy come to mind first? Timid, perhaps? For most people, they assume that social anxiety is just being shy or someone being afraid to meet new people. Unfortunately, social anxiety goes far beyond feeling shy around other people. From time to time, it’s common for most of us to feel nervous in a new social setting. We typically prefer knowing what to expect or at least having a general idea before we go. Social anxiety is more common than most believe. Let’s go over the basics of what this disorder is and how to treat it.
Social anxiety is a diagnosable mental health condition. It is a disorder that can impact someone’s ability to fully thrive and function in their daily life. Most people assume that having social anxiety means you are shy and that it is just part of your personality. Neither of those things paints the full picture of social anxiety. Social anxiety can prevent someone from being able to:
It isn’t always the case that someone with social anxiety is content with never socializing with other people. In fact, that usually isn’t the case. With social anxiety, their worries and fears are just so strong that it makes it really hard to do so.
Someone who is dealing with social anxiety may behave in the following ways:
There are classic telltale signs that someone may be suffering from social anxiety:
Internally, someone may feel any of the following symptoms:
There is no singular cause for why social anxiousness can occur. It can boil down to a variety of main factors that contribute to this challenging condition.
If you or someone you know is suffering from social anxiety, you should know that it is highly treatable. While the challenges that come with it can feel like a mountain you can’t climb, you can be assured that it is possible.
Even if you have experienced social anxiety for decades, there are always ways to move forward.
A popular method for treating social anxiety is through cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. With CBT, clients learn how to challenge their negative thoughts and fears about social interactions and replace them with positive thoughts.
In some cases, someone might also find success coping with social anxiety by starting on medications such as antidepressant medications.
If you are struggling with social anxiety, please don’t hesitate to reach out. While it may be scary, we can help you find ways to cope with this through anxiety treatment.
The Therapy Team are a group of passionate registered social workers and psychotherapists delivering leading edge evidence-based therapies and accessible mental health care to help you live your best life.
