Common Types And Causes Of Social Anxiety In Students
Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder is a specific type of anxiety disorder, just like obsessive-compulsive disorder , post-traumatic stress disorder , or panic disorder. What sets this condition apart from related anxiety disorders is that, unlike OCD or PTSD, SAD is characterized by the intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others, according to the NIMH. The patient might fear being embarrassed or rejected in social situations, even if no face-to-face contact is involved. In fact, virtual interactions can be some of the greatest triggers for social anxiety.
How Is Social Anxiety Disorder Treated
If youre concerned you may have symptoms of social anxiety disorder, talk to a health care provider. After discussing your history, a health care provider may conduct a physical exam to ensure that an unrelated physical problem is not causing your symptoms. A health care provider may refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker. The first step to effective treatment is to get a diagnosis, usually from a mental health professional.
Social anxiety disorder is generally treated with psychotherapy , medication, or both. Speak with a health care provider about the best treatment for you.
Try To Practice Practice Practice
Practice makes perfect, they say. And even though your mental health isnt about perfection, practice can indeed help.
It may be important to remember to keep challenging your negative self-talk, reevaluating the worst care scenario, and facing your fears. Doing this only once or occasionally might not be enough.
Avoidance is truly the heartbeat of social anxiety. When you avoid a party, job interview, or difficult conversation because of your anxiety, you often feel a temporary sense of relief, says Frank. Avoidance only makes the social anxiety worse. The more you can challenge yourself to confront the situations that are anxiety-provoking, even in small steps, the better.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Start The Conversation
If someone else doesn’t start the conversation, don’t be afraid to initiate it yourself! If you are standing in line, for instance, it’s a great opportunity to connect with someone since you’ll likely be standing there for several minutes before you both change location.
It’s a good idea to have some conversation starters in mind. For instance, a lot of people make casual conversation about the weather, especially if the weather has been unusual or unpredictable.
You might start up a conversation based on an observation on your surroundings. If you’re in a park you might say, “I’ve never seen the park this crowded before!”
No matter what the topic is that you start with, remember that conversations are fluid.
Listen to what the other person says and be flexible when it comes to subject matters. As long as you are comfortable engaging with this person and feel safe talking about a topic, you can let the conversation flow naturally.
You might try to start a conversation with someone who doesn’t respond. That’s OK, too. Research shows that while strangers often ignore each other in public spaces, most of us feel more positive after interacting with another person. So, it’s worth it to try to connect with other people, even if it doesn’t work out.
Evaluate Your Health Habits
First, if you are living with social anxiety, the first thing I suggest is to do an inventory of your physical health habits.
Make sure you are eating healthy food, getting regular exercise, practicing sleep hygiene , and taking vitamins and supplements as needed. This is the most basic foundation that you can lay to reduce your social anxiety.
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Why Its Important To Ask For Help
Having social anxiety can stop you from doing the things you want to do, and close you off from people youd like to be friends with. It can also make you more likely to get depressed. Asking for help can be hard, but it really is important.
Dr. Busman says she wants kids to know theyre not alone. Many teens experience anxiety disorders. Being brave and telling someone how you feel might seem scary, but if you can get over that hurdle, someone will want to listen.
How To Get Helpeven When Seeking Help Makes You Anxious
These self-help tools and strategies can help you deal with anxiety in social situations, or help you support a friend who is experiencing social anxiety. But sometimes, managing anxiety on your own may not be enough. You may need the support of a mental health professionaland thats okay.
You may even feel some anxiety around reaching out to a therapist or counselor. If you feel hesitant about seeking help, know that there are many types of treatment available. To talk to someone about your options for managing social anxiety, text START to 741-741 or call 1-800-273-TALK anytime to start a free and confidential conversation.
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Using Good Social Skills
Tips For Managing Social Anxiety When Meeting New People
You may get nervous about meeting new people. Many people feel this way when meeting people they dont know. The good news is that there are ways to feel calmer and more prepared.
Sometimes, just thinking about meeting new people can cause physical symptoms of anxiety. Focusing on these symptoms can worsen them. By helping your body to relax, you can lessen your anxiety.
One way to relax is by practicing calm breathing exercises that help you focus on your breathing, rather than allowing your thoughts to race.
Try this breathing exercise:
Sit down in a quiet place, and picture a peaceful setting. It may be a beach on a warm summer day, or you may be sitting by a brook in the woods.
Imagine that youre really there listen to the sounds. Feel the sunshine on your skin and the sand between your toes.
Bring your focus to your breathing. Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose as you count to five.
Feel the air filling your lungs and belly.
Then, slowly exhale through your mouth.
Focus on the air leaving your stomach.
Then, feel the air leaving your lungs.
Repeat this exercise a few times.
Each time you exhale, feel the tension leaving your body.
There are other ways you can prepare ahead of time to help you feel more confident. Plan a list of two or three questions or topics to bring up with new people you meet. You can even write these down so you have a reminder.
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Remember Baby Steps Are Still Steps
You dont need to make huge strides every step of the way. Something as small as committing to yourself that youll attend an event and following through is a huge sign of progress. It doesnt even have to be a formal event. it can be something as small as ordering a coffee if thats something that would normally trigger your anxiety.
You dont need to commit to doing something as huge as giving a speech to hundreds of people or throwing a party on your own keep in mind that any progress is progress to be proud of.
How Social Anxiety Can Impact On Your Life
Social anxiety can impact on people in different ways. Some people will find all social situations stressful while for others the fear only kicks in when they have to do something in public. This leads them to avoid situations such as public speaking, or going on nights out where they may be in social situations.
Social anxiety can have a big impact on sufferers lives as they spend their life worrying about events coming up and how they can avoid them.
When in social situations the person can experience many uncomfortable physical symptoms of anxiety. These include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- A sense of feeling constantly on edge
- Physical symptoms like headaches, butterflies in your stomach, blushing, sweaty hands, high blood pressure, dizziness, breathing heavily, feeling faint, sweating
If youre struggling with social anxiety youre not alone. It is an extremely common problem.
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Social Anxiety Vs Social Anxiety Disorder
There is a difference between experiencing social anxiety and having social anxiety disorder, which is a diagnosable mental health condition, explains Dr. Chapman. There are times when experiencing social anxiety is normal, such as when were about to meet someone new or give a speech, he says. In instances like these, worrying about how others will perceive you is natural.
Social anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is a persistent fear of social settings, he explains. Often, this gets in the way of daily activities. For example, someone with social anxiety disorder may avoid going to the grocery store, gym or even calling people on the phone.
Halstead agrees, adding that social anxiety disorder is more extreme and is also more persistent than social anxiety, which can happen before one-off events. If someone is consistently experiencing a fear of social situations for six months or more, its an indicator that they may have social anxiety disorder, she says.
Social anxiety disorder can also manifest in physical symptoms such as panic attacks, vomiting or heart palpitations, explains Serena Chestnut, a therapist at the Behavior Wellness Clinic in Connecticut who specializes in anxiety disorders. Individuals experiencing these symptoms may avoid any situation that could potentially cause fear or they may need to lean on a friend for support, she says.
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When To Get Help For Social Anxiety
It’s a good idea to see a GP if you think you have social anxiety, especially if it’s having a big impact on your life.
It’s a common problem and there are treatments that can help.
Asking for help can be difficult, but a GP will be aware that many people struggle with social anxiety and will try to put you at ease.
They’ll ask you about your feelings, behaviours and symptoms to find out about your anxiety in social situations.
If they think you could have social anxiety, you’ll be referred to a mental health specialist to have a full assessment and talk about treatments.
You can also refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service without a referral from a GP.
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Dealing With Social Phobia
People with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and coping skills, and stop avoiding things that make them anxious. But it’s not always easy. Overcoming social phobia means getting up the courage it takes to go beyond what’s comfortable, little by little.
Here’s who can support and guide people in overcoming social phobia:
- Therapists can help people recognize the physical sensations caused by fightflight and teach them to interpret these sensations more accurately. Therapists can help people create a plan for facing social fears one by one, and help them build the skills and confidence to do it. This includes practicing new behaviors. Sometimes, but not always, medications that reduce anxiety are used as part of the treatment for social phobia.
- Family or friends are especially important for people who are dealing with social phobia. The right support from a few key people can help those with social phobia gather the courage to go outside their comfort zone and try something new. Putdowns, lectures, criticisms, and demands to change don’t help and just make a person feel bad. Having social phobia isn’t a person’s fault and isn’t something anyone chooses. Instead, friends and family can encourage people with social phobia to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged. Good friends and family are there to celebrate each small success along the way.
Talk With A Therapist
Despite what some people might suggest, social anxiety goes beyond shyness, or feeling uneasy and nervous around new people. Social anxiety is a mental health condition, and its not always possible to work through symptoms yourself.
You can do a lot on your own to manage the anxiety and distress you experience, but getting professional support is always a good place to start.
A trained mental health professional can:
- offer more insight on the difference between social anxiety and shyness
- help you identify social anxiety triggers
- teach helpful coping strategies, social skills, and relaxation techniques
- offer guidance with challenging and replacing or reframing negative thoughts
Therapy also offers a safe environment to practice navigating anxiety-provoking situations through graduated exposure, one potential treatment for social anxiety.
Your therapist might recommend group therapy or support groups, which give you the chance to practice social skills and interact with other people also coping with social anxiety.
A therapist can also refer you to a psychiatrist, who can prescribe medication for social anxiety. Medication can provide some relief from severe symptoms, making it easier to start working through them in therapy.
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Having Healthy Habits In Place
Regularly exercising, eating nutrient-rich foods and getting consistent, good sleep can all play a supportive role in reducing social anxiety. Exercise has a profound effect on managing anxiety in general because the body is experiencing the same arousal response during exercise as with anxiety , says Dr. Chapman. This makes experiencing that arousal response less threatening. To his point, studies have found regular exercise to be an effective clinical treatment for people with anxiety.
In terms of diet, Dr. Chapman explains that the mind and gut are intricately connected. Eating a diet full of nutrient-rich foods and minimizing processed food consumption has been scientifically linked to reducing anxiety.
Lastly, as anyone who has ever missed out on a good nights sleep knows, being tired makes everything worseincluding anxiety. If you dont get enough sleep, cortisol levels rise, which can make you more anxious, says Dr. Chapman. Aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.
Conversations With Activities Help Avoid Dry Conversations
To overcome dry conversations, put yourself in situations where you can combine conversation with activity. Invite a person to join you at a place where you can move about or focus on an activity if there is ever a hiccup in the conversation.
While lunches or dinners may be OK, there is really is nowhere to turn if the conversation runs dry . Instead, consider these options:
- Attending a sporting event
- Smiling too much or too little
- Slouching or keeping your arms crossed
Body language awareness goes a long way. You can better communicate with others simply by making eye contact, smiling gently, and standing with your chin level to the ground and your arms by your side.
In fact, good posture is linked with feeling more confident. One study found that participants who sat upright, with good posture, for an extended time, reported feeling more confident and had higher levels of self-esteem than those who sat slumped, with poor posture.
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Dealing With Social Anxiety
Social anxiety can be difficult to deal with, but there are things you can try yourself. There are also effective treatments and support groups that can help you.
Self-help might not cure your social anxiety, but it may reduce it. You might find it a useful first step before trying other treatments.
Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness
Are you afraid of being judged by others? Are you self-conscious in everyday social situations? Do you avoid meeting new people due to fear or anxiety? If you have been feeling this way for at least 6 months and these feelings make it hard for you to do everyday taskssuch as talking to people at work or schoolyou may have social anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and other daily activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends. The good news is social anxiety disorder is treatable. Learn more about the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and how to find help.
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Work With Your Strengths
In order to get yourself out of a social anxiety rut, you don’t need to have an end goal of becoming a stand-up comedian or accomplished concert pianist.
If you love books, maybe joining a book club or even leading a book club would be your thing. Think about your interests and talents, and how you can bring more sociability into those areas in your life.
Tips For Dealing With Social Anxiety
Many self-help techniques such as physical activity, breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and writing can help reduce anxiety. You can use self-help strategies on your own or in addition to other treatments.
Social anxiety is unique to each person. Therefore, the more you know about your thoughts, feelings, and reactions, the better the tips and tools will work for you.
The following three steps can help you learn more about your social anxiety:
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A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach
Key Points:
- Cognitive behavioraltherapy has been shown to be an effective form of treatment for social anxiety.
- Among other steps, CBT prescribes challenging anxious thoughts, and specifically tracking whether one’s catastrophic predictions about social encounters actually hold true in real life, as a way of realizing that they generally don’t.
- After an encounter, socially anxious people should congratulate themselves for facing their fears rather than criticizing their performance in post-mortems.
If you find yourself inhibited and anxious in a variety of social situations and you fear that people will see your anxiety and that you will feel humiliated, then you may suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder. Many people with this problem will choose to avoid situations where they anticipate being anxious or they may use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate before entering these situations. Social anxiety is associated with increased risk for alcohol abuse, depression, loneliness, decreased occupational advancement, and the increased likelihood of remaining single. You can complete the Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale and find out if you have symptoms that might indicate social anxiety.
The good news is that you can do something about it.