Are You Struggling With Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety Is Common But Many People Are Happily Living With It

Social anxiety disorder — also known as social phobia — is a common, formally diagnosed disorder. It may surprise you that this disorder is the third-largest mental health problem in the world. Millions of people internationally suffer from this debilitating and stressful disorder daily, from either a specific social anxiety or more generalized anxiety.

It has been reported that up to 12% of adults struggle with social anxiety. That is a big percentage of the population so know you are in good company. But, before we get into solutions, let’s define social anxiety so we know exactly what we’re talking about. According to Dr. Thomas A. Richards of the Social Anxiety Institute, “Social anxiety is the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, self-consciousness, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.” Basically, if you feel better alone than you do in a social setting, you may have some form of anxiety in social settings.

Second, did you know that social anxiety affects almost one-third of the population?

You have probably heard someone state that they dread social situations or crowds of people. Maybe you’ve fallen victim to uneasiness during social situation as well. Whether clinically diagnosed or an obvious feeling of being uncomfortable in groups … fear of being with other people has plagued us all at one time or another.

Third, ask yourself: do I have social phobia

Your experience with social anxiety many feel different than everyone else’s account. That being said, generally speaking, someone witnessing anxiety in social settings will commonly experience:

• Increased heartbeat.
• Tense muscles.
• Feeling faint.
• Shortness of breath.
• Indigestion.
• And even disassociation of the body.

You may begin experiencing these social phobia symptoms at the thought of a gathering, weeks or days before an event, or immediately before a social meeting. However, it is common to dissect your behaviors and the way you perceived others viewing you for a time afterward. This takes a lot of mental energy and can be quite exhausting.

Click here to take a 3-minute social anxiety test to see if you have the characteristics of this malady.

How to deal with social anxiety

You know what it is and what the symptoms are, now we need to know how to get over social anxieties. It’s not clear that anxiety disorders are inherited or develop as a result of environmental causes, but they can run in families. It is important to remember that professional help is available! Cognitive behavioral therapy and specialized therapists to help treat this disorder can be life-changing. Another cool thing is that there are both inpatient and outpatient natural treatments for anxiety that teach you how to overcome social phobia. Even better news is that there are proactive ways to develop new routines that help ease and conquer your social anxiety. And you can do these any time.

1. Reframe your thoughts — When thinking negatively about a social situation, switch is up and focus on the positive. Anytime a bad thought surfaces, immediately replace negative thinking.
2. Meditate and be mindful — Take time to sit and reflect during meditation. Smother yourself with affirmations and focus on mantras to uplift your spirits.
3. Increase your exposure to other people — Take time to control your exposure to your social anxiety. Practice, so to say. Schedule a trip to a local coffee shop by yourself. Planning the trip gets you ready before you leave your home. After your venture, make sure you allow yourself time to decompress.
4. Adopt a healthy lifestyle — Drink water, exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. Having a clean and balanced lifestyle can help reduce anxieties that build up when we deprive ourselves of natural needs. Avoiding food with caffeine as well as abstaining from drugs and alcohol can be very helpful too.
5. Don’t be hard on yourself — Self compassion and self love are so important! You are making strides to get outside of your comfort zone. Well done!