Photo: Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock
By: Amber Roman Posted 12 Sep 2023, 16:10 pm EDT
Social anxiety disorder is a persistent fear of being watched and judged by others, especially when you expose yourself to the public such as talking to others at work or school, attending an interview, or answering a question in class. If the fear is intense, you have felt it for at least six months, and it makes it difficult for you to perform daily tasks, you may be among those affected by this condition.
People with social anxiety disorder feel that others may be analyzing, evaluating, or judging them. Doing things as basic as drinking or eating in front of other people can trigger fear due to concerns about being humiliated or rejected.
This anxiety causes the patient not to go to work, school, or stop doing other routine activities to avoid participating in a social situation.
Those who suffer from this condition do not necessarily have anxiety about social interactions in general but rather about activities that involve dealing with a lot of people, such as giving a speech, competing in a sports game, or playing an instrument on stage.
Social anxiety disorder usually begins during late childhood, says the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In addition, it occurs more frequently in women than in men, in adolescence and in young adults.
The risk of suffering from this disorder can be hereditary; in some families only some members suffer from it while others do not. Researchers are exploring whether stress and environmental factors may play a role in triggering symptoms but there are no firm studies yet.
Symptoms of social anxiety
If you are one of those people who suffer from social anxiety, you may experience the following symptoms when you are surrounded by other people or have to perform in front of someone.
- Turn red, sweat, or shake
- Feel your heart rate accelerate.
- Feeling like your “mind goes blank” or having an upset stomach
- Having a rigid body posture or speaking in a low voice
- Having difficulty making eye contact or talking to strangers in social situations, even if you want to.
- Thinking you are being judged or feeling insecure about yourself
- Avoid places because there are other people.
Therapist Kelly McKenna indicated on her Instagram social network account the importance of detecting what factors can trigger anxiety or fear in you. Self-awareness will help establish a plan to deal with the symptoms. “For some people, this means gradual exposure to the trigger to desensitize them. For others, it means using coping mechanisms like breathing exercises. For most people, it is a combination of strategies,” she noted.
Strategies to mitigate anxiety and fear
- Plan your escape: Stepping out of your comfort zone to try new things is likely to trigger an unexpected response. To do this, you must have an excuse ready to use in case you cannot control your anxiety or fear.
- Reflective listening: social anxiety causes you to often not know how to carry out a conversation. If you use reflective listening you can improve in this aspect. For example, if you respond by mirroring things the other person says and then ask questions based on that, you can engage in a fluid dialogue.
- Small talk: If you have trivial topics that you can talk about with anyone, you can have more control of the conversation and less fear or anxiety.
- Invite a friend: in social situations it is important to have a friend accompany you to feel safer.
- Regulate your nervous system: try new things that you like or practice meditation to feel peace and have your nervous system under control. This way when these situations arise you will be able to handle it better.
Keep reading:
• Mental health: what foods you can eat to improve it
• How to deal with post-traumatic stress, according to a psychiatrist
• Healthy heart: 3 healthy breakfasts to improve cholesterol