Social anxiety is the fear of being judged in a negative manner by those around you. Most people experience social anxiety at certain points in their life. The kind of social anxiety that comes about during presentations or during high stress situations is not the type of social anxiety that many people deal with on a daily basis. Social anxiety can be a debilitating mental disorder that can make those who suffer from it struggle to ever live a normal life.
Social anxiety is a mental disorder that hits quite close to home for me. My stepbrother struggles with severe social anxiety. This is not the type of social anxiety that only hits him in stressful situations. The type of social anxiety that he lives with on a daily basis is the kind that makes him truly struggle to have any normal interactions at all. He has severe panic attacks in crowds and cannot be around too many people at one time. He lives his life in the constant fear that he has said or done something embarrassing.
Living a life where you feel you are constantly judged by everyone around you can be exhausting. The truth is, most people are too caught up in their own lives to even notice you are around them at all. People with social anxiety struggle to see life in that way. They feel that eyes are always on them and they need to always just fit in. Being unique in any way is a person with social anxiety worst nightmare.
Humans, by nature, are fairly social beings. Some are more social than others but for the most part, everyone needs some sort of social interaction and feeling of closeness to those around them to live a “normal” life. This is a reason that social anxiety can be so hard on those who suffer from it. By nature, we are meant to be social organisms who work together to accomplish goals. Having severe social anxiety forces people to cut out all other people from their lives due to their fear of human interaction. This cuts out a large part of what makes a human a human. Isolating yourself from others can increase feelings of anxiety and depression which makes social anxiety an extremely vicious cycle.
Luckily, there is help out there! There are trained psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors that can help those suffering from social anxiety be able to experience normal human interactions. These mental health professionals can help those with social anxiety feel more confident and sure of themselves around peers. There is even medication out there that can drastically help with feelings of panic and anxiety such as SSRI’s or benzodiazepines. There is always help out there for those who suffer from this tough yet manageable disorder.
I agree with every single thing you mentioned! As an adult, I still struggle with social anxiety and can become overwhelmed very quickly if there is a lot going on. In high school, it was so much worse.
Teenagers are already going through so many physical and cognitive changes that can be hard for really anyone to understand. So, if it is hard for anyone to really understand, how does anyone help?
I found an article where a study was conducted to see if an internet based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention was utilized, if there would be decreased levels of social anxiety, anxiety, and depression (Tillfors et al, 2011). The results suggest that as long as there is commitment to complete the CBT, students did see significant improvement to anxiety and depression (Tillfors et al, 2011). Because it is internet based, the teenagers can self-help and in a way, have more control over their treatment. Like toddlers, teenagers are trying to learn their world, how it works, and how they fit in. They try to maintain as much control as they can when their entire world seems out of control. I know I struggled with this hard and I wish there was something like an internet based therapy program available when I was a teenager because I probably would have seeked more help than I did due to my anxiety and depression.
References
Tillfors, M., Andersson, G., Ekselius, L., Furmark, T., Lewenhaupt, S., Karlsson, A., & Carlbring, P. (2011). A randomized trial of internet-delivered treatment for social anxiety disorder in high school students. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 40(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2011.555486
Hello,
I struggle with social anxiety, and it is difficult to not let it derail my life sometimes. It is a lot of the time when I question myself if I should go out and when I do I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest because I am scared that people are staring. My social anxiety has gotten worse since high school. It gets difficult sometimes because I feel like this is controlling my life sometimes and it bothers me because it makes me feel weak. A lot of people when they meet me think I am shy and I am, but my social anxiety gets the best of me, and I get into a panic and close myself off. It is important to get help when we feel like we are drowning and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Seeing a mental health professional for help can help effective interventions to help with social anxiety. According to an article I found, “Social anxiety disorder is generally treated with psychotherapy (sometimes called “talk therapy”), medication, or both” (Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness, n.d.). The most common therapy used to help treat social anxiety is Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I think this is quite an effective strategy in helping the client feel like they need people’s approval. CBT helps the individual feel less irrational and helps them feel more confident when communicating with others. Medication should be the second source to help the individual depending on how extensive their social anxiety is. The medication is not to eliminate social anxiety, but it will help decrease the symptoms of social anxiety that develop in the individual.
Reference
Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness
hey!!!
I can relate to this post because I too struggle with social anxiety a lot in grade school all the way to now. Especially in high school I struggled with social anxiety, anywhere new i went to i always felt judge and even playing a sport i had a lot of anxiety and fear that everyone was watching me and always had anxiety with talking to new people because i thought they would not like me. But to define social anxiety its, “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” (U.S. department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Which explains that social anxiety is the intense fear of being judged. Living life feeling like everyone is judging you and being fearful of new places and things is a struggle. But to know that there are treatment options out there that can help you overcome your fears and anxieties is amazing.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness#:~:text=Social%20anxiety%20disorder%20is%20an,social%20anxiety%20disorder%20is%20treatable.