Social Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms, Treatment and how to deal with it.

 

SOCIAL ANXIETY

Social Anxiety Disorder:  Symptoms, Treatment and how to deal with it.

What is social anxiety?

Let's say it's your first day at a new job, you might be, anxious or nervous, but you want to make a good impression. These feelings are quite normal and can actually help you to be more attentive and careful. But after a few weeks, once you get used to the job and know your co-workers, the nervousness usually subsides, right?
 
Well, for some people the initial anxiety is really high and stays really high over time. For these people, the fear of being judged negatively by new people can be so overwhelming that it affects their ability to do their job well.

What are the concerns of social anxiety?

If you suffer from social anxiety, you will fear certain situations, this can vary from person to person. Some are afraid to speak in front of groups of people. Some are afraid to meet new people. While others are afraid to go to parties or other types of social events. Whatever situation you fear occurs, you are likely to experience sweating, flushing, heart palpitations, or other symptoms of anxiety.

 

In fact, even the idea of ​​having to be somewhere where others can scrutinize them can make them not want the job. This describes social anxiety disorder. It is not clear what causes social anxiety disorder, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as having a close relative with social anxiety disorder or being exposed to neglect or abuse.

 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, defines social anxiety disorder as causing an individual's fear of acting in a certain way that might condemn them, and can cause anxiety that disrupts their normal routines and their relationships.

 

What's more, the fear or anxiety is persistent, lasting 6 or more months Usually, social anxiety disorder causes individuals to feel anxious in specific social situations or circumstances.

 

For example, one person may be really nervous when talking to acquaintances or meeting new people. While another person may have performance anxiety and feel unable to give a presentation or give a toast at a friend's wedding.

 

Social anxiety disorder is a dystonic ego condition, which means that people with the disorder usually understand that their anxiety is unwarranted. But unfortunately, this awareness can cause more anxiety because they will fear that others can tell how anxious they are. Sometimes individuals may worry that they may have physical symptoms, such as trembling or blushing, that others might notice and judge them for. Sometimes anxiety can be so severe that it causes something called derealization, which means that a person can feel "removed" and less able to recognize their surroundings.

 

 

 

 Diagnosis and treatment

To lower their social inhibitions, some people with social anxiety disorder use drugs and alcohol, which can lead to dependence and addiction. The DSM-5 states that for a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder, the fear or avoidance should not be due to the effects of medication or another condition. This is important because there are key features of social anxiety disorder that overlap with other conditions. For example, in generalized anxiety disorder, individuals have anxiety, but it is not limited to being judged in a social context. Anxiety is usually broader and includes non-social concerns such as finances or physical safety.

 

Another example is agoraphobia, where people avoid public places for fear of being trapped and unable to escape in case something embarrassing happens or they start to panic. But in agoraphobia, the fear is less judged and more trapped in a crowd and unable to escape.

  Therapy 

Treatment usually involves psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both. When it comes to psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended because it teaches a person new way of thinking and behaving to help be around others. Antidepressants are the most common drug of choice, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, as well as benzodiazepines and beta-blockers. SSRIs help regulate serotonin levels in the brain, while SNRIs help regulate serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine to manage anxiety.

 

Benzodiazepines are psychoactive drugs that have a relaxing effect. Beta-blockers can help alleviate the physical symptoms of performance anxiety. Although medication can be effective in the short term, cognitive behavioral therapy has more benefits in the long term due to the potential for unwanted side effects.

 

 

 

 

How to deal with Anxiety?

In whichever situation you fear arises, you’ll probably experience sweating, flushing, feeling your heart race, or other symptoms of anxiety. One of the primary symptoms you'll feel is thinking others will judge you or find you lacking in some way.

Not to worry, though. No matter what your symptoms are or where they hit you, there are things you can do on your own to deal with your social anxiety.

Number One: Deep muscle Relaxation.

Learning to physically relax is one of the best ways to combat anxiety. It's impossible to feel both relaxed and anxious. For deep muscle relaxation, you will tense then relax the major muscle groups of your body, beginning with your feet and working your way towards your head and face. Roll your shoulders out to relax the muscles.

Number Two: Slow breathing.

Controlling your breathing when you're anxious is another good way to deal with your emotions. When you're anxious, your breathing becomes faster and shallower and as a result, you'll feel light-headed and dizzy, bringing on more anxiety. Learning to breathe slower and more regularly through your nose will help you calm down. This technique won't get rid of your anxiety, but it will help you better handle the situation you're experiencing.

Number Three: Visualization.

The key to visualization is to remember a place where you felt safe and comfortable. Once you remember this place, get a picture of it in your mind so clearly that you can feel, see, smell and even taste that place. This takes practice and patience

Number Four: Control your thoughts.

Faulty thinking is a hallmark of social anxiety. Believing that others are judging you and finding you faulty in some way is a majorly detrimental way of thinking that occurs, so it is important to evaluate whether those thoughts are true. Ask yourself for proof. People with social anxiety tend to overestimate how badly others think of them.

Keep in mind: your thoughts are only guesses about what others will think or what you will do. How you think is a habit and habits can be changed.

Number Five: face your anxiety.

Most people with social anxiety want to hide, avoid, or run away from whatever they're scared of, but by facing your anxiety instead, you'll find that is usually something you can tolerate after a few exposures.

However, you may want to try this on a situation that brings a relatively low level of anxiety first. When using this method, focus on what's going on around you instead of what's going through your mind. That should help you distract yourself from those anxious thoughts.

Have you found any of the described methods helpful?

Do you use other strategies to cope with your social anxiety?

All right, so as a quick recap, people with social anxiety disorder have heightened anxiety about acting in a way, or showing symptoms of anxiety, that will be negatively scrutinized by others. Anxiety that is restricted only to performance is a specific type of social anxiety. The anxiety is almost always present in the particular social situation and is severe enough that it interferes with the normal course of life.

Most people with social anxiety want to hide, avoid, or run away from whatever they fear, but if you face your anxiety instead, you'll find that it's usually something you can tolerate.