How to Deal with Social Anxiety
9 Minutes
CONTENTS
Experiencing self-consciousness or nervousness on certain occasions, like job interviews or public speaking, is extremely common. Social anxiety or social phobia is more than this natural feeling of shyness and is characterised by an intense fear of social situations where you feel like you’re being watched or judged by others. The experience can get so frightening that feelings of anxiousness are triggered just by thinking about them.
The disorder carries great potential to disrupt life, making it critical to overcome social anxiety as soon as possible. But can social anxiety be cured? The answer is affirmative, and taking help from a luxury treatment rehab is highly recommended to manage social anxiety and regain confidence in a comfortable environment with five-star amenities.
- 1 out of every 10 UK adults suffers from some degree of social anxiety disorder
- Social anxiety disorders rank third on the list of the most common psychiatric disorders, after major depression and alcohol abuse
- Interestingly, the prevalence of social anxiety disorder is much higher than some of the major autoimmune conditions, including Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis
- Women are more likely to suffer from social anxiety as compared to men
- Approximately 0.32 percent of individuals falling in the age bracket of 5 to 15 years are socially anxious
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterised by an intense fear of being negatively evaluated, rejected, or judged during a social performance. People suffering from this psychiatric disorder may worry excessively, often appear to be visibly anxious, and are commonly viewed as awkward or boring. As a consequence, such individuals avoid engaging in social situations as much as possible, and where avoidance is not possible, sheer distress and anxiety are experienced.
Social anxiety also carries a tendency to affect the physical parameters, such as the digestive system and the heart, and often leads to full-blown attacks during the confrontation with a feared situation. The victims are well-aware of their fear of being excessively unreasonable; nevertheless, most remain powerless against their surging anxiety levels.
Affecting millions of people across the globe, social anxiety remains a prevalent type of anxiety disorder in adults and children. Early adolescence is the average age of onset with initial symptoms like extreme shyness, particularly in childhood. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to note that social anxiety is much more complex than shyness and carries the potential to ruin personal and professional lives, all the more reasons to consider overcoming shyness and social anxiety in time.
Multiple brain scans of people with social anxiety have revealed its connection with hyperactivity in a certain part of the brain, known as the amygdala. The amygdala normally regulates the physiological changes linked with the fight or flight response, allowing the body to respond to real and imagined threats. Any activity in the amygdala triggers a cascade of symptoms, including sweaty palms, muscle tightening, increased heartbeat, respiratory excitement, and high sugar levels, which render the sufferers incapable of thinking straight. In such anxious situations, another part of the brain, known as the prefrontal cortex, is responsible for calming these reactions and keeping them in check if there is no real threat present.
However, for individuals with social anxiety, the prefrontal cortex starts amplifying these reactions instead of calming them down. As a result, the brain starts fearing other people’s reactions as legitimate threats that cannot be soothed down with any amount of rational reflection.
The following reasons have been found to contribute to the development of social anxiety:
The Role of Parenting Styles
Extensive research confirms the connection between anxiety disorders and negative parenting styles. Parents who are highly critical, overcontrolling, overly concerned, or reluctant to show affection can destroy their child’s self-image and their impression of the world. Such children grow up to become less trustful and more fearful of other people as the negative environment they grew up in takes a toll on their self-confidence and self-esteem. Parents with negative attitudes are often not aware of their harmful actions and the consequences that can set their children up for trouble in later life.
While social anxiety disorder doesn’t get diagnosed until adulthood, the manifestations of its early symptoms in childhood bolster the idea that parenting styles are behind its development.
Stressful Influences and Life Experiences
Experiencing stress or trauma during childhood increases the risk of developing social anxiety in later stages of life. Some exposures known to carry predictive value for a severe form of this disorder include abuse (emotional, sexual, or physical), family conflicts, death or desertion by a loved one, maternal stress during pregnancy, divorce, and domestic violence. Such traumatic experiences reinforce the concept that the world can be unpredictable and scary.
Genetic Causes
Individuals whose parents suffer from social anxiety are up to 40 times more likely to acquire this condition themselves. However, experts have been unable to speculate how much of this association is based on genes and how much of it is determined by parenting style. More research has focused on the genetic markers causing social anxiety, paying particular focus to a gene labelled as SLCGA4. This gene is responsible for transporting a neurotransmitter that stabilises mood and soothes nerves. Shortage of this neurotransmitter due to decreased performance of the SLCGA4 gene has been closely linked with the symptoms of social anxiety and unfortunately, this faulty gene is capable of passing down from parents to offspring.
So if someone close in the family has struggled with social anxiety, learning how to deal with social anxiety is highly recommended for them.
Before you start looking for social anxiety help and support, it is imperative to be sure that what you are suffering from is not just shyness. Contrary to a shy attitude, social anxiety can be extremely overwhelming for people and may wreak havoc on their lives. For instance, the sufferers may decline job opportunities that require frequently interacting with people and may limit their social activities out of fear of facing people. The symptoms of this problem can sometimes get so extreme that they interfere with the daily routines and disrupt occupational performance, social life, academic activities, and personal relationships. Moreover, social anxiety also puts people at an increased risk of acquiring other psychiatric issues like substance abuse disorder and major depression.
The presence of the following symptoms hints at an underlying social anxiety disorder and warrants immediate help.
Emotional Symptoms
- Fear that you will end up humiliating or embarrassing yourself in public
- Fear that others may notice your nervousness
- Extreme fear of being judged or watched by unknown people
- Intense worrying for weeks or months in anticipation of a social event
- High self-consciousness and anxiety levels in daily social situations
Physical Symptoms
- Increased heartbeat
- Excessive nausea
- Upset stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Blushing of face
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Experiencing hot flashes
- Sweating
- Shakiness of body
- Trembling voice
Behavioural Symptoms
- Avoidance of social situations so much that it disrupts life
- Hiding in the background in gatherings to escape embarrassment
- An excessive need to bring someone along whenever you go public
- Drinking before attending a social event to calm down the nerves
Feeling anxious from time to time is completely normal. However, with social phobia or anxiety, you have this constant fear of being humiliated or judged by others that may force you to avoid the following situations:
- Job interviews
- Talking on the phone
- Shopping
- Asking questions
- Using public bathrooms
- Eating at a public spot
Many people do not develop the symptoms of social anxiety in all situations. This is known as selective anxiety, and that only gets triggered in certain situations. However, in more severe forms, you may find yourself socially impaired, and learning how to deal with social anxiety becomes critical in such circumstances.
Despite the availability of treatments, less than 5 percent of people with social anxiety seek help. Some may take years before they finally start looking for social anxiety tips. If you or a loved one is battling this psychiatric disorder, remember that there are multiple ways to help them learn about how to deal with social anxiety.
Mentioned below are some tips for social anxiety to consider today.
Educate Yourself
The best way to manage social anxiety is by educating yourself and others around you about this condition. Seek information about it, research its triggers and warning signs, and how to become more social.
Practice Patience
Remember that the recovery process for any psychiatric illness takes time. Your loved one may take months or possibly years to fully learn how not to be socially awkward. It is important to give them enough time and be patient around them.
Establish Effective Communication
Having an honest discussion about how you truly feel can prove to be a great social anxiety self-help measure. If you think that a friend or a family member is struggling with this issue, set some time aside to talk to them and provide reassurance.
Seek Help
If you or your loved one continues to suffer from social anxiety despite trying all self-help measures, do not be afraid to seek help. There are plenty of luxury rehab treatment centres available in the UK to support your journey and help you reestablish your social life in a well-suited, high-end environment with facilities like a private residence, a personal chef, and enough leisure activities to keep you occupied.
Luxury residential treatment for social anxiety and other forms of anxiety is widely known to be an effective therapy. These inpatient luxury rehab centres provide a structured and peaceful environment where you or your loved one focus all their energies on recovering without having to cope with the demands of the external world. These treatment centres are designed to isolate their residents from the triggers of the outside world that may otherwise lead to negative coping behaviours, such as alcohol abuse.
Our executive social anxiety treatment centre believes that your physical environment majorly impacts your recovery. According to this philosophy, a beautiful sanctuary such as our centre is what helps with social anxiety and offers the perfect tranquil environment to clear your mind and acquire healthy thinking patterns.
During your social anxiety treatment with us, you will get to live in our luxury rehabilitation centre equipped with all sorts of resort-style facilities, such as a private villa, large gardens, gym, swimming pool and spa, in addition to various other activities that help with social anxiety. We also provide a personal chef and driver on request to make your experience with us as comfortable as possible.
End your troubles facing the world now, and contact us today to begin your battle against social anxiety in a luxurious way.
Despite being associated with high levels of life impairment, only a handful of individuals with social anxiety seek help for their underlying issues. Joining an executive treatment rehab to control the symptoms with necessary therapy and medical attention is highly recommended. The purpose of these rehab centres is to maximise recovery while allowing you to enjoy a homely environment with all luxuries equivalent to a five-star hotel. If you or your loved one are struggling to keep their social life intact, contact us now for help.
FAQs
Is social anxiety associated with another psychiatric illness?
Around four-fifths of individuals with social anxiety disorder are likely to experience at least one other psychiatric illness at some point in life. These psychiatric illnesses may include other forms of anxiety disorder, nicotine abuse, substance-use disorder, and an affective disorder.
Isn’t social anxiety just another form of shyness?
No, social anxiety is much more intense than shyness and is characterised by a fear of being evaluated or judged by others during social events. They are absolutely terrified of embarrassing themselves and often present with physical symptoms, such as profuse sweating, trembling, and blushing.
HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP WITH Anxiety
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