Social Anxiety Symptoms and Treatment : Social anxiety disorder "social phobia" is a much more common problem than past estimates have led us to think.
Social anxiety disorder or phobia is the fear of social interaction or public speaking or performance situations in public. It is quite different from the shyness found in the human nature which is only hesitation to express oneself among the social interactions.
Social anxiety disorder falls in the category of fear in which the people fright of being judged in the public and it leads to lot of anxiety and the subsequent embarrassment.
People with social phobia disorder may experience the anxiety upon encountering the following situations.
- Public speaking
- being teased or criticized by others
- meeting new people or meeting people in authority
- shaking hands or going shopping
- Situations that put them in the spot light or being observed while doing something
- feeling as though you have nothing to say, or feeling out of place in a social situation
- writing, talking or making a phone call in public
- Attending parties or other social functions.
Symptoms
The most prominent indication of social anxiety is an extremely high level of self-consciousness and constant anxiety with regards to one’s image and other people’s opinions about oneself.
The fear comes from the fear that he/she would fail the evaluation. The psychological indications often manifest physiologically in the form of:
- Dizziness
Social Anxiety Disorder
- Excessive sweating
- Stammering, nausea
- Palpitations
- Mental confusion
- Shakiness of the limbs.
- High pulse rate
- Faster breathing
- High blood pressure
Causes
A fight or flight response is generated due to the stress hormones secreted inside the body. There are number of cases for this peculiar behavior
Management
Social anxiety disorder is a fairly common concern which can be treated with a combination of psychotherapy, medications and self-help techniques. But the first step to any treatment is acknowledging the problem, and then seeking out help from a trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist.
- Psychotherapy or cognitive behavior therapy
In this the therapist helps the patient to change the cognitive or behavioral part of their personality that supports the fear. For example the patient might have a fear or anxious situation in which he thinks that he should look more witty and intelligent in the social situation. Then the therapist will help him to change the way they behave towards the stimuli that is anxiety provoking.
- Counseling medication
Anxiety prone people can be counseled by the trained psychologist in the well defined regular sessions to make them comfortable with their lives and situations. They can also be put on the medications prescribed for the anxiety if the situations really critical to the therapist.
- Meditation
Meditation is simply witnessing your thoughts in your mind with awareness. This can be achieved by focusing your attention on the incoming and outgoing breath from your nostrils. This helps you to become more relaxed and feel peace from inside as now your mind will reach the level of no thought zone. This is great for anxiety and stress relief. One feels satisfied and happy after the meditating sessions daily.
- Progressive muscle relaxation
This is the method of progressively tensing and relaxing the muscle group so as to release the tension from them. The goal of these exercises is to recognize the tensions inside the body and let the tension flow out of the body. The basic idea behind these exercises is that there is no place for the tense mind inside a relaxed body.
- Guided imagery meditation
This type of meditation technique allows you to use your senses to help create a similar situation of tranquility and relaxation as if it is already there and experienced by you. For example you can imagine with your senses the beautiful scenery of rivers and mountains with greenery all around them and feel the same as if you are really visiting this location.
- Self talk
This involves listening to the inner voice within to gain the confidence and bolster the self esteem. This voice can be positive or negative therefore it is suggested that while one should pay attention to the former and not let the latter take over you in any case.
- Baby steps forward
This can mean learning relaxation exercises such as the deep breathing exercise and practicing them until they become second nature and easily done in any situation, at any time.
- Exposure therapy
This is the therapy for the anxious person in which he or she is exposed to the tense situation repeatedly and gradually though in a controlled manner so as to become comfortable with the situation and feel less and less anxious on facing them.
