1. Understand the Nature of Social Anxiety
Most people experience a moderate amount of social anxiety when faced with stressful situations, such as public speaking, dating or important business meetings. However, irrational and disabling fears may be a sign of a serious condition called social anxiety disorder, which affects 7 to 13 percent of Americans every year. Common symptoms include an overwhelming fear of embarrassment, scrutiny or humiliation during normal, everyday activities, even though there seems to be no cause.
Social anxiety can lead to the avoidance of potentially pleasurable or meaningful situations where other persons are present, causing the sufferer to retreat from or evade tasks as simple as going to the grocery store, visiting friends or performing socially-oriented duties at work. Intense worry about social situations, fear of embarrassment, excessive self-consciousness, anxiety about being judged by others and unnecessary avoidance of important social events are all indicators of this problem. Physical manifestations of social anxiety disorder can include nausea, trembling, racing heartbeat, dry throat and mouth, blushing and excessive sweating. If you have low self-esteem, abuse drugs or alcohol, suffer from depression, have difficulty relating to others or struggle with academic and occupational deficiencies, then you have an increased risk for developing social anxiety disorder.
2. Use Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
People with social anxiety disorder realize that their fears are irrational, but feel unable to control or minimize them. Major contributors to these negative emotions are toxic thoughts that stimulate and prolong your fears. If, during the course of the day, you tell yourself things such as "I'll look stupid," "I'm no good at that," "People will think I'm weird" or "I'll feel embarrassed," then your distorted thought patterns are a primary cause for your unrest. Fortunately, because cognitive behavioral therapy specializes in treating thought disorders, it offers several excellent techniques for relieving the emotional symptoms of social anxiety, and has become the most commonly used form of psychotherapy in this area.
CBT focuses on helping you recognize that it is your skewed perceptions of social events, and not the reactions of the people at those events, that trigger anxiety or avoidance. Another technique involves testing irrational thoughts against reality by confronting yourself with ideas that are more reasonable. For example, if you believe you'll have nothing interesting to say on a date, your therapist might ask you to create a list of things you are knowledgeable about, thereby demonstrating that your beliefs are irrational. The next step would be enhancing your social skills and teaching you assertiveness so that you are better prepared to share your insights during a conversation. When your perceptions about social situations change, so will your emotional and behavioral reactions.
3. Try Exposure Therapy
Exposure Therapy (ET) is another effective avenue for alleviating symptoms of social anxiety. After learning relaxation techniques, such as controlled breathing, mental imagery and thought-stopping, you are gradually exposed to the situations that evoke phobic responses. First, a therapist has you imagine being in a situation that causes anxiety. While practicing relaxation techniques, you then learn to cope with your fears by realizing how unrealistic they truly are.
By following this program, you are able to encounter increasingly stressful events while maintaining your composure. Once you have imagined a stressful event, come close to experiencing a stressful event and successfully completed the stressful event, your fears will subside and you will find yourself desensitized to the phobias that previously caused avoidance or overwhelming anxiety.
4. Take Medication, if Needed
Antidepressants such as Paxil, Effexor and Zoloft, benzodiazepines including Valium, Ativan and Xanax, and Beta Blockers like Inderal serve to inhibit panic attacks, allowing anyone suffering from social anxiety disorder to maintain composure and think rationally. Initially, medication may be necessary to help you get your condition under control. However, relapse frequently occurs once you have discontinued usage. Rather than developing dependence, it is best for anyone suffering from social anxiety to undergo some form of psychotherapy in addition to taking medication. Another helpful strategy that may prevent the necessity of medication is employing a series of positive lifestyle changes, such as joining a support group, educating yourself about social anxiety disorder, volunteering at a social charity and practicing what you've learned from social skills training classes.
