Social Phobia: When Anxiety and Fear Control Your Relationships

Today we want to talk about social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, a condition that affects more people than we realize.

Fear is a very powerful and sometimes necessary force. Fear is the emotion that lets us know that there is something hostile around us and react to it. A zebra that was not afraid of the predator chasing it would be a zebra with little chance of surviving.

But sometimes this fear becomes an obstacle because the mechanisms it triggers are out of whack. THE anxiety is one of them. There is an intense feeling of fear and worry that is triggered by stimuli that, in reality, are not threats, as in the case of phobias.

Spiders, snakes, closed spaces, heights… There are a multitude of stimuli to which some people react with irrational fear. Including, the relationship with others can also lead to the activation of this type of fear, known as social phobia. Let’s talk about her:

What is social phobia?

Social phobia or social anxiety is a disorder in which people experience intense symptoms of anxiety when they are in social situations in which they irrationally fear feeling judged, humiliated or ridiculed.

A person with social phobia cannot relate to or perform normal activities that involve being in a group, whether at work, at parties, or in sports activities. Even when acting in front of others, he also suffers, even if only to talk on the phone, ask for the bill or eat.

It can be said that a person with social phobia has an intense fear of relating

Although many people believe that it is a kind of shyness, the truth is that social phobia is not the same thing. A shy person experiences shame and, in some cases, fear, but in a very attenuated way; in fact, a certain degree of shyness is normal for most people. However, when suffering from social phobia, the symptoms of anxiety and fear are disproportionately intense and disabling.

The physical symptoms experienced by a person with social phobia can range from flushing, excessive sweating, dizziness and tremors, to nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, tachycardia and even anxiety attacks. Furthermore, these symptoms are not limited to the moment of social interactionsince one of the characteristics of this disorder is an exaggerated anticipation that causes people to live in states of anxiety weeks before each event they have to face.

The problem, as with other phobias, is that in many cases anxiety causes people to avoid situations that cause them fear, creating a vicious circle in which the main objective is to avoid relating.

Social phobia impoverishes the life of the person who suffers from it, making it difficult to find work, friends or partners and all kinds of experiences. Also, every time you avoid a situation that can trigger anxiety, the fear strengthens and becomes more powerful. AND the only mechanism to overcome fear is to face it.

Is it possible to get out of the vicious circle of social phobia?

Overcoming social phobia is possible, but as with other anxiety problems, the road is long and requires commitment and effort. Recognizing and accepting the problem is the first step.but in most cases, it will be essential to seek professional help to overcome this disorder.

Some keys that can facilitate the confrontation and management of social phobia are the following:

be aware of the problem

Knowing what happens to us is the first step and then working with it. Now, it is important to be very clear that we are not the problem, but that we do have a problem. All people have moments of weakness and overcoming. We all have the right to be nervous and to make mistakes, the important thing is to be on the path to overcoming.

Working on self-esteem and self-acceptance is key to overcoming social phobia because it connects us with our essence and allows us to know ourselves. In this way, it will be easier to accept what happens to us.

Facing fears progressively

Moving into action is another key step. The important thing to overcome a phobia is to face what makes us afraid, but progressively. We can start practicing in environments that are not too hostile, such as family gatherings, with a friend or in small groups.

Another way to keep moving forward is to look for our own challenges. If we’re afraid to eat in public, we’ll try to bring the snack until one day we’re able to sit in the park and eat it. If we are afraid to participate in the class, we will sign up for some activity where we know that there are few people to interact with little by little. If facing opinions is what we fear, we can start by discussing a topic with a kind family member.

the key is start little by little and advance to the situations that generate the most anxiety. Having a record of our achievements is very motivating.

Learning to manage anxiety

Seeking our own ways to manage anxiety will help us. For example, doing sports, meditating or learning relaxation techniques… The lower the degree of anxiety we experience, the less we will have to deal with it in the most difficult moments.

Seek professional help

If you feel like you can’t get ahead on your own or that you need external support, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, along with the development of social skills and techniques to manage anxiety, has been shown to work in overcoming social phobia.

As we can see, social phobia is a limiting problem that impoverishes our relationships, but that we can progressively overcome if we make the effort. Above all, we need to try.

Did this post help you? Share with your friends and leave your comment below 🙂

Source: amenteemaravilhosa.com.br