Social anxiety, in other words, social phobia, is a condition in which social interactions cause one to have irrational, intense, and persistent anxiety. People who feel this way have a fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in social or performance situations. The worry is so great that physical symptoms may occur like blushing, sweating, stuttering, etc.
“You can’t go back to change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – CS Lewis
Everyone may have an inkling of social anxiety at times, the thing to look at is whether this affects your quality of life. For instance, you may feel anxiety meeting a new person or a group of people one night out. Or, you have a job interview or performance which is making you feel anxious. These are normal feelings to have in life. However, if your social anxiety is so great that you don’t go out to meet that new person, or don’t show up for that interview, then your anxiety may be doing yourself a disservice.
In another example, maybe you feel anxiety when you’re pressured to do something socially that you don’t wish to do. Holidays, family or work events can be a few instances in which this occurs.
Also, don’t forget about social media and how that generally makes you feel.
Everyone is comparing themselves to the masses, all the time. Do you feel pressured to post to social media daily? Maybe you receive negative comments online or are afraid of what the general public posts on your pages. How is your mood after scrolling through timelines? What about your body image? Does it change after being on social platforms? You may feel anxiety when your friends/coworkers/other people post pictures of you that you didn’t sign off on on their profiles. The many ways that anxiety can stem from social media is massive.
So what causes social anxiety in the first place?
While the reasons can be many, below are just a few causes:
- bullying
- sexual abuse
- family conflict
- traumatic social interaction in the past
- sometimes, it can be learned from seeing your parents have it
Social anxiety is treatable, so there is hope.
Through therapy, you can learn to minimize your anxiety.
For more info. on counseling, call (516) 592-1107 or email Chana Pfeifer, LCSW today.
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