Do you get nervous before that big presentation at work? Does the thought of speaking in front of a crowd stress you out?
Everybody gets socially anxious at some point in their lives, and high-stakes moments like these normally cause distress. But if you’ve been feeling less and less like venturing out into the world because you’re afraid of how your mind and body will react, you might need to seek help.
What is social anxiety?
Social anxiety is fear and distress in social situations such as gatherings, meeting new people, or being in public spaces. People typically develop social anxiety in their teen years. Some have situation-specific social anxiety. For example, they experience acute anxiety before speaking in public or before important events. Others have more persistent social anxiety that’s present in everyday, less avoidable interactions.
When it goes unmanaged for too long, social anxiety can progress into a diagnosable condition called social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disordered characterized by extreme fear of normal social situations. Social anxiety disorder can prevent you from holding a job, maintaining a social life, or even leaving your home. It can also lead to other health issues such as substance abuse or eating disorders when a person tries to self-medicate.
Symptoms of social anxiety include:
- dread or fear in social situations
- anxiety before, during, and after a social event
- nausea
- increased heart rate
- sweating
- trembling
- dizziness
- struggling to make eye contact
- feeling self-conscious and embarrassed
- fearing judgment
- difficulties communicating
- panic attacks
- low self-esteem
- negative self-talk
- avoidance of triggers and social situations
Causes and risk factors
Family history
Research shows social anxiety can be passed down through families. In fact, you might be up to 40 percent more likely to develop social anxiety disorder if your parent has it too. This heritability can be due to both genetics and environment.
If your parent has social anxiety disorder, you’ve probably also learned behaviors during your childhood that influence your adult reactions to social situations.
Past emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Traumatic experiences train the brain to see the world as unpredictable. Avoiding social situations can start as a coping mechanism for avoiding triggers. If you were bullied as a teen, you might have felt more in control at home away from others.
If you were in an abusive relationship, keeping hidden might have been your way of staying safe. People whose concept of safety was maintaining control over their environment may find that they later have social anxiety. Sometimes, post-traumatic stress disorder can even have social anxiety as one of its symptoms.
Development in childhood
Parenting styles can impact your likelihood of developing social anxiety later in life. Even if your parents are not socially anxious, if they were overprotective or prevented you from having social experiences you might develop social anxiety.
Overprotective parents shelter their children and reinforce the idea that the world is a scary, dangerous place. As adults, it’s hard to undo that learning. Socially anxious people are also more likely to have formed insecure attachments to their caregivers as children.
How you can treat social anxiety
Mindfulness and meditation
Start taking care of your everyday stress with breathing exercises and training your brain to be in the moment. Learn to understand your emotions as they happen. Instead of letting your thoughts spin out of control, focus on your five senses and your bodily experiences. Try incorporating exercises like yoga and tai chi to help you control your breathing.
Talk to a therapist
If you feel your social anxiety is impacting the way you live your life, you should seek help. It’s readily treatable by meeting with a cognitive behavioral therapist and learning to manage your emotions.
To find out more about how therapy can help you feel more comfortable in social situations, please reach out to us.