Social Anxiety

SOCIAL ANXIETY

People with Social Anxiety are concerned that they will be judged negatively for their actions, generally, or their anxiety symptoms. They may avoid social settings, or they may endure some or all interpersonal situations with intense anxiety. 

Some people are only anxious when it comes to public speaking. Others fear judgment in the workplace or small talk with people they don’t know well. Some people are triggered by eating in front of others. The main difference between those with Social anxiety Disorder and those who have general concerns or nerves about social situations, is that the anxiety and concerns causes marked distress or impairment. 

TREATMENT FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for Social Anxiety. At the beginning of CBT, people learn how anxiety works so they can target the behaviors that maintain it. These reinforcers, also known as Safety Behaviors, are actions that people take in order to reduce their fear. These behaviors can interfere with. a person’s life and reinforce the importance of the thoughts that spurred them on.

The treatment breaks down into two parts. First, in cognitive therapy people consider their thoughts so they can decide how much they should influence their decision making. People learn about common thought errors so that they can be more aware of suspicious thoughts. People also reevaluate their thoughts from different viewpoints and then make choices based on rationality, reason and personal values. In the behavioral part of therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), people face their fears without doing safety behaviors. For example, someone might have a conversation with someone at a party and drop rumination about what that person thought of them.

Mindfulness can also play a role in treatment. Seeing thoughts and feelings non-judgmentally can be so helpful for those who tend to resist their thoughts and feelings.