Social Anxiety 101

Photo by Claudio Schwarz

Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, can be a debilitating condition. Even if you have never been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, you may still know what it feels like to be bogged down by social anxiety. Think of it as extreme shyness whenever you are involved in public situations. Your heart is thumping; you palms get sweaty; your mind goes blank. It is not always confined to those situations, either. Often, anticipatory anxiety precedes the event and ruminations follow. In other words, social anxiety can be a protracted experience.

As with all phobias, a very common strategy people adopt to cope with social phobia is avoidance. In most cases of phobia, avoidance works, at least temporarily. For example, if you have acrophobia (fear of heights), you don’t go skydiving. If you have claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), you don’t go spelunking. In both cases, steering clear of the phobic scenario keeps the anxiety at bay. However, when it comes to social phobia, avoidance can be a double-edged sword. Because while it may keep you from being overwhelmed, it may also deprive you of the opportunity to practice your social skills and calming techniques. It may sound intimidating, but having exposure to this particular phobic scenario may prove to be critical to any successful treatment.

So, don’t be surprised if your therapist proposes exposure therapy or systematic desensitization, ideas that seem counterintuitive to you. Give your therapist a chance. There is a method to the madness, I promise.