Effective help for Social Anxiety also known as Social Phobia
Welcome to my page on Social Anxiety, otherwise known as Social Phobia. If you are suffering from the symptoms of social phobia or social anxiety, then you are not alone. It is probably the most common phobia/anxiety clients consult me for. It is experienced by most people to a greater or lesser degree.
What is social anxiety/social phobia?
Most of us worry to a certain degree what people think of us. But if you suffer from social phobia it is likely that you create intense anxiety around any situation where you may be put on the spot, judged, embarrassed and criticised. Having the spotlight on you is probably your worst nightmare!
Worrying about how others think of you can become a preoccupation. If you worry about saying the right thing, wearing the right clothes, acting a certain way, fitting in, life can become exhausting. Lack of confidence in your abilities and low self esteem is always an underlying factor.
Attending interviews and training days at work can be a terrifying ordeal and can often stop a person from progressing career wise. Going to dinner parties, social events, weddings can be very stressful for you. Probably you will have spent ages getting dressed, so as not to wear the wrong thing. Perhaps having a drink before you go out and several whilst you’re there will be a coping mechanism for getting you through the event. Always concerned about how you come across to other people will be foremost in your mind.
As with many anxiety based problems, the severity of your symptoms are inextricably linked to the levels of external stress you’re coping with at this time. This however then creates a vicious circle as the symptoms themselves then create further stress.
Often sufferers of social anxiety will come across as just being shy, but it is a technique used just to keep out of the spotlight. Blushing and stammering infront of authority figures is often common,as is being overly sensitive to criticism.
Why do we have social anxiety/social phobia
Often the link goes back to childhood. Most likely one or both of your parents will have had social anxiety or you remember them as being shy. This then becomes a learned behaviour. If your parent wasn’t confident in social situations you have learnt not to be either. You will not have developed the confidence and coping skills to manage such situations.
Sometimes Social Anxiety/Social Phobia can be triggered from being in a very embarrassing situation where you felt judged and on the spot. If you go on to process this in a very negative and catastrophic way you are likely to develop intense anxiety around any situations where this might happen again.
Link between self esteem and social anxiety
The lower the level of your self esteem, the higher your social anxiety will be. That is, if you feel worthless, not good enough, not confident enough your social anxiety is a reflection of this. If you don’t feel good about yourself, you expect others to judge you equally harshly.
Symptoms of social phobia/social anxiety
Social anxiety encompasses a wide variety of symptoms and behaviours, all of which can be very distressing to the individual concerned.
- Low Self Esteem
- Lack of confidence
- Anxiety/Panic Attacks
- Fears and Phobias
- Intense sweating
- Blushing
- Stuttering/stammering
- Fear of intimacy
- Unable to be assertive
- Unable to maintain eye contact
- OCD
- Agoraphobia
- Emetophobia (fear of being sick)
- Addictive behaviour
- Weight loss
- Fearful of authority figures
- Uncomfortable in social situations
- Overly sensitive to criticism
- Dislike of eating in public
- Use of alcohol to lower inhibitions
- Extreme anxiety prior to exams or interviews
- Fear of public speaking
- Insomnia
- Dislike of using the phone
- Fear of writing letters./emails
- Fear of being found out/not good enough
- Shy bladder syndrome (Pareuresis)
- Skin problems
- Erectile problems
- Premature Ejaculation
- Vaginismus
- Shy bowel (Parcopresis)
If you would like help to overcome your Social Anxiety/Social Phobia then please contact me.
Take advantage of a free complementary consultation where you can discuss your problem in a caring, non-judgemental and confidential environment. There is no obligation to proceed into therapy/training and the consultation is completely free.
Call TODAY or use the online contact form