Social Anxiety

Welcome back everybody! In this blogpost I will give insights of anxiety. Let’s start!

So what is social anxiety exactly? according to the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America) it’s ”an intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation.” People with social anxiety experience being more worried or being visibly anxious and thinking they are being viewed as stupid, awkward or boring. As an result of this people tend to avoid situations where they might experience this.
Anxiety is something that is being triggered, with everybody it’s something else. Examples of this kind of situations are: giving a presentation, being alone in a room full of people or being teased or criticized.

Results of social anxiety can be:
– having a low self-esteem
– not being able to stand up for yourself
– talking negative to yourself ( ‘I can’t do it, stop being so stupid, they probably don’t like me.’ etc.)
– having poor communication skills
– being sensitive for criticism
– finding it difficult to maintain relationships.
– having other mental health problems like depression
– having suicidal thoughts and attempts


How do people get social anxiety?
There are a lot of reasons why people get social anxiety. It can run in your family or it’s because of your brain structure.
The most common reason is because of your environment.
Negative experiences like bullying or having a trauma can increase your risks of getting social anxiety.

Can I prevent getting social anxiety?
Of course it’s impossible to predict if someone is getting the disorder. But these things can reduce the risks
– How longer you wait till get help, how harder it is to be treated. Always talk to someone if you feel sad about something.
– Always keep a journal, keeping track of your life is really important. Then you know what’s causing the stress and it helps to let you feel better
– If you manage your time and energy carefully by prioritizing issues in your life it helps reduce anxiety and stress.

What do I do to get treated for social anxiety?
You first have to get diagnosed, you can do that at the general practitioner. If you get diagnosed you will be redirected to a therapist. There you will most likely get the Cognitive-behavioral therapy (it’s the most successful therapy for social anxiety). Or/and you will get medicines to block the stress and anxiety.

I hope i helped you out 🙂
See you next time!
Bye!

Zoya

sources:
https://www.lentis.nl/probleem/sociale-fobie/behandelingen-sociale-fobie/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353561
https://socialphobia.org/social-anxiety-disorder-definition-symptoms-treatment-therapy-medications-insight-prognosis