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Social Anxiety |
Most of us to some degree feel anxiety or shyness in social situations
at different times, but social anxiety goes beyond that. Social
anxiety is an excessive, often unrealistic fear of social interaction. Every
Generally people with this type of anxiety have an inner voice that is
constantly watching what they say, straining every nerve to detect how
people react to them. They fear being judged by others, doing things that
will embarrass them. This fear can be so intense that
it interferes with their lives, with work, with making friends, etc. They may avoid anything
that triggers this fear.
Even though they may realize the fear is irrational, they are unable to
overcome it. The fear may center on one type of event or be so large that
the person feels safe only alone. Physical symptoms are common such as
dizziness, trembling, nausea, inability to speak clearly, and a fear of
losing control. Underlying this anxiety is often a fear of being seen as
inadequate. They often have false expectations of
who they should be. People
with social anxiety often expect others to react in a harsh, critical,
judgmental manner.
In counseling, the goal is to work on improving self
confidence, creating
realistic expectations and better communication skills to help overcome
the anxiety.