The Silent Struggle: What Is Social Anxiety?

By Christian Rizea, Psy.D.

Social anxiety is a mental health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. In my new online program "The Social Anxiety Solution," I describe how it's a type of anxiety that causes intense fear or nervousness in social situations where a person might be judged or scrutinized by others. The fear can be so strong that it causes physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, nausea, and an increased heart rate.

It's important to remember that social anxiety is more than just shyness or nervousness. It can significantly interfere with a person's daily life. Let's look at some examples to better understand how social anxiety can affect people:

• John is a college student who experiences social anxiety when he has to give presentations in class. He becomes so anxious that he often skips class or makes excuses to avoid the assignment. As a result, his grades suffer, and he feels isolated from his peers.
• Sarah is a working professional who experiences social anxiety when she has to attend networking events or social gatherings with her colleagues. She becomes so anxious that she often declines invitations or finds reasons to leave early. As a result, she feels like she's missing out on important career opportunities and feels disconnected from her coworkers.

As you can see from these examples, social anxiety can have a significant impact on a person's life. Some common signs of social anxiety include:

• Fear of being judged or criticized by others
• Avoiding social situations or enduring them with extreme distress
• Physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, and nausea
• Difficulty making eye contact or speaking in public
• Feeling self-conscious or embarrassed in social situations
• Worrying for days or weeks before, or even after, a social event or social interaction

One of the main features of social anxiety that I teach people to overcome in "The Social Anxiety Solutions," is negative and self-critical thoughts that can pop up when in social situations. These thoughts can be automatic, intense, and hard to control. They often center around fears of judgment, rejection, or embarrassment. In this context, it's important to recognize these common thoughts and understand that they're a natural part of social anxiety. By learning to identify and manage them, it's possible to overcome the anxiety and feel more confident and at ease in social situations. Some common anxiety provoking thoughts that someone with social anxiety might experience include:

• "Everyone is looking at me and judging me."
• "I'm going to embarrass myself in front of everyone."
• "I don't belong here, everyone else seems so confident."
• "I'm going to say the wrong thing and people will think I'm stupid."
• "Everyone else seems to know each other and have fun together, but I don't know anyone."
• "I can't wait to get out of here and go home where I feel safe."
• "I'm sweating/ shaking/ blushing, everyone can see how nervous I am."
• "I wish I could just disappear and avoid this social situation altogether."

These thoughts can be overwhelming and cause a lot of distress for people with social anxiety. It's important to remember that these thoughts are not always accurate and might be distorted by the anxiety. 

If you can relate to any of the sign above that's associated with social anxiety, it's important to get help. There's hope! I've created a new online coaching program called "The Social Anxiety Solution" to help people overcome their social anxiety. Just click this link to learn how "The Social Anxiety Solution" online coaching program can help you live a fuller, more satisfying life!