Today we want to talk about social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, a condition that affects more people than we think.
Fear is a very powerful and sometimes necessary force. Fear is the emotion that lets us know that there is something hostile around and react to it. A zebra that is not afraid of the predator chasing it would be a zebra with little chance of survival.
- But sometimes this fear becomes an obstacle because the mechanisms it triggers are irrelevant.
- Anxiety is one of them.
- There is an intense sense of fear and concern that is triggered by stimuli that are not really threats.
- As is the case with phobias.
Spiders, snakes, enclosed spaces, heights? There are many stimuli that some people react to with irrational fear, even the relationship with others can also lead to the activation of this type of fear, known as social phobia, let’s talk about it.
“There is nothing to fear as much as fear itself. -Michael de Montaigne-
Social phobia or social anxiety is a disorder in which people experience severe symptoms of anxiety when they find themselves in social situations where they fear irrationally feeling judged, humiliated, or ridiculed.
A person with social phobia cannot report or perform normal activities that involve being in a group, whether at work, at parties or in sports activities, even when acting in front of others, also suffers, if only to talk on the phone. , ask for the bill or eat.
It can be said that a person suffering from social phobia has an intense fear of the relationship
Although many people believe that this is some kind of shyness, the truth is that social phobia is not the same. A shy person experiences shame and, in some cases, fear, but very discreetly; in fact, a certain degree of shyness is normal for most people. However, with social phobia, the symptoms of anxiety and fear are excessively severe and disabling.
Physical symptoms experienced by a person with social phobia can range from hot flashes, excessive sweating, dizziness and tremors, to nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, tachycardia and even anxiety attacks; In addition, these symptoms are not limited to time of social interaction, as one of the characteristics of this disorder is an exaggerated anticipation that causes people to live in states of anxiety weeks before each event they face.
The problem, as with other phobias, is that in many cases, anxiety leads people to avoid situations that cause them fear, creating a vicious circle in which the main goal is to avoid relationships.
Social phobia impoverishes the life of the person who suffers from it by making it difficult to find work, friends or couples and all kinds of experiences; In addition, whenever a situation that can trigger anxiety is avoided, fear becomes stronger and more powerful. And the only mechanism to overcome fear is to deal with it.
Overcoming social phobia is possible, but as with other anxiety problems, the path is long and requires commitment and effort, recognizing and accepting the problem is the first step, but in most cases it will be essential to seek professional help to overcome this disorder.
Here are some keys that can make it easier to adapt and manage social phobia:
Knowing what is happening to us is the first step to working with him later, now it is important to be very clear that we are not the problem, but that we have a problem, we all have moments of weakness and improvement, we all have the To be nervous and make mistakes, the important thing is to be on the way forward.
Working self-esteem and self-atceptation is fundamental to overcoming social phobia because it connects us to our essence and allows us to get to know each other, in this way it will be easier to accept what is happening to us.
Acting is another key step. The important thing to overcome a phobia is to face what scares us, but little by little, we can start practicing in less hostile environments, such as family gatherings, with a friend or in small groups.
Another way to continue is to look for our own challenges, if we are afraid to eat in public we will try to bring the snack until the day we can sit in the park to eat it, if we are afraid to participate in the course, we will sign up for an activity in which we know that there are few people with which to interact little by little, if what we fear are opinions , we can start by talking about a subject with a kind parent.
The key is to start small and move on to the situations that most distress us, having a track record of our achievements is very motivating.
Finding our own ways to manage anxiety will help us, for example, play sports, meditate or learn relaxation techniques?The less anxiety we feel, the less we will have to deal with it in the most difficult times.
“Fear kills the mind. Fear is the little evil that leads to total destruction. I’m going to face my fear. I’m going to let him pass over me and through me. And when I’m done, I’ll roll up my inner eye to examine your path. Wherever my fear has passed, there will be nothing, just me. ? – Frank Herbert-
If you feel you can’t progress on your own or need outside support, feel free to seek professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as the development of social and technical skills to control anxiety, have been shown to overcome social phobia.
As we see, social phobia is a limiting problem that impoverishes our relationships, but that we can gradually overcome if we strive. Above all, we must try.