Social Anxiety: 5 Ways To Cope
Anxiety or social phobia can damage the quality of life of those who suffer from it. We will tell you what its symptoms are and how to deal with them in the next article.
The human is a social being from birth to death. For this reason, for a person to develop all their abilities, it is necessary for them to interact with their environment and the people around them. In this sense, social anxiety prevents a full quality of life
Nowadays, this type of alteration is very common, which prevents the correct functioning in society. SAD, also known as social phobia, seriously affects daily routines.
Let’s go deeper.
What is social anxiety?
Feeling nervous or shy about certain everyday situations (such as standing in front of the class, asking a passerby for directions, going on a date, or asking a salesperson something) are usually minor problems. However, for those who suffer from social anxiety, the feeling turns into panic.
Faced with this problem, the person begins to avoid situations or places that make him feel uncomfortable. In the long run, it becomes more and more isolated. Of course, school performance, job performance and affective relationships are affected.
What are the symptoms?
It is difficult to diagnose, since the person who suffers from it tends to hide what he feels. Sometimes a child with social anxiety can be aggressive or indifferent. However, the symptoms are felt on the inside.
As reported by the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States , they are the following:
- Anguish from being humiliated in public.
- Fear of being judged
- Panic to speak in public.
- Fear that others will find out what is happening to you.
- Excessive sweating, shaky and stuttering voice, intense flushing, nausea and vomiting.
- Tachycardia and tachypnea.
- Inability to move from the site.
- Dizziness and muscle tension.
- Avoid any activity or situation that represents interacting with others or in public.
- Negative feelings and pessimism.
All these symptoms can present complete in severe cases. Therefore, the person avoids any type of social event. Teens avoid going to parties, dating, talking to their classmates, or eating with them, for example.
In the case of adults, having to change a product in a store, eat alone in a restaurant, use a public bathroom or maintain eye contact, represents torture.
However, there are ways to cope with social anxiety and achieve a peaceful and fulfilling life. How?
5 ways to cope with social anxiety
Taking into account the following tips helps to control social phobia and feel much better in public:
- Seek help immediately : in the presence of the aforementioned symptoms it is vital to seek professional help. Parents who observe unusual behavior in their children should seek advice from a psychologist.
- Prioritize: those who suffer from social anxiety tend to stop doing the activities they enjoy out of fear. In this case, it is important to organize time and have energy for hobbies, hobbies , sports, etc.
- Write a diary : the record of the events that happen in the day to day helps the person and the specialist to determine the causes of anxiety to give the correct treatment.
- Avoid harmful substances : sometimes, those who suffer from social anxiety turn to drugs or alcohol to get rid of the fear of dealing with others. This leads to even more serious health problems and addiction.
- Psychopharmaceuticals and therapy : if the disorder so requires, specific medications or cognitive-behavioral therapy will be prescribed.
It is possible to overcome the problem
The habit of learning to cope with social anxiety equates to enjoying life. Therefore, it is good to speak with someone you trust and seek medical assistance in the event of any sign of this disease to successfully combat it.
The sooner the advice is put into practice, the better the future results will be. The important thing is not to isolate yourself or think that it is something unimportant: any problem that prevents you from leading a normal life must be treated and evaluated.
