By Jennifer McDougall
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a social setting where your nerves are racing around from beneath your skin, you feel overwhelmed and intense anxiety, and you want to hide out in the corner of a room? This is what it feels like to have social anxiety. It’s more common than you may think. Some can go out and be in a public setting where they interact with others and feel completely comfortable and confident. For others, they participate in these interactions only to then go home and sink deep into an obsession of overthinking every move they made and every word they said.
“Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others.” – Defined by WebMD.
Behavioral symptoms
- Fear of being judged
- Avoiding social interactions altogether
- Fear of talking to others
- Smoking cigarettes
- Excessive drinking or drug use
- Avoiding direct eye contact because of self-doubt
- Trembling, shaky voice, blushing, and/or sweating.
- Avoiding situations that you may be the center of attention
- Worrying about the worst possible outcome of the situation
- Analyzing the event after its taken place
Physical symptoms
- Fast heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Stomach ache
- Muscle tension
- Confusion or “out of body” feeling
There are many ways you can overcome this fearful situation. We have 5 helpful ways for you to breakthrough through this turbulent feeling. We want to help you feel more at ease when you’re around other people and have to interact when it feels most uncomfortable. Here are some suggestions.
- Try visualization
- Deep breathing exercises
- Work with a therapist.
- Go to more social functions.
- Identify your behaviors so that you can eliminate them.
Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™
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Image via We Heart It
