Health Guide

What helps social phobia

Social phobia is a persistent psychological disorder that usually has to be helped with medical care. It's not just shyness. Cognitive behavioral therapy (called CBT) helps people see social situations differently. The therapy also involves learning how to reduce anxiety, and improving social and conversational skills. Antidepressants can also help some people fight social phobia. You can also try out some of our tips to fight your social phobia. So here goes!!

Visualize: Before an encounter, say, a party or a job interview-"see" yourself acting to what you think will happen. Do this and you will get over your nervous tension.

Challenge yourself: Instead of avoiding all awkward situations, walk right into the less important ones. By taking a chance when the stakes are not too high, you'll build confidence to tackle scarier situations.

Follow a role model: Choose a respected, self assured celebrity and copy his moves and gestures. Acting as they do, can build your self esteem.

Deliberately slow down your breathing: When shyness begins to strike, take long, easy, deep breaths and see how your tension eases.

Use your friends: Take a pal along when you have to face an encounter. Gradually you'll feel confident enough to handle these situations on your own.

In retrospect, I would just like to point out that even though, social phobia is not much talked about psychological problem on media and in magazines, it's very common and people who suffer from it, keep mum about it out of sheer humiliation and it continues to wreak havoc through out their lives. This is for them!! Many of us have been through the crippling fears and constant anxiety that social phobia produces and have come out healthier and happier on the other side. Well, so can you!!

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What Causes Social Phobia

What is social phobia

Most people feel nervous in social situations, like having a job interview, going to a college reunion or giving a speech. Most of us worry about what we're going to say, do or even wear during these events. However, these events often become easier with experience in majority of people but in people with social phobia, these events and other social situations can be frightening and disabling. It usually begins in the early teens, although some people have had it for as long as they remember. Others feel it coming on later in life, as social demands increase. It often runs in families. Sometimes it can lead to other problems, such as depression.

What causes social phobia

No one knows for certain what causes social phobia. The scientific research suggests that both biological and environmental factors are probably involved. People with social phobia have also been shown to have certain biases in their thinking. For example, they often exaggerate the risks and dangers of certain social situations. The good news is that regardless of the cause, social phobia is treatable.

How does a person with social phobia feel

People with social anxiety always have this hunch that everyone is watching, staring, and making negative judgements about them. They just can't relax and take it easy in public. Even though rationally, they know this isn't true but they still can't help being self-conscious all the time. It sometimes becomes impossible for them to let go, relax and focus on something else except on the anxiety and fear. Sometimes these people end up being loners.

As with all problems, everyone with social anxiety has slightly different secondary symptoms. Some people, for example, cannot write in public because they fear people are watching and their hand will shake. Others are very introverted and they find it too difficult to hold on to a job. Still others have severe anxiety about eating or drinking in the presence of other people. Some people with social anxiety feel that certain parts of their body such as the face or neck are particularly strange looking and vulnerable to being stared at. Others experience a muscle spasm usually around the neck and shoulders and it becomes the center of their focus and a cause of immense embarrassment.

| Posted in » Social Phobia Diagnosis  

Criteria for Social Phobia

Picture this! A woman hates to stand in the queue in the grocery store. The reason? She feels that everybody standing there is staring at her. She knows this is not really true but she just can't shake off this feeling. She's mustering courage to talk to the person who's checking out her groceries. She tries to smile, but her voice comes out weakly. She's sure she's making a fool of herself. Her self-consciousness and nervousness reaches the peak.

Now visualize this! Another person sits in front of the telephone and stares at it helplessly. She's afraid to pick up the receiver and make a call. After a lot of dilly-dallying she finally manages to give a tinker. But once the call is over, she sits, analyses and ponders over what she said, what tone it was said in, and how the other person perceived her. Her anxiety and racing thoughts convince her that she's goofed up this conversation, too, just like she always does. Her fears give way to sheer embarrassment.

The plight of this senior manager in a company is really pitiable. He is dreading the meeting scheduled at his workplace the next day. He knows that these meetings always involve interaction with his co-workers. The very thought of speaking in front of so many people sends a shiver down his spine. He knows that in front of everybody he'll stammer, hesitate, his face will turn red, he won't remember what to say, and everyone will witness his embarrassment and humiliation. He is finding it hard to pop off to sleep. He has a night ahead of him to think about it, ruminate over it, worry about it, over exaggerate it in his mind. again and again and again

This young girl wants to go to parties and other social events. Indeed, she is very, very lonely but she never goes out anywhere because she's very nervous about meeting new people. She is terrified of the crowds. The thought of meeting strangers frightens her. Will she know what to say? Will they stare at her and make her feel all the more insignificant? Will they reject her outright? Will they sense her tenseness and discomfort and declare her an outcast? She drops the idea of going out and as usual curls up in front of the T.V. She feels comfortable at home, infact, it's the only place where she feels safe.

No prize for guessing!! You all know what I am talking about, in fact some of you out there might be a victim of it. Well, yes, it's social anxiety disorder or in other words social phobia.

Criteria for Social Phobia:

Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Association

| Posted in » Social Phobia Diagnosis