Feeling Nervous in Crowds? Here’s How to Beat Social Anxiety

People often feel nervous or self-conscious in social situations like when they give a speech or appear in an interview for a new job. Many individuals can assume that this means they have social anxiety. However social anxiety goes beyond simple shyness. Unlike typical nervousness or shyness, social anxiety can make people feel like they are being judged or others are scrutinising them, turning social settings into scary and uncomfortable experiences. 

Social Anxiety causes an intense long-lasting fear of embarrassment and humiliation. It makes people feel others are out to get them or judge them. This leads them to fear and avoid social situations to escape embarrassment. Those with Social Anxiety often expect others to think of them in a negative light. This might happen because they believe that being around people will make others feel uncomfortable, or they would find it hard to interact with others. Social interaction is a cause of stress for such people but it does not imply that stress is inherently bad for any kind of interaction with others.

Some level of stress or worry about our social image is somewhat beneficial for us to work on ourselves as it ensures that we adjust to our surroundings, maintain or improve our social desirability and avoid complete social boycotts.

The actual problem arises when this stress or worry turns into “anxiety” from our social environment and inflates to the level that it leads to underperformance or creates hindrance in our social life, leading to impaired functioning around others.

Common pain points in social anxiety are fear of sweating or perspiration in public, fear of having tremors in front of others, appearing anxious, appearing uninteresting to others, looking like an incompetent person or publicly making a fool out of yourself. People with social anxiety visibly appear to be distressed in social settings. It is highly likely that to cope with this distressing situation, such people generally show fewer facial expressions, try to avoid eye contact and struggle more with starting and continuing conversations compared to those who do not have social anxiety. Some severe maladaptive coping like resisting to meet people and further isolation can lead to even further distress.

Social Anxiety: The Rising Trend

Recent studies have shown that the levels of social anxiety may be rising. It is seen that greater social media usage, increased digital connectivity and visibility, and more options for non-face-to-face communication are associated with higher levels of social anxiety. Social anxiety cases have shot up since the COVID-19 pandemic ended. This happened because people got used to talking online and spent less time with others in person. People with social anxiety often feel safer chatting, which can make them even more cut off from the real world. 

Read More: The Constant Need to be Active on Social Media Platforms

The World Health Organization reports that anxiety and depression jumped by 25% worldwide in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle Anxiety website points out that more and more people now fit the bill for social anxiety disorder. It’s worth noting that many cases of social anxiety go unreported. Social anxiety does not only impact social life, it also adversely impacts your self-confidence and lowers mood and energy levels. Therefore it is not only necessary to deal with it for social benefits, but also our overall well-being. Now the question arises, how can you overcome social anxiety and what are the effective ways to deal with it?

Battling Social Anxiety

There are different ways of dealing with social anxiety. They are –

Find Your Triggers

Recognise the triggering points that cause your social anxiety. These triggering points could be social situations or thoughts about social interactions that induce distress. Once you have identified your trigger points, writing them down somewhere can help you understand your current pattern of social anxiety and make a judgement if there is a need for a therapist’s intervention.

Go For A Therapy Session

• Exposure Therapy:  When it is overly distressing to be present in a crowd or worse, interact with one, a therapist can help you with a gradual exposure to feared social situations in a controlled environment which significantly reduces stress related to social settings. For example, Kabir panics just by the thought of going out of his house and interacting with his neighbours therefore he has locked himself up in his house. A great piece of advice for Kabir in exposure therapy would be to start by getting out of his house early in the morning when there are fewer people outside plug in earphones and listen to music instead of surrounding sounds. By doing this, Kabir can slowly build up the courage to move out of his house and would gradually be able to freely go outside with no fear.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: If your social anxiety has become a hindrance in your daily life and is causing distress, then it is a good idea to reach out to a therapist. A therapist can help you recognise and challenge your negative thought patterns about social scenarios and help you replace them with positive ones. They can help you focus on modifying or replacing the pre-existing maladaptive thoughts and behaviours related to social situations. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the approaches to social anxiety in therapy and is one of the most powerful therapy tools for Social Anxiety and related disorders.

Use Calming Techniques 

• Breathing Exercises: Practising deep breathing during a stressful state like anxiety in a public place can help slow down the heart rate and help promote a calmer state. Breathing Exercises like Pranayama appear to show similar results.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tensing and relaxing muscles like squeezing and loosening up your hands can help induce a state of relaxation.

Build Up Your Self-Esteem

Start by setting short-term realistic goals and reward yourself after completing them. This would help boost your confidence and sense of self-worth. This confidence would help you deal with social anxiety and improve your overall well-being.

Have a Support System

Your support system constitutes your professional help as well as the people you can rely on. Reach out to a mental health professional and get personalised guidance from them. Get structured therapy tailored to your specific needs.

Additionally, rely on your trusted ones in these difficult times. You can also get in touch with support groups. Connecting with others who are experiencing a similar situation can help in offering new perspectives of others on shared trouble. You can also get practical advice within a safe space.

Practise Social Skills

Engage in activities that you like and require social interaction, such as participating in clubs. This way it gets easier to interact with others and can help develop confidence in your interpersonal skills.

Conclusion 

Social Anxiety goes beyond just being shy. It has a big impact on a person’s everyday life and how they feel overall. The deep fear of others judging you or feeling embarrassed can make people avoid situations. This makes those with this problem feel more alone. Social media’s growth and changes in how we interact due to COVID-19 have made more people feel anxious. But there are good ways to deal with these issues. To handle social anxiety, it helps to know what sets it off, talk to a therapist, learn to calm down, feel better about yourself, and have people who support you. With the right help and backing, people can learn to feel more sure of themselves in social settings and live better lives. Working on social anxiety doesn’t just help with talking to others; it’s key to better mental health and growing as a person.

Lastly, Overcoming Social Anxiety is not easy but it can get easier if you are willing to work on it and get professional help. 

FAQs 

1. How is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) seen in Academic settings?

Students with social anxiety may experience overwhelming fear while giving a presentation, during group discussions, and even while having casual interactions with classmates and teachers. This can lead to them skipping classes or school/college events, ultimately becoming an obstruction in their academic progress as well as their social development.

2. What role does Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) play in treating social anxiety?

CBT is the most effective form of psychotherapy for Social Anxiety and related disorders. Its primary focus is on changing negative thought patterns and gradually exposing individuals to social situations that cause them to feel fear. This approach helps people with social anxiety develop adaptive coping strategies and improve their social skills gradually over time.

3. Are there any specific risk factors that contribute to the development of Social Anxiety Disorder in people?

Research indicates that genetic factors, environmental influences such as overprotective parenting or bullying, and a history of negative social experiences can all contribute to the onset of SAD. Understanding these factors can help in developing appropriate psychological interventions.

4. How can Medication along with therapy help in Managing Social Anxiety?

Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can help with symptoms of SAD, making it easier for individuals to continue their therapy. Combining medication with psychotherapy often leads to more effective treatment results.

5. What Misconceptions exist about Social Anxiety Disorder?

A common misconception is that social anxiety is merely an extreme form of shyness or introversion. In reality, SAD involves intense fear and avoidance behaviours that can significantly disrupt one’s daily functioning, distinguishing it from normal shyness or introverted personality traits.