Does the above title strike a chord with you……?

Is this because of a fear to put yourself forward…..?

Is this because you think that other people will then notice you….. or judge you?

Or is it more a case that you avoid family or social events?

Do you find yourself scared of situations such as using public toilets, eating in public, speaking in public, writing in public, or any situation where you might be noticed?

Do you find yourself playing out post-mortems of what you think happened?

If you are in these situations and you are noticed, do you find yourself blushing excessively?

Social anxiety

If so, these are thoughts and feelings that can be associated with social phobia, otherwise known as social anxiety disorder (SAD).

However, if you are experiencing these symptoms, please be assured that you are far from alone as social anxiety is the third most common emotional problem in adults worldwide!

Social anxiety can occur in a number of situations, but they share a common theme that the person affected is fearful of scrutiny from other people. The person with social anxiety may become anxious that they will behave in a way that others may find embarrassing or unacceptable.

Shame It is common for people with social anxiety to feel considerable amounts of shame, humiliation and distress. It is a result of this, the many people with social anxiety avoid places that they might find threatening.

 

Unfortunately, avoiding places where anxiety may be experienced, keeps the whole process going, as the person learns that avoidance reduces the symptoms, rather than finding out through ‘exposure’ that the only thing to fear is fear itself.

 

If you want further information concerning social anxiety/phobia then please click here for an in depth article by David Veale, one of the world’s eminent researchers on the topic.  As he indicates, cognitive behavioural therapy can be an extremely effective form of treatment for social phobia.  So please feel free to contact me to find out how I and CBT can help.