Social phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations . People with social phobia feel paralyzing fear when other people are around, as well as nervousness, anguish, or shyness. As we can see, social phobia is very uncomfortable and limiting for the person who suffers from it, so we must differentiate it from shyness.
5 STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME SOCIAL PHOBIA
Next we are going to see a series of tips to overcome social phobia :
- Learn to relax : people with social phobia often have what is known as anticipatory anxiety, that is, they worry about the situation before it occurs. For this we have to learn to relax instead of anticipating the fear of the future situation.
- Look for social situations : if we constantly avoid social situations out of fear, it is very difficult for us to be able to overcome them. If we try to relate outside of our usual circle or look for small situations that require a small interaction, we will see how little by little we will feel more comfortable in them. In this way, when a social event arrives that we want to attend or participate in, we will be better able to be comfortable in it.
- Question : one of the greatest fears of people with social phobia is that the focus of attention is on them. If we are able to ask open questions that require more than one “yes” or “no” for an answer and we focus on the answers, little by little we will relax and the conversation will be more fluid.
- Make sure your imagination does not betray you : imagination can play tricks on us in social situations. In the vast majority of cases you are afraid of things that have not happened or are not happening. We have to be especially careful what we think others may be thinking of us.
- Be yourself : social phobia is due, in part, to the conviction that we have to be what is expected of us, in giving a perfect image. We have to learn to accept ourselves, to trust ourselves and feel capable of overcoming any situation without giving up being ourselves. So we do not have to focus so much on what others may think of us, but on feeling comfortable with ourselves without having to be perfect.
If after implementing these strategies to overcome social phobia you need the help of a Psychologist to help you on a professional level or if from the beginning you want a specialist to help you, do not hesitate to contact us.
Alexa Clark specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has experience in listening and welcoming in Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy. It meets demands such as generalized anxiety, professional, love and family conflicts, stress, depression, sexual dysfunction, grief, and adolescents from 15 years of age. Over the years, She felt the need to conduct the psychotherapy sessions with subtlety since She understands that the psychologist acts as a facilitator of self-understanding and self-acceptance, valuing each person's respect, uniqueness, and acceptance.
