3 Ways to Manage Social Phobia
By: Brian M Murray, MS, IMH
Social phobia is a very common anxiety disorder. One of the
most common forms of social phobia which many people can identify with is stage
fright. Social phobia is not to be confused with antisocial behavior or antisocial
personality disorder which is identified as a pervasive pattern of disregard
and violation of the rights of others. Social phobia has to do with fear and
worry of people and events that involve other people. People with social phobia
worry about being viewed in a negative way or scrutinized by others in social
situations in where they are unfamiliar with the other people.
While fear of public speaking is the most common form of
this condition there are other areas that you may not be aware of such as being
afraid to go into public bathrooms, eating and drinking alone or even doing
everyday tasks such as going to the grocery store. Often this person will walk
into a room and keep their back to the wall or stay close to an exit should
they begin to feel panicky. Physical sensations begin to develop such as
increased heart rate, sweating and shallow short breathing.
If you currently have social phobia or feel you are a person
who may be experiencing it here are 3 ways quick ways on how to manage it.
·
Acceptance. Understand are many people who
suffer from social phobia and there is no shame in it. Sometimes there is more
worrying about the worry than anything else. Meeting unknown people can and
does often make people nervous. Underneath this feeling is anxiety and
nervousness is the underlying belief that you will be judged by others. Losing
the negative thought and replacing it with a positive one can go a long way.
Try looking at it from the viewpoint that people are usually positive and
engaging when meeting others for the first time.
·
Challenge your perception of where you are. Just
because you are in a room full of people does not mean that they are all
thinking about you. Reality is most people are often too busy thinking about
themselves and the activity they are involved with. Dropping the view of being
perfect in front of others can also be highly effective.
·
Desensitization exercises. Desensitizing is a
process that increases frequency and intensity of interaction with others as
you progress. For example, if you are trying to overcome the anxiety of going
to the grocery store, drive through the parking lot every day for a week. Next
time, park and sit for about 5-10 minutes. Keep repeating, go to the door and
walk away, go back and walk inside and leave, next walk inside down a couple
isles and leave, next walk inside and buy one item and leave. There, you did
it; you went to the store, parked, walked inside and bought something. Next
time buy a few items, keep going. This can work well at social gatherings too.
Walk in and stay for 5 minutes and leave and keep returning and staying a
little longer each time.
Most people with social phobia
often realize that when the event is over they will tell themselves something
along the lines of “that wasn’t so bad, I’m not sure what the fuss was all
about.” The reason for this is the fear is based on a perception of what might
happen and not the reality of the situation.
