Social anxiety is a debilitating condition. Unfortunately, individuals don’t always realize that extreme discomfort in social situations is treatable. Inpatient anxiety treatment centers can provide the education, skills, and mental health support needed for overcoming social anxiety disorder.
Promises is a mental and behavioral health treatment center. We offer targeted residential programs for mental health conditions like social anxiety disorder. Call us today at 844.875.5609 to learn more about how to overcome social anxiety at Promises.
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is a form of anxiety that is triggered in social situations. Social anxiety is marked by intense fear, acute self-consciousness, or extreme anxiety when interacting with others in places like work, school, and social settings.
Social anxiety is more than just feelings of nervousness or heightened self-awareness. It can be a crippling condition that severely impacts mental and emotional health. Many individuals living with untreated social anxiety work to avoid situations and interactions that will trigger the thoughts and feelings associated with social anxiety. Professional treatment can provide support with understanding how social anxiety works and teach coping skills for reducing symptoms and navigating them when they arise.
How to Overcome Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a severe mental health condition unlikely to disappear without professional support. Treatment offers education, support, and training on how to reduce the symptoms of social anxiety. If you’re struggling with social anxiety, seeking a treatment program is the easiest way to get lasting help. Some of the most effective tips for overcoming social anxiety include:
- Prepare for social situations in advance
- Have an exit strategy
- Focus on something else in the room
- Engage the senses by touching something or chewing gum
- Recognize and counter negative thoughts
- Learn breathing exercises
- Build a support system
- Practice meditation
Some of the most common tips and tools taught in social anxiety treatment involve building new skills and habits. You can learn to identify the signs of social anxiety when they arise and use these techniques to help reduce symptoms.
Common Signs of Social Anxiety
If you struggle with anxiety in social settings, you’ve probably wondered how to overcome social anxiety. Even with the best intentions, you may become overwhelmed with crippling thoughts and emotions once you find yourself in a social setting.
Social anxiety tends to make a person hyper-aware and self-critical. It’s common to think that others judge you for everything you say or do. Some of the most common signs of social anxiety include:
- Fear of social situations
- Fear of interacting with others
- Anxiety at the thought of upcoming events
- Avoiding events or people to reduce social interactions
- Beliefs that others are harshly judging you
- Anxiety about what you say or do in front of others
- Physical symptoms like shaking, sweating, or blushing
- Replaying social interactions in your head afterward
- Low self-esteem or self-judgment for how you behave around others
Social anxiety often makes a person feel paralyzed. Actions like standing up during a meeting to use the trash can or excusing yourself from class to go to the restroom can feel impossible. Social anxiety amplifies doubts and self-criticisms, making it hard to distinguish reality from your perceptions.
Learn How to Overcome Social Anxiety with Promises Behavioral Health
It’s common for the symptoms of social anxiety to become so severe that they result in a panic attack. Social anxiety also increases the risk of substance use, as drugs and alcohol can offer temporary relief from the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings accompanying social anxiety.
If you struggle with social anxiety, healing is possible. The symptoms of social anxiety can be drastically reduced or even disappear entirely with professional support. Contact Promises today at 844.875.5609 to learn more.