Defining Social Anxiety Or Social Phobia
Can you recall the first time meeting your boss? Having a supervisor watching you while you are doing your work be stressing. Maybe going to the beach and showing your body to the public makes you uncomfortable, since you are very worried of what other people may say or think about you and your body.
Experiencing such feelings of anxiety is just typical for a person. Just as long as you have reasons to feel anxious regarding anything, it is perfectly normal .Yet, there are times when the anxiety is consuming you and leave you anxious about what other people might say, think, or do to you, even when you know it doesn’t have rational basis. The worst part of it is that you find it difficult to control your emotion, and this can become social anxiety or social phobia.
Social anxiety or social phobia is one of the most common mental health care problem today. Someone with a social anxiety or social phobia tend to spend time alone, closeted, and away from people. They’d rather choose to be alone than to be around other people due to fear of not being able to fit in some way or another. Even if they’re with familiar people, they may still feel overwhelmed and constantly have the feeling of being watched or criticized. This is the main reason why they try to avoid being around other people.
Schizophrenia, manic-depression and other detrimental conditions are the common misdiagnoses for those who suffer from social anxiety or social phobia. Since only a handful of people are aware of their anxiety disorder and most are not aware or does not understand the condition itself, most patients think they are the only ones experience the disturbing symptoms. Due to the fear of being misjudged, patients often prefer to keep the symptoms to themselves. With the lack of information, education and effective treatment, social anxiety or social phobia frequently hinders everyday life.
Additionally, once some with this condition gets the courage to get the needed treatment, the chances of getting better can slim down or lower. If worse comes to worst, people who experienced this condition once are more likely to have it occur again and again for the rest of their life. Eventually, these people develop social anxiety disorders.
The one most acknowledged fact for those who go through this condition is that they are already aware that their fear and concern regarding being judged or criticized are exaggerated and irrational. They know that their thoughts, doubts, and feelings are generally baseless and not true. Still, with this awareness and despite of understanding this fact, patients of social anxiety disorders find it keep the anxiety under control, and keep them feeling that way.
Luckily, treatments and cures for social anxiety or social phobia are available. With various therapeutic methods already studied, cognitive-behavioral therapy is the one accepted to be the one that works effectively. Generally, treating social anxiety or social phobia through cognitive-behavioral methods is capable of giving long-term, permanent relief to anyone with this illness. A person that experiences social anxiety or social phobia, and those who suffer the symptoms, should consult their doctor and be more open regarding their condition.