What Is Social Anxiety Disorder?
You are standing, frozen, unable to move from this spot in the back of the room. Your heart is pounding, you are sweating and your stomach is tied in knots. Everyone is looking at you. Are they laughing at the way you’re dressed? Or did you say something so stupid a few minutes ago that they think you are an idiot? You just want to run out of the room and run home to hide.
The truth is that nobody’s staring at you, and you didn’t say or do anything that you need to worry about. In fact, these people are your friends. You know that but it doesn’t make any difference, you still feel awful. This is an example of social anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder is a problem that is suffered by millions of people in the country today. Although some people are able to recover from the symptoms of social anxiety without getting any help or treatment, there are many other people that are not so lucky. If you are one of those people who are suffering from moderate to severe social anxiety you may find it is impossible to lead a normal life. Fortunately, with the right treatment and a strong support system in place you may be able to recover from your disorder and lead a happy social life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
It’s really important that you seek professional help from a licensed therapist or a psychiatrist that has a background helping patients with social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an established treatment that is known to have good results with social anxiety disorder so you should explore the possibilities of undergoing this type of treatment with your therapist. Through cognitive behavioral therapy your therapist will point your thoughts in a more rational direction and teach you how to react differently to the situations that trigger your symptoms.
Your therapist may also prescribe certain medications such as antidepressants like Paxil or tranquilizers like Valium and Ativan. These are used to help ease the symptoms of your social anxiety disorder so that the CBT is more effective.
Strengthen Your Social Support System
A strong social support system made up of family members and friends can do a great deal in helping to overcome the symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Their support will help with the recovery process and will help you to get your confidence back. Recovery isn’t going to be an easy journey for all of you, there will be times when you slip and the whole treatment process unravels. But knowing that there are people who are willing to go through the journey to recovery with you will make things a lot easier for you.
In addition to support from family members and friends, you should get in touch with some social anxiety support groups. Being with people who are suffering from social anxiety just like you are will help you understand your disorder better. Sharing experiences and ideas with people who are suffering from social anxiety can go a long way to helping you get to a point where you are living a normal life free of those social anxiety symptoms.
There are many organizations around the country that provide social support for people who are suffering from this type of disorder. Most therapists maintain close contacts with social anxiety disorder support groups around the country so your therapist should be able to help you find the right support group for you.
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