Social anxiety is one of the biggest mental health issues facing our society right now. And it is no surprise that so many people are suffering from it. The world has become a far more stressful place over the last few years. The global pandemic was terrifying and world-changing. And the massive political and social unrest that has taken place recently has led to a sharp rise in social anxiety cases.
A lot of people still think that social anxiety is just a normal thing that everyone experiences. They assume it is just feeling a bit awkward or nervous about a social situation. And they’re right, that does happen to everyone. But that isn’t social anxiety. The officially classed social anxiety disorder is far more serious. Today we are going to look at what social anxiety is and how taking control of your anxiety can transform your life.
Social Anxiety Disorder
As we said before, everyone gets a bit nervous from time to time. Proper social anxiety disorder is a lot more debilitating than just being a bit nervous. People who suffer from it are often bombarded by illogical intrusive thoughts, much like those who suffer from OCD. But most of the thoughts are relating to social situations or issues. Common thoughts include the idea that everyone hates them or the idea that everyone is talking about them behind their back.
People can also suffer from anxiety attacks. These attacks often present with hyperventilation and the inability to form coherent thoughts while the brain is flooded with negative ideas. It is the fear of these attacks that stops people who suffer from social anxiety from going into areas or situations they know might set them off.
How To Take Control
We are lucky that we live in an age of information. We have learned so much about social anxiety disorder over the last ten years. In the past, most medical professionals would have denied it even existed. But now we know lots of different tips and tricks for dealing with it.
One of the best methods for dealing with anxiety is to get an emotional support animal. Studies have shown that being around animals creates a calming effect in our mind and body. Both dogs and cats make great emotional support animals. Just being around them will help manage your social anxiety. Emotional support dogs are often trained to help you when you have an anxiety attack by applying pressure to your body which helps calm you down.
Therapy is another powerful tool for managing your social anxiety. Talking through your insecurities and issues might not seem like it would do much, but it has been proved that it helps in the long run. But the trick is you need to keep attending your therapy sessions, even after you notice positive results from it.
Transforming Your Life
So how does managing your social anxiety transform your life? Social anxiety disorder can become all-consuming. Making it nearly impossible to function normally. But if you can get a hold of your social anxiety you can change your life for the better.
As we said before people with social anxiety often avoid going to specific places or out to certain events to avoid a social anxiety attack. But getting control of your anxiety will provide you with the freedom to go whatever you want whenever you want.
It will also give you the ability to help others. Once you have overcome something as serious as social anxiety you will be better equipped to help those around you who are suffering. And in this day and age a lot more people are suffering than ever before. So it’s very likely you will run into someone else who suffers from it. But more than just being able to help others, you will have equipped yourself with skills for dealing with some of the more serious issues life throws at you.