What is social anxiety?
You are not alone
Almost everybody knows what it feels like to feel nervous in front of other people. Maybe you’re about to ask someone out on a date, or make a public speech. But if you feel this nervousness in most social situations, then you could be experiencing social anxiety.
Social anxiety is a common life experience that impacts millions of people around the globe. It goes underreported and untreated every day because we don’t always know how to recognize it.
Many people feel embarrassed about having social anxiety, however it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We don’t need to suffer with it alone. There is hope – our evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy app can help you overcome social anxiety in just 15 minutes a day.
What are the symptoms of social anxiety?
If you experience social anxiety, you might feel very nervous in situations that require you to be around other people. You might spend a lot of time before the interaction practicing what you’re going to say, or a lot of time after the interaction reviewing – and self-criticizing – how you did.
Am I flushed? Am I talking too much? Not enough? Can everyone tell how nervous I am? These are all common questions that those of us who experience social anxiety ask ourselves.
Some other signs that you may experience social anxiety include:
Having an intense fear of interacting with strangers.
Worrying about being judged by other people.
Experiencing – or being afraid of experiencing – physical symptoms of anxiety like flushing, sweating, or trembling.
Feeling like you need to perform perfectly in every social situation.
Being very hard on yourself, or having very high standards for yourself in social situations.
Saying “no” to social invitations because you don’t want to face that fear.
Sometimes, you might feel so nervous in social situations that you start feeling nauseous.
Being afraid of being the center of attention or being observed by others.
The four main mental patterns of social anxiety
Social anxiety can be broken down into four main cognitive processes or mental patterns, which are scored through the Alena app with the neuroscience-based assessments.
Avoidance - this is not carrying out specific behaviors, because of your social anxiety.
For example, going to the self-checkout at the supermarket instead of going to a cashier, or avoiding going out socializing.
Beliefs - Ideas that you have about yourself, the social situation, and your interpretation of how others are judging you.
For example, thinking “I come across as stupid, and I have nothing to contribute to this conversation” whilst in a work meeting.
Attention - Focusing your attention on particular aspects of social situations to the detriment of your social anxiety.
For example, if you are in a job interview, and you are paying more attention to how much your voice is shaking than listening to the questions and thinking of how to answer them.
Rumination - Negative thought spirals which stay with you after an event, causing you to over analyze an event, and fixate on it.
For example, replaying a memory of how someone responded to something you said at an event, and constantly over-evaluating that memory trying to find meaning in their response.
FAQ
-
Those of us going through social anxiety can often feel alone.
But in reality, we’re far from it – social anxiety impacts millions of people, and it’s the third most commonly diagnosed mental health condition in the world (after depression and alcohol dependence). Research shows that up to 12% of the population is impacted by social anxiety.
Social anxiety is especially common for young people. Some studies have found that up to 1 in 3 young people (university students) in the U.K. experience social anxiety to some extent.
You are not alone, and therapy is easier with support. Join our social anxiety community, where you can connect with others who understand exactly what you’re going through.
-
Social anxiety symptoms can occur on a spectrum. It ranges from having a serious impact on your daily life to being manageable anxiety in specific social environments. For example, in some cases, going to work or having romantic relationships can be incredibly difficult due to social anxiety. In these cases, you could be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, which is a treatable mental health condition.
But even if you don’t meet the criteria for this diagnosis, that doesn’t mean that life with social anxiety is always easy. And it doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve support.
Everyone who experiences any level of social anxiety – diagnosed or not – can benefit from Alena’s app.
Learn more about your mental health and wellbeing, with our social anxiety resource hub
Access a wealth of resources, blogs, articles, and toolkits to help you understand your social anxiety, and take control of your mental health. This also includes our Recharge content, including meditations, self-compassion tasks and mindfulness exercises.
