What is Social Anxiety Disorder? | Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia or social anxiety, is a term used to describe excessive fear and anxiety in situations involving sociability. When individuals experience social anxiety, they fear being watched, judged, and disliked by others during daily interactions. While social anxiety disorder is prevalent in society, it is often mistaken for shyness. Moreover, many individuals who are negatively affected by this anxiety continue their lives without realizing that it is a treatable condition. For this reason, we will be providing a detailed discussion of this disorder in this article.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

We all feel nervous or anxious in social situations at times. We may feel embarrassed or nervous when we have to go on a date, attend an important meeting, or perform on stage. However, social anxiety disorder extends beyond these occasional feelings and has a negative impact on almost every aspect of our daily lives. When mental health professionals refer to this prolonged fear and avoidance of others, they label it as 'social anxiety disorder' or 'social phobia.' In social phobia, feelings of anxiety, worry, and shame surpass our ability to cope emotionally and impede our ability to establish and maintain romantic or professional relationships. Consequently, individuals may experience feelings of isolation and depression. The fear of being judged and criticized by others, as well as the fear of making mistakes, can permeate different areas of our lives and hinder our personal growth.

When we have social anxiety disorder, we are so afraid of being judged negatively by those around us that we tend to withdraw in group settings and remain silent in new social situations. Internally, we may experience feelings of fear, anxiety, embarrassment, and difficulty focusing. Social phobia, which can have detrimental effects on our inner world and relationships, is divided into two main subtypes: situation-specific social anxiety and generalized social anxiety disorder. For example, if we only have an extreme fear of public speaking, it is referred to as situation-specific social anxiety. If the fear we experience encompasses all situations involving sociability and requires us to interact with our environment, we define it as generalized social anxiety disorder.

Research shows that generalized social anxiety disorder has a more negative impact on our well-being than other social anxieties and may result in social isolation. It is crucial to emphasize the significance of early recognition of this challenging condition. The period of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is when we develop numerous social skills, establish lasting relationships, and begin to find our place in society. Disregarding the manifestation of social anxiety behaviors during this critical period can lead to social dysfunction in adulthood. Since social anxiety disorder is treatable and positive improvements can be observed, considering the initial concerns that arise during this period plays a critical role in ensuring our long-term well-being.

The extensive impact of this disorder on our lives stems from our innate social nature as humans. On an existential level, we experience a fundamental need for belonging, connection, and communication with others. In this context, fostering self-awareness and being receptive to constructive criticism can enhance our social experiences. However, when our anxiety regarding this issue becomes excessive, it can hinder our ability to effectively fulfill our roles and responsibilities.

So what are the patterns of thought and behavior that occur when having social anxiety disorder?

• We think we are embarrassing: We often perceive ourselves as being embarrassing in social situations, even if there is no reason for it. Prior to entering social situations, we tend to construct disaster scenarios, envisioning ourselves in unfavorable circumstances. 
• We avoid every situation where we believe we will be judged: Social phobia can cause countless negative thoughts to form in our minds, such as 'Everyone will think I'm stupid,' 'I'll mess up,' 'I'll make a fool of myself.' Due to these highly critical thoughts, we often avoid social situations as much as possible. 
• We only feel comfortable around a few people: Our anxiety leads us to feel comfortable only around specific family members or a limited number of friends. Consequently, we prefer to engage in social interactions primarily within these familiar circles in an attempt to reduce our anxiety. 
• We are afraid that other people will recognise our anxiety: We harbor a deep fear that our anxiety will be noticed by others, which could potentially place us in even more embarrassing situations. 
• We constantly analyse our behaviour in social situations: We constantly engage in self-analysis, repetitively scrutinizing our conversations, social situations, and actions with an overly critical lens.

In this regard, the questions we often ask ourselves can be similar to the following:

• Will I be able to find something to talk about?
• What if I seem boring or inadequate?
• Will other people like me?
• Will people notice that I am nervous?
• What can I do to avoid making a fool of myself?

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

In order to better understand this disorder, which has a negative impact on life, it can be useful to recognise its symptoms. These symptoms manifest themselves in physical and psychological dimensions:

• Worrying about the adequacy of our social skills when we are observable by others. 
• Excessive anxiety about displaying embarrassing or inappropriate behaviour.
• Feeling fear, anxiety and embarrassment when entering a social setting.
• Avoiding any social interactions that cause us anxiety or feeling a high level of discomfort when we have to engage in these interactions.
• The fear and anxiety we experience is not related to an ongoing danger.
• The negative feelings we have about socialising last for at least 6 months.
• Our social anxiety negatively affects our professional and family life.
• Blushing and trembling in social situations, increased heartbeat, nausea or pain.
• Making as little eye contact as possible with those around us.
• Keeping our voices low enough to be heard when we need to speak.

If you think you have most of these symptoms, it is likely that you are experiencing social anxiety. To better assess this possibility, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• Do my experiences of social anxiety prevent me from living my dream life?
• Do I often criticise myself for my lack of social skills?
• Even though I know that the anxiety I experience is not rational, is there no decrease in my anxiety?
• Do I avoid social situations and environments that require sociability?
• Do I start to feel physical discomfort when I am in a situation that can be observed by others?
• Do I often feel that I am boring, embarrassing or inadequate for other people?

What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety does not have a single, definitive cause; however, there are theories that can help us understand its underlying factors. According to research, the causes of social anxiety can be attributed to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Individuals with a family history of social anxiety have a higher likelihood of developing social phobia. In this regard, research suggests that the social behaviors exhibited by our parents can also influence the development of social anxiety symptoms in ourselves. When our parents avoid social situations and are critical of our social skills, we may be more likely to exhibit similar behaviors. Furthermore, our past experiences can also contribute to the development of social anxiety. Negative experiences such as bullying, embarrassment, or exclusion can increase the likelihood of developing social phobia over time.

Does Social Anxiety Go Away On Its Own?

When we have social anxiety, we may believe that avoiding social situations or leading a more isolated life will improve our well-being. However, this avoidant behavior can harm our work and social life and exacerbate our feelings. Therefore, hoping that social anxiety will disappear naturally can actually cause us more harm. However, seeking help for social anxiety or actively working on it can lead to more positive changes. Engaging in self-help strategies can contribute to enhancing well-being and meeting our social needs.

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• Think about the origins of your social anxiety: List your past significant interactions with your parents, relatives, siblings, friends and work environment. For each of them, ask yourself whether any of them are the cause of your current social anxiety. If you find that they are, remind yourself that these are concerns from past memories and that you are not in any current danger.
• Take small steps: List the social activities that make you anxious, from least to most worrisome. Start putting yourself in these social situations, starting with the least worrying one. When you decide that an item on your list is no longer worrying you, move on to the next social situation. 
• Practise meditation and mindfulness exercises: Meditating and taking time for mindfulness exercises helps us to be aware of our thoughts and feelings in a non-judgemental and positive way. It can also reduce our anxiety levels.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle: Our minds and bodies work interdependently. Therefore, how we treat our bodies has a significant impact on our anxiety levels. Reducing caffeine consumption, adopting a regular sports routine, consuming water regularly and adopting a healthy sleep pattern can help reduce our anxiety levels.
• Identify your strengths: Experiencing social anxiety is not a summary of our character, it represents only one aspect of our being. Focusing on our strengths, rather than judging ourselves, can boost our self-confidence and make us feel less nervous in social situations.
• Prioritise self-compassion: One of the most destructive aspects of social phobia is the critical inner voice. In order to silence this critical inner voice, it may be useful to give importance to self-compassion. Seeing ourselves as worthy of being loved can reduce our prejudices about the negative thoughts we think will come from the environment.

If you want to work on your social anxiety, improve your well-being and gain control over the negative effects of anxiety in your life, you can try the "Coping with Stress" journey in the Relate app!

Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Having social anxiety can be exhausting, overwhelming and can have long-term negative effects on our lives. The good news at this point is that social phobia is treatable. It is possible to get rid of the negative effects of social anxiety with the help of a specialist and with the activities we can apply in our daily lives. Research clearly shows the positive effects of psychotherapy and medication on social anxiety. Below we have listed the therapy methods that address social anxiety from different perspectives. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most preferred therapy methods in the treatment of social anxiety. In this therapy method, thought and behavior patterns that harm oneself are addressed. Cognitive behavioral therapists try to make your behavior and thoughts about your social anxiety more constructive by asking questions and help you gain a different perspective. In this way, you can cope more easily with social situations where you feel stress, anxiety and fear, and you can make a life you are satisfied with possible.

Group Therapy: 

Group therapies can be very effective for people with social anxiety disorder. During group therapies, you may have the opportunity to practice to improve your social skills and see that you are not alone. Doing this work in a safe environment led by an expert can make it easier for you to cope with anxiety.

Psychodynamic Therapy: 

The aim of this therapy method is to discover the causes of social anxiety and triggers from your childhood. After these are discovered, it is aimed to reduce social phobia by working on these issues together with the expert.