Struggling with Social Anxiety? Here Are Some Ways to Manage It

If you have the mental health condition known as social anxiety disorder (SAD), you’re more than just “shy." Your discomfort with other people severely limits your life because your fear of being judged is so intense.

While holidays can kick your social anxiety into higher gear, you’re never really free from it. In fact, the definition of social anxiety states that anxiety persists for at least six months and makes it difficult to carry out tasks that others seem to do with ease, such as talking to people.

At Precise Research Centers in Flowood, Mississippi, founder Joseph Kwentus, MD, and our team want you to feel more comfortable in your day-to-day life. We conduct clinical trials for medications that ease social anxiety — at no cost to patients — and also provide no-cost therapy to clinical trial participants.

We also want to help you manage SAD on your own, so you can live the full life you deserve. Following are five tips to help you reach all of your goals, despite your struggle with SAD.

Get support

While introducing yourself to a new group of strangers may trigger all kinds of anxious feelings and resistance, it might ease your suffering to find out that you’re not the only one who struggles with SAD. 

More than 7% of women and men in the United States have clinically significant SAD, while another 12% experience the disorder within their lifetimes. 

Support groups for SAD are structured to ease your anxiety, even as you meet new people — either online or in person. Having a social support network is beneficial both for improving SAD and for improving your life overall. Women and men who have strong social networks are 45% more likely to live longer than those who don’t. 

Talk about it

A specific type of talk therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people with SAD reframe their experiences and their thoughts about social interactions. Keep one thing in mind: Even though most people you interact with don’t necessarily have SAD, they likely have some degree of discomfort or fear of judgment in social situations.

Through CBT, you also learn to identify the thought patterns and self-talk that contribute to your SAD. Your counselor works on reframing your perspective and finding new ways to talk to yourself that help you shift the focus from yourself and your fears to those around you: someone at work, a friend, or a mentor.

Find a buddy

Even if you’re not ready to indulge in chit-chat at the office party, or deal with your partner’s family during the holidays, you can take pressure off yourself if you find one person who can lend you support. Try to bring a friend or trusted loved one to every event you must attend.

A social buddy helps you keep appointments. They also give you someone “safe” to talk to if you find yourself overwhelmed at a party or work event. 

Plan and visualize

Before a meeting or party, think about who’s going and what might be of interest to them. Come up with a list of questions you can ask the people you meet. First, this helps by taking the focus off yourself and your fears. Second, people like it when they’re being asked about themselves.

Call your support buddies to be sure they’ll be there for you. You can even plan your exit with a pre-arranged phrase, so your buddy knows when it’s time to leave if you start to feel overwhelmed.

Make self-care paramount

Taking good care of yourself helps to relax your body and your brain. Make sure you get the required 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Set yourself up for a good night’s sleep by improving your sleep hygiene:

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• Journal your anxieties and fears before turning in
• Don’t use devices or bright lights before bedtime
• Keep your bedroom dark and cool
• Avoid large meals before bedtime
• Cut out caffeine after the morning

If you don’t feel rested after sleeping, consult your doctor. You may have a sleep breathing disorder that disrupts your body’s need to rest.

Try medications

A number of medications can help control the symptoms that accompany SAD. They help to relax your body and decrease anxiety:

• Antidepressants
• Beta-blockers
• Anti-anxiety medications

We conduct clinical trials on new medications that may be beneficial in social anxiety disorder. There’s no cost to you for drugs, CBT, or other supportive therapies when you participate in a clinical trial. 

Please call our team at 601-685-3457, book an appointment online for SAD treatment, or send a message to our team.