Social anxiety disorder is a word commonly used to describe the experience of severe anxiety (great emotional discomfort, severe shyness, fear, or worry) in social situations, talking with others and being criticized or scrutinized by other people.
It happens early as an infant as a normal part of the development of social functioning, but may go unnoticed until teen years . People vary in how often they experience social anxiety or in which kinds of situations. It can be related to shyness or other emotional or temperamental factors, but its exact nature is still the subject of research and theory.
A psycho pathological form of social anxiety is called social phobia or social anxiety disorder. This disorder can result in a reduced quality of life for those having it. Social anxiety can be self-integrated and persistent for people who suffer from Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which can make the social anxiety even harder to control, especially if ignored.
Some use the terms “social anxiety” and “social phobia” interchangeably.
Social anxiety as a disorder
Extreme, persistent and disabling social anxiety may be diagnosed as social anxiety disorder. The experience is commonly described as having physiological components ( sweating, blushing), cognitive/perceptual components (e.g. belief that one may be judged negatively; looking for signs of disapproval) and behavioral components e.g. avoiding a situation (Avoidant personality disorder).
The essence of social anxiety has been said to be an obsessive expectation of negative evaluation by others. One theory is that social anxiety occurs when there is motivation to make a desired impression along with doubt about having the ability to do so. Although the “official” clinical name for the disorder, as listed in the DSM and ICD, is Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder, support groups for people who have the disorder often refer to it as simply social anxiety.
Clinicians and researchers continue to struggle with definitional problems regarding the constructs of shyness, social anxiety and social phobia (social anxiety disorder). Each shares similarities, yet each has been used to define distinct aspects of psychological life as it relates to interpersonal functioning.
If you have suffered from an anxiety disorder you know it can be overwhelming. No one understands how you feel unless they have been in the same situation as you are. One good thing about an anxiety disorder is that it can be controlled and in some cases it can be completely eradicated.
With a little bit of information you can learn to help your self get over it, maybe you can talk to your doctor about getting on medication, and go to a therapist to learn some tools to cope with your anxiety. One things about taking pills for your anxiety is that you become physically and psychologically dependent.
So you should not count with pills as a permanent solution. Another disadvantage of taking pills is that they only mask your feelings, so what you are doing is just putting a band aid over a wound. You can always take calculated steps to help your reduce your anxiety symptoms dramatically. One of the things you can do to help your anxiety is to check your diet.
Our bodies tend to work better when we have a nutritious and balanced diet. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can be a very good tool to manage your anxiety. Foods you should avoid are refined sugars, soft drinks, alcohol, coffee and anything else that may contain caffeine like energy drinks, certain teas and ice creams. All these foods in the “avoid” list cause your anxiety to get worse because they are stimulants. The second step to controlling your anxiety is to regularly exercise.
Exercise helps your body to dramatically relax its muscles and relieve stress. Exercise helps your brain to release endorphins which are a feel good chemical, so you will feel better after each exercise. The third step you can take is to learn how to relax. Is is important to have and pursue activities that help you relax like listening to music, reading books, playing a guitar, draw a picture or simply talk to a friend.
Doing things you love with help you alleviate that anxiety. The fourth and last step you can take is to seriously work hard and “persistently” to take control over you self talk, there are literally thousands of books on this subject, go to your local store and pick one up. There are countless of things in life you don’t have any control over and you must accept that. Avoid negative feelings at all costs. If you are too anxious to do anything, force your self to do something like cleaning your room, mowing the lawn or go to the library and pick up your favorite book.
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