Returning Man To His Social Self

By Delany Kuijstermans


Probably the most common form of anxiety disorder is that known as Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder. In fact, it's so common that it is believed to affect somewhere around 10% of the entire population in one degree or another.What's more, it can affect absolutely anyone - from housewife to movie star.Renowned entertainers who have spent years in the public eye -- from Barbara Streisland to Kim Basinger ,have spoken publicly of their experience and recovery from social phobia and anxiety.

We may have come across several people in our social circle that may be described as being shy or gauche, who find it difficult to interact with others and do not mingle or make friends easily. There may be others, who appear as severely self-conscious, worried about their performance in any field because they constantly wonder how others will judge them. Some may appear as quite a bundle of nerves, often falling victim to symptoms like stuttering, tendency to shake a foot or wring the hands. Not only that, some cannot remove this thought from their minds that they have probably made a bloomer during a social outing and the memory keeps plaguing them for weeks. This constant anxiety further affects their social behaviour. Their thinking process adopts an almost permanent pessimism and they tend to look at anything through the distorting prism of negativity.

Some stressful triggers for all those who suffer from social anxiety disorder:Meeting new people.Being criticized or teased.Speaking in public meetings.Eating/ drinking in public.Attending meetings, parties or some other social settings.Talking with authoritative people.Being the centre of attention.A dispute with close friend or relative.Things that can help in raising your self-esteem: Avoid chocolates, energy drinks, tea, and caffeine as these act as stimulants that may increase anxiety.Do mild exercise, such as taking a short walk, dancing, and jogging.Spend more time with friends.Try doing things you've been putting off. You will feel much confident and better afterwards.Join local voluntary service, because satisfaction that you will get by helping others can be great for your self-esteem.

Try relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing exercise, muscle relaxation, and medication, as they will help you in controlling various physical symptoms of anxiety. You can easily get muscle relaxation and deep breathing CD's from online stores or local health shops.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) -This is one of the most successful social anxiety disorder treatments, and has worked well for millions who have suffered from social anxiety disorder (social phobia). This therapy is based on the fact that what you think will eventually affect the way you feel, and your feelings have a direct bearing on your behaviour. Therefore, once you are successful in changing the way you think in certain social settings that provoke anxiety in you, you will feel much relaxed and better.

Treatment of this disorder can be done through two methods after thorough investigation of the case. Psychotherapy- In social anxiety disorder treatment, both Cognitive and Behavioural therapies (CBT) are crucial. This therapy has two sub-methods as per its name. Cognitive - The main reason of phobia and related consequences, whether chronic or preposterous, are assessed through assisting patients to find out genuine solution to follow the treatment.

When psychotherapy is offered, it is usually in the form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).Yet, while both these strategies can provide relief to some sufferers, the emphasis is on controlling the symptoms rather than treating the underlying drivers, or cause.And, in the clinical experience of this therapist, while the drivers remain intact then, sooner or later, the anxiety will return - and all too often with a vengeance.

There is another way.You see, the subconscious mind - that repository of beliefs - is simply trying to protect the individual from danger by creating feelings of anxiety and fear so that he or she will be safe from harm. But the subconscious has got it wrong. It is basing its faulty response on previous conditioning that is simply no longer appropriate.

Social phobia is a disorder that affects many people. Suffering from the condition is not easy as it can adversely affect living life normally. One of the clearest signs of having social anxiety disorder is having intense moments of fear just because of an oncoming social event. This, however, does not mean that feeling shy in a public speaking scenario is an automatic indication that you suffer from it. Normal shyness or nervousness should be differentiated from social phobia. If you are positive that you have the disorder, it is good news to say that there are now more options on how you can handle it and on how you can get social anxiety disorder treatment.

Understanding Social Phobia.Before you seek any kind of social anxiety disorder treatment, it would be wiser to first understand the specific condition. First of all, it should be made clear is not a mental illness. It is something that can be easily treated if the right method is used and if the person suffering from it is determined to overcome it. The disorder is manifested through the feeling of intense fear brought about by normal social activities. The person who suffers from social phobia feels as if he is being watched or evaluated by other people at all times, thus, he tries to avoid such public or social interactions.

Triggers, Symptoms and Signs.If you are after social anxiety disorder treatment because you want to live a normal life, then it is crucial as well that you know the situations that trigger anxiety or panic attacks. Not only that, you also need to recognize the signs and symptoms brought about by such attacks. The triggers can be any kind of social activity such as dating, speaking in public, talking with a group of people, meeting new acquaintances or even being interviewed for a job. The symptoms can manifest physically or emotionally such as getting dry throat, chest pains, shaking or trembling, and the feeling of intense fear even days or weeks away from the said activity.Getting the treatments.If you suffer from social phobia, then it is not the end of the world because you can actually have lot of social anxiety disorder treatments to help you cure the problem. As we have said above, medications or expensive therapies are not your only options. There are also programs developed by ex-social phobia sufferers which aim to effectively cure the disorder. By using such alternative treatment, you do not only deal with the triggers but also hit the causes for long term cure.




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