100 Days to Treat Social Anxiety

So i've been trying to overcome my mild social anxiety.

What is social anxiety actually?

It's a condition where a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others. A person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will make mistakes, look bad, and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. People with social anxiety disorder suffer from distorted thinking, including false beliefs about social situations and the negative opinions of others. 

It doesn't sounds bad, doesn't it?

Depends. At extreme, the anxiety can build into a panic attack. So, the person endures certain social situations in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether. In addition, people with social anxiety disorder often suffer the fear of a situation before it even happens. In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it. 

In short, it sucks. Although on my case, it's a mild one so I need to be thankful. But even so, it still interfere with my daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships.

Fun facts, social anxiety is the second most common type of anxiety disorder (after specific phobias) and the third most common mental disorder in the U.S., after depression and alcohol dependence. An estimated 19.2 million Americans have social anxiety disorder. The disorder most often surfaces in adolescence or early adulthood. So there's a chance that you too might be suffering this disorder.

What's the sign?

People with social anxiety disorder may be afraid of a specific situation, such as speaking in public. However, most people with social anxiety disorder fear more than one social situation. Other situations that commonly provoke anxiety include:

• Eating or drinking in front of others
• Writing or working in front of others
• Being the center of attention
• Interacting with people, including dating or going to parties
• Asking questions or giving reports in groups
• Using public toilets
• Talking on the telephone

Social anxiety disorder may be linked to other mental illnesses, such as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depression. 

What causes it?

There is no single known cause of social anxiety disorder, but research suggests that biological, environmental, and psychological factors may play a role in its development.

Biological: Social anxiety disorder is currently thought to be related to abnormal functioning of brain circuits that regulate emotion and the "fight or flight" response center in the brain. Genetic factors may also contribute, because social anxiety may be somewhat more likely to occur when it is also present in a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child).

Environmental: People with social anxiety disorder may develop their fear from observing the behavior of others or seeing what happened to someone else as the result of their behavior (such as being laughed at or made fun of). Further, children who are sheltered or overprotected by their parents may not learn good social skills as part of their normal development.

Psychological: The development of social anxiety disorder may stem from embarrassing or humiliating social experiences in the past, such as being bullied or neglected by peers.

As for my case, if I reflect, there are thousands of embarassingly painful experience that contribute to my condition.

How is it treated?

The most effective treatment currently available is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Medication may also be used to help ease the symptoms. Counseling to improve self-esteem and social skills, as well as relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, may also help a person deal with social anxiety disorder.  

Cognitive-behavior therapy: The goal of CBT is to guide the person's thoughts in a more rational direction and help the person stop avoiding situations that once caused anxiety. It teaches people to react differently to the situations that trigger their anxiety symptoms. Therapy may include real life exposure to the feared situation. Real life exposure gradually exposes the person to the situation.

So, yeah. Thus begin my 100 days of self treatment of social anxiety. 

Prime source: webmd
Image: socially akward misfit