At one point or another, most people will experience embarrassment and fears of acceptance, but for some, this experience is much more acute. For a person with social anxiety, going to a party, having a one-on-one conversation with a stranger or acquaintance, or joining a new social circle through work or school can induce panic and uncomfortable physical symptoms such as sweating, flushing, increased heart rate, racing thoughts, and more. The acute anxiety and dread may even lead people to avoid certain situations to their own detriment, making life hard to enjoy—limiting their relationships, as well as professional or recreational ambitions. But there is help for people living with social anxiety! If you suspect that you have social anxiety, you do not have to manage it alone. Read on for tips and information about how social anxiety can be treated through mental health therapy.
What is Social Anxiety?
One of the most important things to understand about social anxiety disorder is that it is a mental health issue, not a personality trait such as shyness or introversion. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, criteria for social anxiety includes:
Persistent, intense fear or anxiety about specific social situations because you believe you may be judged negatively, embarrassed or humiliated
Avoidance of anxiety-producing social situations or enduring them with intense fear or anxiety
Excessive anxiety that's out of proportion to the situation
Anxiety or distress that interferes with your daily living
Fear or anxiety that is not better explained by a medical condition, medication, or substance abuse
Social anxiety is also distinct from conditions like agoraphobia, although they are both anxiety disorders with some overlapping symptoms, like avoidance and staying home. Whereas agoraphobia is a fear of being in a place that will trigger panic (e.g., an elevator), social anxiety is relational–it is a fear of being embarrassed or offending others, or being rejected by others.
When to Seek Professional Help for Social Anxiety
An estimated seven percent of American adults have social anxiety, with 75% experiencing the onset of social anxiety symptoms as teenagers. If you’ve noticed an increase in the volume and intensity of anxious thought patterns in the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic, you aren’t alone — it’s estimated that social anxiety disorders rose more than 25% globally since 2020.
When your social anxiety begins to interfere with your everyday life, it’s time to seek professional help from a mental health provider. For example:
If you are frequently avoiding social situations at work, school, or with friends and family
If you are unable to participate in activities you enjoy or want to do
If your anxiety is causing you to have trouble sleeping or concentrating
If you are struggling with maladaptive coping behaviors such as alcohol or drug abuse
If you have feelings of self-loathing or even suicidal thoughts because of your anxiety and isolation
If you experience physical distress such as panic attacks, headaches, chronic pain, or digestive issues when you are in a social setting, or anticipating a social event
You do not have to manage this alone. A trusted mental health professional can help you, in person or virtually.
Types of Therapy that Can Help Treat Social Anxiety
There are a few different therapeutic approaches that a therapist may try to help treat your social anxiety:
Mindfulness meditation during therapy sessions can be very helpful when it comes to treating social anxiety because it teaches you how to relax your mind and your body.
Art therapy can also be very beneficial to treating social anxiety because you can learn how to regulate your emotions through art, which can also help relax your mind and body. Art therapy can also be utilized at home in moments when social anxiety is present.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a form of talk therapy, and through it your therapist can help you learn to identify specific thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are fueling your distress. From there, you can begin to explore those feelings and reframe them into more helpful beliefs.
A multidisciplinary approach to therapy can combine different approaches like mindfulness and art therapy practices with more traditional forms of treatment like CBT to give clients multiple tools and skills to access in different situations where social anxiety comes into play.
For some people, social anxiety is very acute. In cases where mindfulness, art therapy, or CBT are not enough to effectively manage social anxiety, a therapist will refer the client to a psychiatrist who can prescribe medication.
5 Tips You Can Try Right Now to Ease Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder can leave people feeling helpless, but there are steps you can take to disrupt anxious thought patterns, find confidence, and connect with others. Below are some tips that may be helpful to ease social anxiety:
Challenge your negative thoughts: Sometimes it can feel as if you have no control, but when you challenge negative thoughts, it can disrupt the flow of anxiety and give you time to pause, notice how irrational they are, and dismiss them. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to disrupt negative thought patterns that fuel anxiety:
Is there evidence for my thought?
Is there evidence contrary to my thought?
What would a friend or loved one think about this?
Will this matter in six months? A year? Five years?
Work on your breathing: When you feel anxious, your body can experience an increased heart rate, pounding chest, muscle tension, sweatiness, along with other physical symptoms. By learning how to slow down your breath you can ground yourself to calm your nervous system and your anxious thoughts. For example, box breathing is a simple but powerful technique to help regulate your mind and body when you’re feeling anxious.
Be kind to yourself: Dealing with social anxiety is not easy, and sometimes it can feel frustrating to struggle to interact with others; however, remind yourself that nobody is perfect, and that you should not feel embarrassed. Give yourself the same grace that you would give to others.
Talking to others can be hard when you are dealing with social anxiety; however, by challenging yourself to interact with others you can start to build positive experiences and the emotional resilience to feel comfortable and confident.
Bring awareness to your environment by using your five senses by naming:
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Social Anxiety Therapists in Chicago
At ECC Chicago, we’re committed to working with patients to find the right therapeutic method and therapist to suit your needs. Our diverse group of licensed therapists offer a multidisciplinary approach to social anxiety treatment, often combining different mindfulness, art therapy and somatic practices, as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to suit our clients’ unique needs. We will also refer you to a psychiatrist for additional support if we think a medication prescription will be beneficial in treating a condition like social anxiety disorder.
If you’re struggling with social anxiety, ECC Chicago is here to help. Reach out to schedule an intake session today. Together we can help you connect meaningfully with your life.
About ECC:
Empowered Connections Counseling is a practice of licensed therapists providing quality, multidisciplinary counseling for adults, children & teens, relationships, and families in Chicago and across Illinois. Whether by in-person session or via telehealth, we work with clients to find the therapist and treatment methods that best suit their needs. Connect meaningfully with your life by booking an appointment today.