Social Anxiety is a common experience for many people. As humans, we are literally wired to attach to others, and to yearn to feel approved of by others.
Social anxiety can manifest in a variety of different ways and is a fear of being negatively evaluated, one way or another, by someone else. Social anxiety goes by many different names. The terms shyness, social phobia, public speaking anxiety and performance anxiety are all used to describe social anxiety.
As with any difficulty, people may differ in how their social anxiety manifests. For one person, their anxiety response might be limited to a very specific situation, whereas for someone else, their anxiety might apply to a range of social situations.
Some of the most common social situations that elicit social anxiety are:
Parties
Participating at meetings/classes
Talking in front of a group of people
Speaking to new people
Eating in front of others
Using public toilets
Writing in public (filling out forms/signing cheques)
Dating
Being assertive (eg. “no” to unreasonable requests; asking others to change their behaviour)
Talking to people in authority
Initiating and/or maintaining a conversation
Public speaking
Not surprisingly (given that we are by nature social animals!), social anxiety is one of the most common anxiety problems.
Around 3 – 10 % of the population have Social Phobia, however many more people experience some of the symptoms (20%).
The onset of social anxiety is typically between the ages of 15 and 20 years, although it may appear earlier or later.
Social anxiety is a treatable condition, with many skills and strategies that can be learned to help reduce the frequency, intensity, duration and impacts of social anxiety.
At Moving Forward, we take an individualised approach to helping people with their problems. Therapy is tailored to the individual’s unique needs, and some individuals may benefit from a combination of therapeutic approaches, and in some cases, the input of other health professionals and services.