Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is a fear of humiliation, embarrassment, or rejection by others. People with social anxiety experience high levels of distress when in social situations. Distress is so high in most cases that people with this disorder avoid social events or consistently escape from feared social situations. People with social anxiety often miss important opportunities at work because they do not take appropriate credit, refuse new roles that require greater social engagement, do not negotiate for a higher wage, or refuse to engage with presentations or public performances. Social anxiety can also interfere with building intimacy or initiating romantic relationships. Avoidance of social activities can also make people with social anxiety feel left out.

You cannot have anxiety about something you do not care about; and persons with social anxiety usually have a great deal of care, concern, and empathy. Unfortunately, in social anxiety, care and empathy is channeled into reading small signs in others that they may be rejecting, belittling, or offended. Learning to find proper ways to express your care, empathy, and concern without an excessive focus on self is essential to successful social anxiety treatment.

Treatment for social anxiety at Thriving Point provides evidence based treatment that may facilitate you facing your social fears while working towards increasing your confidence in social situations.