Whether your goal is to overcome social anxiety before specific events, such as performances or parties, or you’re seeking help for social anxiety disorder, there are several strategies to consider. If your social anxiety is persistent or preventing you from living the life you want to live, Dr. Chapman recommends working one on one. with a therapist.
Here, experts share common strategies for overcoming social anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of treatment that examines a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, focusing on changing patterns that lead to difficulty functioning. All three experts say this is an especially effective way to overcome both social anxiety and social anxiety disorder. “The therapist will peel back the layers of fear regarding the thoughts and behaviors that cause it. We connect the thought process with behaviors and integrate new behaviors to change the thinking behind the fear,” explains Chestnut.
“With CBT, you teach the client what social anxiety is and [help pinpoint] where your fears come from,” says Dr. Chapman. For example, if someone’s fear is embarrassing themselves, “then the therapist helps the person replace those thoughts with evidence-based thoughts,” he explains. “What is the evidence that you will make a fool of yourself?” Usually, he tells him, the evidence isn’t there. Even if something embarrassing happened in the past, Dr. Chapman says the person will see that he’s still okay; It was not the end of the world.
Experts agree that engaging in social situations and overcoming associated fear is part of CBT. This part of CBT is called exposure therapy; Here’s an example of what this might look like, according to Dr. Chapman:
CBT Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety:
- Imaginary exposure: Before participating in a social setting, the therapist will talk with the client about what it will be like. They may ask the client to visualize the social environment and acknowledge any feelings of anxiety that arise. Together you can discuss how the client will behave in the social setting and manage any feelings of anxiety.
- Low Risk Fear Exposure: The therapist will ask the client to be in a social setting that makes them only mildly uncomfortable. This can include going to the supermarket or the movies. In some cases, the therapist may go with the client to provide social support and see how she acts in the social setting.
- Exposure to medium risk fear: Once the client has been successful in a low-risk fear exposure, the therapist will ask them to be in a social setting where they feel slightly more uncomfortable. The therapist will likely have the client do this several times in several different settings before moving up the fear hierarchy to a new setting.
- Exposure to high-risk fear: Once the client has navigated medium-risk fear exposure social settings without becoming overly anxious, the therapist will ask the client to engage in a social setting that would have been very uncomfortable for them at the beginning of their treatment. But because the client will have been successful in the low- and medium-risk fear exposure social settings, these settings should now only make him or her slightly uncomfortable.
psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is another treatment that has been shown to be effective for social anxiety disorder. This type of therapy focuses on the psychological roots of emotional distress, according to the American Psychological Association.
Psychodynamic therapy uses self-reflection and self-examination as it is characterized by the idea that a person’s unconscious thoughts and perceptions develop during childhood and then influence their behavior. The goal of this type of therapy is to help you recognize and understand those deep-seated feelings.
Studies have found psychodynamic therapy to be effective in treating social anxiety disorder, both short-term and long-term, and some research has found it to be comparable to CBT in terms of efficacy.
Building a support system
“Having a support system is important for any type of mental health condition someone may be experiencing, including social anxiety,” says Halstead. She explains that experiencing social anxiety can feel isolated and opening up to people you trust can be difficult, but ultimately it can be beneficial to see firsthand that your loved ones want to support you.
Dr. Chapman adds that he often has clients with this condition attend a support group with other people with social anxiety disorder. “It actually works as part of exposure therapy because a support group is by nature a social setting,” he says. “It’s an extremely safe place to talk about your experience because you know that others are experiencing it too.”
The best way to find a support group near you is to ask a local therapist or search for social anxiety support groups in your area. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America also has a search tool to locate support groups, including those that meet virtually.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
A very small study in the journal Emotion found that mindfulness-based stress reduction can help people with social anxiety disorder, as those who participated in a breath-focused attention task showed improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression and in self-esteem . Breathing slowly and deeply, which is often done during mindfulness-based stress reduction, helps reduce cortisol levels (known as the “stress hormone”), leading to a calmer feeling. For this reason, even simply taking a few deep breaths before an anxiety-provoking social situation can help someone feel less anxious.
Have healthy habits in place
Exercising regularly, eating nutrient-dense foods, and getting consistent, good sleep can all play a supportive role in reducing social anxiety. “Exercise has a profound effect on managing anxiety in general because the body experiences the same arousal response during exercise as it does with anxiety. [an increase in heart rate]says Dr. Chapman. “This makes experiencing that arousal response [in social situations] less threatening.” To his point, studies have found that regular exercise is an effective clinical treatment for people with anxiety.
In terms of diet, Dr. Chapman explains that the mind and gut are intricately connected. Eating a diet full of nutrient-dense foods and minimizing your consumption of processed foods has been scientifically linked to reduced anxiety.
Lastly, as anyone who has missed a good night’s sleep knows, being tired makes everything worse, including anxiety. “If you don’t get enough sleep, cortisol levels rise, which can increase your anxiety,” says Dr. Chapman. Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
Medicine
There are times when someone with social anxiety disorder may want to consider prescription medication, says Halstead; For example, if you’ve tried CBT and are still struggling, considering a prescription medication may be something you should discuss with your doctor. “The most common type of medication prescribed for social anxiety disorder are [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors] SSRIs,” she says.
