Social Anxiety Disorder and How to Overcome it
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by a significant amount of fear in one or more social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny from others. is one of the most commonly found mental disorder which is left untreated in general circumstances. Social phobia are generally seen in unmarried individuals especially young adults . Women are more likely to be affected by this disorder than men.
How does it Begin?
These disorder crops up during adolescence period mainly but may affect at anytime in one's life. These are generally caused because of a traumatic experience in the past where one was judged or insulted or bullied or had received negative evaluation in front of people which led to being laughed at or avoided completely.
Dr Shah who teaches at Somaiya Medical College in Sion says that "We can blame it on competitiveness, drive for money, overcrowding in cities and other factors that lead to stress,". Social Phobia can be easily detected in people blushing excessively or sweating or avoiding eye contact. They usually avoid social communication though it must be stated that they do not lack in communication skills, it is the negative assessment they think others are making which make these individuals maladroit.
Social Disorder is the third major category of mental disorder seen in adults worldwide. One of every four individuals in India are suffering from Anxiety Disorder which amounts to 25% of the total population of the country.
Does Social Anxiety develop psychic abilities?
These individuals have adapted themselves to have a sense of psychic abilities where they can sense any form of danger and can warn others of the situation. Sometimes it is seen that these individuals can detect any person who are suffering from any psychological problems. This is one of the positive side of being close to any individual suffering from this mental disorder.
How can one overcome Social Phobia?
People suffering from these anxiety disorder should be treated carefully and family members should take proper care so that these anxiety is not converted into depression. The key is to stop anxieties from developing into depression. Methods that one should adapt themselves to are "Relaxation techniques, yoga and exercises are a big help. But substance abuse, cigarettes and over-the-counter pills should be avoided," said Dr Gangadhar.
How can I relate to Social Anxiety Disorder?
I am also a person who has been highly affected by this social phobia for almost 10 years and appearing before unknown people causes stress and raises my heart beat and cause discomfort still now.
There are instances where I make more foolish mistakes in order to avoid it. The whole imagination of people laughing at me or passing negative comments or judging me on my performance makes me depressed and I feel cornered in a situation where I am not being judged at all by others probably.
The whole thing is happening only inside my brain and nothing in particular is actually happening in the outside world. Just the thought of negative assessment and being judged degrades the self-esteem and forms a loop from which it seems hard to escape.
What are the suggestions to overcome this anxiety?
So, the best suggestion that I can provide from years of experience is that if one is suffering from Social Phobia one should stop imagining things which leads to the anxiety and immediately restrict yourself from scrutinising negatively about yourself and take baby steps towards an anxiety free life. Do not stress yourself in getting everything straight in one day or a week. It will take some time to cure and one can easily overcome it with proper treatment and care. You should not leave this completely unattended since it might cause harm to your health and might develop into depression.
Positive Quote:
The best possible statement regarding social anxiety given by Ludwig Wittgenstein in his book titled "Culture and Value" is "A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked and opens inwards; as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push."
Thank You,
Hope this helps.
Sources:
Culture and Value by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Comments
Post a Comment