By It is common for those struggling with social anxiety to want to avoid social situations that don’t feel good. While avoiding those situations may lessen your anxiety in the short-term, it is not going to make facing those scenarios any easier in the future. In fact, the avoidance can actually make the anxiety worse! Exposure… Continue reading
By “I’m bad at meeting people.” “I’m socially inept.” “People dislike chatting with me.” “I’m a boring conversationalist.” “Others can see that I’m anxious which they’ll think is weird, or will make them uncomfortable.” “I’m an introvert. I shouldn’t be expected to mingle. Chit chat is for extroverts!” “I hate small talk!” These are common hot… Continue reading
By What would you do if a natural disaster were going to strike your hometown in a few days? Maybe you would gather your friends and family and find shelter. When a disaster occurs, it often happens very quickly and people are not able to reach their friends and family particularly low-income families lacking resources. They… Continue reading
By One of the most challenging aspects of social anxiety are the thoughts that come with the experience. People struggling with social anxiety experience a barrage of negative self-judgments and the fear that others view them in that same negative light. Over time, these self-judgments lead to avoidant behaviors such as disengagement in social interactions, substance-use… Continue reading
By The biggest fear of individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is that of being found to be deficient and judged for the deficiency. What does one do so that our deficiencies remain undetected and we are not judged for them? How do we remain safe? The best solution would be to avoid people and situations… Continue reading
By The Cost of Misperception One of the key components that maintains Social Anxiety Disorder over time is a pervasive negative self-image and related self-critical thoughts that are activated in social situations. Once activated, this negative self-image often leads to overly negative misperceptions of how one is coming across to others during social contacts. Increased apprehension… Continue reading
By Have you ever suspected that someone you’re close to is avoiding a social situation because of anxiety? Feeling anxious in social situations is common for many of us, but for some people, it can be debilitating. Your friend or loved-one may be suffering from social anxiety. People often hide their symptoms, so if you notice that a friend… Continue reading
By “Performance” anxiety, indeed! That’s precisely the problem: thinking of sex as a performance, as something we are doing that is being scrutinized and evaluated by an audience. This performance mindset leads many men to be self-conscious, self-critical, worried, tense and anxious while being sexual. This in turns often results in bringing about the very problem… Continue reading
By Effective Communication Through Assertiveness Social anxiety is often associated with low self-confidence in relationships. While treating the anxiety ultimately leads to increased self-confidence, the development effective social skills can also facilitate this process. Effective communication is one of the most importance social skills that contribute to developing and maintaining healthy relationships. Whether you are talking… Continue reading
By Social anxiety is common in children and adolescents, and it often goes untreated. These students are often well-behaved, quiet, and do their work. Teachers (and some parents) are frequently unaware of the student’s anxiety until it becomes a crisis. Even then, because the anxiety-producing situation seems relatively inconsequential to others, adults may try to encourage… Continue reading
By Thoughts and Feelings in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Social Anxiety Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has repeatedly been shown to be the most effective treatment for social anxiety disorder for the large majority of people. A central principle in CBT is that what we feel—such as social anxiety—is created not directly by a situation we experience, but… Continue reading