Social Anxiety and ComparisonBy Gina CiprianoThere is no doubt that genuine social connections can serve as a protective factor from different mental health disorders. However, what does one do if these social connections are the very thing causing them distress? Social anxiety may occur as a result of a person thinking that their social abilities are not up to par to what is considered socially acceptable.The American Psychiatric Association’s (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) outlines some of the following symptoms of social anxiety:
- Fear of being:
- Humiliated
- Embarrassed
- Rejected
- Intense stress about showing symptoms of anxiety to others
- Avoiding social situations
- Having problems with work, school, and familial areas of life
Social anxiety disorder can exacerbate and/or contribute to symptoms of other anxiety disorders (such as panic disorders), to substance use disorders (as a person may self-medicate as a way to put themselves at ease within social situations), and depressive disorders (Spence & Rapee, 2016). Further, it can result in people decreasing the amount of time they have to spend around others which could result in educational or occupational hardships.How Can I Start to Reduce Social Anxiety?
- Work up to social events; like any great thing, reducing social anxiety entails practice!
- Make a list from one to ten with one being the least anxiety provoking social scenario to ten being the most
- Start doing your level one social fear until you can do so with minimal distress. Then, work your way up.
- It may be helpful when you first start to have flexibility to leave the social situation. For instance, this may entail brining your own form of transportation to a social event. This way, you can tell yourself that if you become too distressed, you can leave.
- Decrease Social Comparison!
- Social comparison may be a contributing factor to symptoms of social anxiety. Jiang (2020) found that Instagram use led to an increase in social comparison which caused an increase in social anxiety.
- Limiting social media use or only following people you find empowering may help reduce social anxiety.
- Try out Talk Therapy! Talk Therapy can help with the following (Hofmann, 2007):
- Decrease ruminative (repetitive) thinking following a social event
- Clarify goals for what a successful social event would entail
- Assist in emotional regulation
- Help a person reality test by engaging in social mishaps so that they can recognize the outcome is not as negative as they perceived it to be
- Develop ways to manage somatic symptoms of anxiety
References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Hofmann, S. G. (2007). Cognitive factors that maintain social anxiety disorder: A comprehensive model and its treatment implications. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 36(4), 193-209. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070701421313Spence, S. H., & Rapee, R. M. (2016). The etiology of social anxiety disorder: An evidence-based model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 86, 50-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2016.06.007If you are struggling with social anxiety in Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter, call us to find a helpful therapist.
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