What Is Social Anxiety? Signs And Symptoms To Watch Out For

A world that might sound fun or exciting for you like an outing, party, get-together, performance or presentation might be creating social anxiety for another person. While the American Psychological Association defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by apprehension and tension anticipating danger in relation to the future, social anxiety is the fear in social settings where one may experience embarrassment and fear of being negatively evaluated and apprehension about their social status, role and behaviour.

As per a study conducted in 2020 to explore the prevalence of social anxiety around the world, more than 1 in 3 participants met the criteria for having Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and 1 in 6 perceived themselves as not having social anxiety but still met or exceeded the criteria for SAD. Despite the prevalence of social anxiety proved by research, there is a lack of awareness about symptoms so individuals avoid calling themselves socially anxious. This often leads to social anxiety, shyness, and introverted behaviour. However, they are all very different.

Shyness may go away when one becomes comfortable in a new environment, but fear due to social anxiety could sustain and impact their behaviour and emotional state. While an introvert may prefer being alone and feel the most energetic when in a closed room with a book, a socially anxious person may fear the very idea of being put in a social setting.

Symptoms of social anxiety

Symptoms of social anxiety may range from worrying about daily activities like initiating conversations to experiencing panic attacks when asked to perform in front of a group of people. Individuals may avoid social activities, worry about embarrassing themselves in public, experience difficulties performing in the presence of others and fear being criticized or ridiculed for how they talk or behave. Various factors contribute to one developing social anxiety. Instances of being bullied by peers, humiliation in classroom or social situations, fingers-pointing in public, overly-critical parenting styles, anxious parents, lack of social support, a lack of exposure to social settings, or being genetically pre-disposed to social anxiety may all contribute to its development.

Beliefs surrounding how one is not good enough to be placed in a social set-up may develop and keep becoming stronger due to negative life experiences. "I will make a fool of myself ", "I don't know how to respond" "I don't deserve to be a part of this setting", "I am not going to that setting full of strangers", "I will be judged by others" and so on. These are some common thoughts in the mind of an individual with social anxiety.

To help individuals with social anxiety, an intention of support and providing a healthy environment is key. Medication and therapy have an important role but nothing can replace a moment of feeling supported or being understood. Ultimately, awareness is the key to sensitivity and mindfulness is the key to empathy.

(Dr Shilpa Gupta, Therapist and Founder of EmoAid Wellness Centre)

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