Social anxiety is a chronic mental health condition in which an individual might feel a lot of anxiety when in a social situation. There is an intense fear of negative judgment from others and this causes a lot of distress and anxiety.

Shyness is a feeling of awkwardness or worry that occurs during social situations. Almost everyone feels shy every now and then, and it is a completely normal feeling to have.

On the other hand, Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a severe fear of situations involving interaction with others or any kind of social situation, particularly when there is a possibility of being judged by strangers. Exposure to social situations can immediately provoke an anxiety response, leading to avoidance of the situation. This further causes various emotional and behavioural problems such as loss of self-confidence, depression, and substance abuse. Thus, shyness and social anxiety are not the same.

Social Anxiety can interfere with a person’s ability to function in daily life. It can stop them from becoming involved in relationships, romantic or friendship. Some may avoid eating at a restaurant or using a public restroom, causing them to miss out on joining family members and friends. For some, it prevents them from working. Many people with SAD feel isolated and alone.

The major symptoms of social anxiety disorder include:

• Intense fear of social situations
• Fear of others noticing nervousness
• Anxiety due to anticipating a social interaction
• Intense fear of interacting with strangers
• Avoidance of certain situations where the individual is the centre of attention
• There are also some physical symptoms to watch out for that can occur in response to the emotional ones listed above:
• Sweating
• Rapid heart rate
• Feeling dizzy, lightheaded
• Blushing
• Muscle tension
• Tremors, which means that your hands start shaking involuntarily
• Nausea and upset stomach
• Trouble breathing and catching your breath

There are certain things you can do to manage social anxiety on your own. They include:

Self-care:

• try to understand more about your anxiety, by thinking about or writing down social triggers, what goes through your mind and how you behave in certain social situations, it can help to keep a diary.
• Try some relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises for anxiety.

Seeking community support:

• Connect with people who understand what you’re going through because they are managing the same condition.
• Share your experiences, and coping techniques that worked for you, and help support others.
• Speaking with a group of people who relate to your anxiety symptoms is also an excellent practice for interacting in social settings, and exposing yourself to social situations that otherwise seemed fearful.

Therapy can primarily benefit in the following ways:

• Interpreting external social events in a realistic way
• Shifting the focus of attention from self to others in social conversations.
• Help process social cues better and build their social skills.
• Dealing with the negative beliefs that maintain anxiety in social situations

Psychiatry can benefit in the following ways:

• increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain by using medicines known as SSRIs, and reducing anxiety
• Work with other medications that can help stop panic attacks
• Help deal with other medical concerns that may contribute to or worsen the anxiety
• Monitor your progress over time and help talk to other professionals to help get better