It took you more strength than you knew you had to walk out of your house and into your car. Now you’re outside your friend’s house, scrolling through Instagram and trying to get up the courage to walk inside.
It shouldn’t be that hard, just get up. Go inside. Talk to people.
Ah, but therein lies the problem. Talking to people is more terrifying than crashing your car. It’s the reason you wear earbuds whenever you walk outside. Why you never go anywhere without the one person you trust enough to follow into these social situations. But they aren’t here now, and it’s just you. And what if they have food? Will you be expected to eat in front of others?
Your palms are sweating and perhaps you’re shaking, your stomach’s such a twisted mess you’re pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to hold down food anyways.
Social Anxiety is widespread in the US, with 3.3 million people being diagnosed every year. It’s much, much more than nervous giggles and responding to good morning with good, how are you? Social Anxiety can make it feel like you’re incapable of living life to the fullest. It can trap you and make you believe the worst about yourself. It’s something no one deserves to live with, and Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) social anxiety therapists are here to make sure no one has to!
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social Anxiety is a subset of anxiety that is triggered particularly in social situations. For some, it might be very specific social situations, like walking through a crowd or eating in front of people. For others, any human interaction is enough to send them spiraling into an anxious state. This isn’t your fault! Social Anxiety is a result of many factors, but you can always choose to fight against it. Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) has years of experience and training to help you win that fight.
Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) knows that the last thing you want to do when you have social anxiety is to go talk to another human being about your anxiety. Wouldn’t it be better to just avoid the trigger all together?
It might be easier in the moment, but in the long run, social anxiety can have extreme affects on your mental and physical health, as well as negatively affect the people around you. It takes a lot of courage and strength to reach out. Thank you for being willing to do so. Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) is here to make sure that courage and strength isn’t wasted, and that we can start to win your life back day-by-day.
It’s natural to get nervous sometimes. Surveys have been done that suggests most people’s number one fear is public speaking, even higher than death! So how do you know when your nerves are just a mild annoyance to overcome, and when they are a full-blown anxiety? Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) suggests looking for these symptoms to help you decide if it’s time to reach out for help:
- Avoiding situations in which you know you’ll have to interact with other people
- “re-watching” an interaction in your head and picking apart what you did wrong
- Expecting the worse to happen in a relationship or social situation
- Upset stomach or nausea, especially as a social situation nears or during one
- Trembling and sweating
- Feeling like your mind has gone blank
In addition, it might be especially difficult for you to endure some of these common situations:
- Entering a room in which everyone is already seated
- Eating in front of people
- Starting a conversation
- Eye contact
- Using a public restroom
- Returning items to a store.
Social anxiety can cause impairments in all your life. You deserve to be in complete control of your life. Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) is excited to meet you and begin that journey.
What Does Social Anxiety Therapy Look Like?
Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) understands that your situation is going to be very different from someone else’s situation. This means your anxiety counseling plan should also be individualized and unique. At our convenient Polaris office near Westerville, Worthington, and close by most all of Central Ohio, Thriveworks always keeps the focus of a counseling session on you- your goals, your thoughts, your emotions. This is your life after all!
The symptoms of social anxiety, while painful, don’t have to last forever. Some techniques we might use in a session include:
- Rooting out negative thoughts and disproving them
- Exposure therapy- facing that worst-case scenario in a controlled environment and experiencing the not-so-bad outcome
- Finding the root of the anxiety, why you believe what you believe and if we can replace it with a truth.
- Building up your confidence in your social skills
- Much more! Depending on how specific your anxiety is and your personality and lifestyle, our Thriveworks Columbus/Polaris counselors have many ways we can help combat anxiety.
You are a unique, amazing person. You have something to offer those around you, and more importantly, you deserve the chance to form connections and experience life without the weight of your anxiety. Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) can help you get there.
