Everyone is capable of getting a little nervous when giving a formal presentation or meeting people for the first time. But for the 10 million Americans with social anxiety disorder, certain situations are completely intolerable. Social anxiety disorder is the third most common mental health disorder, after major depression and substance abuse.
People with social anxiety disorder syndrome are excessively fearful that others will criticize their public behavior. They worry that they will appear inarticulate or unintelligent, or that they will show embarrassing signs that indicate they are anxious or weak.
In his amazing ebook titled "Prisoners Of Our Thoughts", Gary Miller points out that social anxiety occurs in varying degrees. Miller, who pulled himself out of the depths of social anxiety disorder, said: "As irrational as it may seem to other people as well as to the person who is affected, the fear ultimately takes over, causing many problems in family, work and social relationships."
Miller notes that social anxiety can cause low self-esteem, depression, self-consciousness, avoidance, job limitations and lack of assertiveness, along with a myriad of other problems.
"I have seen these fears limit some of the brightest people I know", said Miller
Many socially anxious people find it difficult, if not impossible to eat, drink and /or write in public. They fear they are being watched. This causes fears to emerge, and the person experiences trembling, nausea, sweating and other symptoms.
Dating is a major issue for sufferers of social anxiety. Dating requires one-on-one social situations that affected people will find difficult, if not impossible to handle. Fear of social situations isn't the only problem in these situations. Socially anxious people often fear interacting with the opposite sex.
Physical symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder are similar to panic disorder and may include rapid heart rate, profuse sweating, trembling voice and shaky hands. These symptoms are doubly distressing because they further diminish the self esteem of the affected person.
In some cases sufferers will take extreme measures (drop out of school, refuse to go to college, turn down promotions at work or even avoid going to the bank). Rather than risk humiliating themselves, they drop out of the mainstream of life.
If you or someone you care about suffers from social anxiety syndrome you can reclaim your life, just as Gary Miller did.
Both social anxiety medication and behavioral therapy have proven successful in treating the disorder. Most treatment plans include a combination of both. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment plan for you.
Are you starting a new job and have an anxiety disorder? If you have social anxiety, you may be concerned about fitting in with your new co workers. You may have concerns that your fellow employees may not accept you. Here are three things you can try to help you get started with your new job and most importantly to help you get along with your new team members.
The first thing you can do is don't try too hard or over think out how to appear normal. Focus on your work. Trying to hard be normal takes too much energy to do on a daily basis. In fact, two things may actually happen. One is you'll focus less on the work you're hired to do and two, you may actually appear not normal because you're not filling your position correctly. So it's really a counter productive process. You can actually put off your new fellow co workers.
Now you should take note that even though you may feel uncomfortable in new work environment, it's not as bad as you may think. After all, they are meeting you for the first time and they don't know who you are either. If a co worker comes over to speak with you, don't worry. They are just trying to get to know you. Avoid making up stories in your head about the people you are working with. This way you are not as apprehensive in conversation.
When in conversation with your new coworker, pretend you are talking to a family member, like a brother and sister. You will have better empathy in your voice and you'll appear more personable. Now remember you want to appear more personable but you don't want to be too personal. There is a difference between the two.
When you're personable, you are pleasant to be around and considered friendly. This is a very good appearance to have when you are on the job. You are noticed better by your peers and possibly by the person you report too.
The thing you need to look out for is being too personal during conversation. Getting to personal can get you in undesirable situations or conflicts. You can possibly insult some one without even knowing it. Keep in mind the other side to this is that people may try to be too personal to you. While, this can cause anxiety problems for you right then and there, remember keep the conversation light. When someone is trying get a personal conversation with you and you don't know the person, you are better off keeping your answers vague or you can politely not answer any questions you are not comfortable answering.
Finally, we should address large group social settings. Probably most of us that have anxiety in social situations are very quiet and reserved in a large group social setting. The first thing you need to do is not worry about what people think of you. Also keep in mind when speaking to others try have eye contact with the person you are speaking to. If you notice that others are paying attention to you, then occasionally look at the rest of the group while you're speaking.
While the three suggestions above may be tough to do initially, it's worth practicing because you'll gain confidence each time you do it. Eventually you may be able to over come some of your phobias at work.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is intended to provide an opinion. The information in this article is not a substitute for specific medical advice. It is highly recommended you seek a physician for medical advisement.
Both Jonathan Sapling & John Lance are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jonathan Sapling has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cure Anxiety, Mortgage and Baby Shower. Jonathan Sapling writes extensively on anxiety disorder and related mental health issues.To read more about anxiety disorder go to his