It’s natural to feel nervous or self-conscious in some social or performance situations (for example, going on a first date, speaking before a large group, or being the centre of attention). People with social anxiety feel this nervousness or self-consciousness disproportionately; they tend to fear or avoid situations that trigger a fear of humiliating themselves or being judged negatively by others.
You may benefit from help for social anxiety if you feel that your fear of social situations is more intense than it should be, or if you avoid situations that trigger intense fears of judgement or humiliation. You may also benefit from help if you find that you spend a lot of time after social situations analyzing your performance or seeking reassurance about it.
In our Guided CBT Program, we use a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach to help you break down and overcome social anxiety. Some of the main components of the program are:
Monitoring it
It starts with understanding your thoughts and behaviours. You’ll take some time to examine them – the types of thoughts you have about social interactions and all the behaviours that you engage in when you’re faced with the anxiety that comes along with them.
Breaking it down
Everyone experiences social anxiety differently. So, it’s important to understand your symptoms by breaking down your own experience. Do you notice that your thinking and behaviour fall into predictable patterns when you’re feeling social anxiety? Understanding your patterns helps you figure out what to challenge.
Challenging it
You can learn a variety of techniques to help you relate to your anxiety differently. Mostly you’ll focus on the thoughts and behaviours that are connected to social anxiety since these are probably keeping those fears alive. You’ll learn strategies for identifying and challenging your anxious thinking and testing out negative predictions. You’ll also learn strategies for starting to approach the things you have been avoiding, even when anxiety is present.
If you find yourself struggling with social anxiety, visit our Virtual Mental Health Therapy Clinic to access our therapy programs. If you are part of our Workplace Mental Health Program, please visit your company page for access to services covered by your workplace.