Your palms sweat. Your thoughts feel jumbled, and when you try to speak, everything comes out tongue-tied. Social anxiety can make even the simplest interactions feel overwhelming. By setting clear treatment goals for social anxiety, you can positively transform your life. Whether it’s improving your confidence in social situations, reducing the desire to avoid meeting others, or learning coping strategies, a personalized approach will help you navigate social settings with ease and reclaim your peace of mind. Let’s dive in to learn from the experts.
Understanding Social Anxiety: What It Is and How It Affects You
Living with social anxiety can feel like being at a party where you know nobody, constantly worrying that everyone is watching and judging your every move. Approximately 15 million Americans experience this deep, persistent fear of being scrutinized by others. This disorder can significantly impact your job, mental health, education, and daily activities, making it difficult to form and maintain relationships.
15 Signs of Social Anxiety
Here is a list of common anxiety and physical symptoms:
- Intense fear of being watched, judged, or humiliated in social situations.
- Avoiding social interactions or situations.
- Worrying for days or weeks before an upcoming social event.
- Constantly believing you’re not enough or inferior.
- Imagining the worst possible outcomes of social interactions.
- Difficulty thinking clearly or focusing when in social situations.
- Excessive sweating thinking about or being in social situations.
- Shaking or trembling hands, voice, or body.
- Feeling sick or experiencing an upset stomach.
- Increased heart rate when thinking about or being in social situations.
- Difficulty breathing or feeling like you can’t catch your breath.
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy during social interactions.
- Struggling to talk or feeling unable to speak in social settings.
- Having few or no close friends due to fear of engaging socially.
- Avoiding participation or public speaking, affecting performance and opportunities.
If you’re living with social anxiety, the good news is that it’s treatable, and your therapist will work with you to create an approach unique to your needs, challenges and mental health. A personalized approach to working 1:1 with a mental health professional will help you get on track to living the life you want to live. It’s all possible.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques
Imagine you have a presentation at work. The thought of standing in front of your colleagues makes your heart race and your mind spiral into worst-case scenarios. You’re convinced you’ll embarrass yourself, and everyone will judge you. This is where cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can make a significant difference.
CBT is a structured, goal-oriented therapy that helps you identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors.
For instance, if you fear embarrassing yourself, your therapist will ask you, “What is the evidence that you will?” Even if you experienced something embarrassing in the past, you’ll learn coping strategies to confront your fear and work through it – exposure therapy is often the best way to do so.
Exposure therapy
Let’s say you experience social anxiety at events. A social anxiety treatment plan & example might include this exposure therapy approach.
“Exposure therapy is often sitting with discomfort. It’s in the discomfort where awareness grows and change happens.” – Jin Ha Seo, Looking Glass
1. Assessment and Goal Setting: Your therapist will evaluate your mental health to understand the severity of your anxiety and its triggers. Then, by working towards a set goal, you’ll use various techniques to help you inch closer and closer to overcoming your fears:
2. Gradual Exposure:
- Hierarchy of Fears: You’ll also create a list of situations that trigger your anxiety, ranked from least to most anxiety-provoking. For example, listening at a dinner might be less anxious than speaking up.
- Imaginal Exposure: For particularly challenging scenarios, you’ll visualize yourself successfully engaging in dinners or social events before moving forward.
3. In Vivo and Imaginal Exposure:
- In Vivo Exposure: Once you’re comfortable, you’ll work towards the least anxiety-provoking situation. For instance, attend dinners and observe, then improve by practicing making small comments, asking questions, and gradually increase your participation.
Through exposure therapy, you learn with practice and directly facing your fear, rather than avoiding it, how you have the power to handle social situations without the severe consequences you previously worried about.
A 2023 study showed virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) on its own noticeably lessened social anxiety symptoms. The findings suggest that using VRET can lead to a significant decrease in anxiety levels compared to traditional treatments.
Integrating Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
“Mindfulness allows us to tune into the present moment–noticing emotions and sensations, and witnessing the way they inform one another. When we allow ourselves this experience, we can tune into wisdom that may have been missed if we remained distracted or solely focused on our thinking.” – Abby Ridegway, Looking Glass
If you’re preparing for an interview and you start to fear your potential new boss will dismiss you before you’re given a chance, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques can significantly alleviate your anxiety symptoms.
For instance, engaging in deep breathing exercises like box breathing helps you regain focus if your mind wanders.
Here’s a simple way to practice it:
- Imagine a box in front of you.
- Inhale slowly for four seconds as you trace up one side of the box.
- Hold your breath for four seconds across the top.
- Exhale slowly down the other side of the box, also for four seconds.
- Repeat this calming exercise, maintaining the same pattern.
Another effective technique is noting, a meditative practice that helps calm your active mind. Instead of suppressing or reacting negatively to your thoughts, gently observe and label them. For instance, during an interview, you might recognize thoughts such as:
- “I shouldn’t have said that. They’re not going to give me a chance” – label this thought “fear”
- “The traffic is so bad today. I’m worried about how I’ll arrive home safely after this is over” – label this thought “planning”
- “Maybe I should change my tone of voice. The interviewer doesn’t seem to like me” – label this thought “judgment”
- And so forth
Mindfulness cultivates awareness between your thoughts, allowing you to mindfully return to the present moment and nurture a sense of inner peace and resilience. Your therapy sessions may include a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness to help you achieve your treatment goals.
Support Systems and Resources
Having a support system is invaluable to overcoming your fears and enhancing your social skills. Your treatment goals should include reaching out to a network of supportive friends, family members, or support groups who understand and positively boost your progress.
Being part of a support group can be a crucial aspect of exposure therapy, as it provides a safe social setting where you can practice sharing and engaging with others at your own pace.
This environment allows you to discuss your experiences with people going through similar challenges, reducing feelings of isolation and offering valuable insights and encouragement.
A 2020 study tested a new digital intervention called Entourage that combines therapy techniques with a social media platform for users to connect. Results from the 12-week pilot involved 89 participants with social anxiety and showed significant improvements in social anxiety, depression, social isolation, and overall mental health.
Overcoming Setbacks and Maintaining Progress
If you’re aiming to manage anxiety before events such as presentations or parties, or if you’re dealing with ongoing social anxiety disorder, setting realistic and achievable treatment goals is important.
Begin by identifying specific, measurable objectives, such as attending a social gathering or speaking up in a meeting.
During your therapy sessions, you’ll gradually increase the complexity of these treatment goals to build confidence and ensure progress. Remember, setbacks are natural, but the key is to celebrate small victories throughout the journey and stay consistent. You’ll notice positive changes in your overall mental health and well-being soon after starting with your preferred mental health professional.
Receiving a Personalized Treatment Plan
Treatment goals for social anxiety are deeply personal and tailored to your aspirations. If persistent fear in social situations holds you back, engaging in one-on-one sessions with a mental health professional can transform your approach from avoidance to embrace. Taking this step can open new possibilities, making life feel more exciting and achievable.
Ready to seek treatment and explore how cognitive behavioral therapy or relaxation techniques can boost your confidence before social events?
Schedule a FREE consultation with our mental health professionals either in person or remotely from your home. Alternatively, book a FREE call with our intake coordinator for guidance in finding the right therapist for your needs.
We’ll develop a personalized plan that addresses your current challenges, empowers you to conquer your social fears, and celebrates every step of your progress.