Overcoming Social Anxiety: Steps Toward Greater Confidence and Comfort
Most of us become nervous when introduced to a room full of people or required to speak publicly. However, if you have social anxiety, you may experience significant stress from everyday interactions and feel overwhelmed when you are the center of attention. This uneasiness may cause you to avoid social gatherings and group settings. Anxiety can be an exhausting experience impacting every area of your life.
If you experience social anxiety, our Counsellors at Williamson & Associates can support you with compassionate, evidence-based therapy to help you feel at ease socializing with others. If you are experiencing social anxiety, know that you are not alone. According to the Social Anxiety Association, social anxiety affects about 7% of the world's population. You can restore confidence and comfort to connect with others.
Understanding Social Anxiety
Defining Social Anxiety (SAD)
Social anxiety is not just about shyness or a moment of discomfort. It is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where a person might be judged or scrutinized, which can impact daily life.
Exploring the Root Causes
Many factors can contribute to social anxiety, including genetics, the environment, or traumatic past events. We understand how intimidating social situations can be when you are concerned about how others will view, evaluate, or judge you.
There are things you can do to support your anxiety. You can heal the origins and patterns that fuel your social anxiety, understand your thoughts, emotions, and somatic sensations linked to your anxiety, and build trust and security in relationships with the help of our experienced counsellors at Williamson & Associates.
Challenges of Social Anxiety
If you're experiencing social anxiety, you can find yourself sidestepping situations where you could be the focus of attention. You may feel overwhelmed by fears of judgment or criticism, bracing for the worst in social settings. Perhaps you hold back in conversations or avoid everyday social activities—like giving a presentation at work or school, attending social events, or volunteering at your child's school—due to a fear of embarrassment and judgment. Because of this, your worries may make you avoid not only high-stress situations but also everyday interactions, like talking to coworkers or attending family gatherings, which can make you feel even more isolated and increase your anxiety.
Steps Toward Overcoming Social Anxiety
Seeking Professional Help
Therapy can be transformative if you have social anxiety. With evidence-based treatments like Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing, and Emotionally Focused Therapy for individuals, couples and families. Therapists at Williamson & Associates create a supportive environment to help you heal. These therapies allow you to investigate the impact of social anxiety on your life and develop effective strategies for coping with anxiety as well as any underlying trauma.
Social Anxiety Therapy Modalities
Anxiety serves as a signal from our body that danger may be present, prompting the need to identify and address its underlying cause. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) presents as a multifaceted, persistent, debilitating, and financially burdensome anxiety disorder.
Integrative Therapy for Social Anxiety
According to a recent study by Shahar (2020) despite the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for numerous patients, a significant portion fail to respond adequately to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or experience ongoing symptoms post-treatment.
At Williamson & Associates, we use integrative approaches to identify and address anxiety. We will work with you to create a personalized plan that integrates various modalities to approach the anxiety you are experiencing as a multilayered experience. Our therapies help to get to the root of your anxiety. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and Somatic Experiencing (SE) can stand alone or complement each other, offering a pathway to resolve anxiety and work toward your personal goals.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals, couples and families, is a powerful, evidence-based approach that has helped thousands of people release the grip of anxiety and reclaim their lives. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a holistic, short-term approach aimed at helping individuals regulate emotions, overcome negative thinking patterns, and improve relationships by addressing emotional barriers to anxiety responses. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) aims to notice patterns, attachment injuries and protection strategies that contribute to social anxiety. It views anxiety as stemming from unmet needs. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on creating secure emotional connections to address attachment needs, promoting healing and growth, and empowering clients to develop positive relationships with themselves and others, making it a promising tool for managing anxiety in adults.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) can get to the root of the origins of your social anxiety to process and heal the distressing memories, thoughts and experiences. Whether linked to past experiences, ongoing circumstances, or anticipated future events, the source of anxiety typically becomes the central focus of Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Through guided reprocessing sessions, clients explore thoughts, feelings, and sensations related to past events, following eye movements or other stimuli, gradually transforming painful memories and negative beliefs into more adaptive alternatives. Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy reprocessing occurs over multiple sessions, with therapists supporting clients to maintain emotional regulation and grounding throughout the process, fostering a safe and collaborative therapeutic environment.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing (SE) Therapy, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, assesses dysregulation in the nervous system and facilitates a gradual discharge to lower activation levels, addressing embodied emotions that contribute to mental ailments like anxiety, depression, and dissociation. By gently deactivating a highly charged nervous system, Somatic Experiencing (SE) creates space and fosters emotional stability over time, ultimately returning the nervous system to its natural state and enhancing clients' ability to respond calmly to life's challenges. Clients often seek Somatic Experiencing (SE) when traditional therapies have failed to provide relief, particularly those with histories of developmental and traumatic experiences, as Somatic Experiencing (SE) can effectively heal nervous system dysregulation regardless of the source, complementing other therapeutic approaches for holistic mind-body healing. Somatic experiencing provides an opportunity to gently release the survival energy states and supports the body’s self-protective responses to move out of its “stuck” state. Somatic Experiencing Therapy allows for more relaxation and resilience, less physical and emotional pain, greater expansion in the body and more nervous system regulation. As a result, feelings of anxiety can lift and rest with greater ease.
Embracing a New Reality
Overcoming social anxiety may take time. So, be patient and kind to yourself. Celebrate small wins. Set reasonable goals; practice mindfulness, affirmations, and other self-care habits, which are critical for maintaining progress. Building a support network can also provide much-needed encouragement and understanding.
Anxiety Counselling in Olds, AB
Social anxiety is unsettling, but it is also manageable. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Emotionally Focused Therapy and Somatic Experiencing Therapy can help you get to the root of the origins of your social anxiety to help you feel more confident and comfortable in social situations.
At Williamson & Associates, we are eager to help you on this journey. Contact us today if you want to take the first step toward a new, empowered life.