| Social anxiety disorder can be hard to cope with for | | | | them stronger. Avoiding social situations will also lead |
| those suffering from it. At the same time it can be | | | | to the person missing out on opportunities and potential |
| difficult for people to really understand how the person | | | | friends. Because of the reinforcement of the fears, the |
| suffering from social anxiety feels. Many people really | | | | anxiety will grow stronger, and will be harder to beat. |
| want to help the sufferer, by trying to make situations | | | | How to help someone with social anxiety disorder? |
| more comfortable. However, to genuinely understand | | | | If you want to help someone with social anxiety |
| how we can help a person suffering from social | | | | disorder, you should always present the person with |
| anxiety, we need to understand just how this disorder | | | | opportunities to come with you in social situations. The |
| works. | | | | person may reject the first times, but keep being |
| So what exactly is social anxiety? | | | | encouraging and positive. Don't show disappointment or |
| Social anxiety is a form of anxiety problem. It is often | | | | get angry if the person doesn't want to come with |
| referred to as social phobia. People with social phobia | | | | you. This will only lead to feelings of guilt and even |
| are suffering from extreme shyness and are | | | | further fuel the anxiety. |
| extremely self-conscious. Now it is normal to be | | | | Family and friends are the most important healing tools |
| nervous when first meeting someone or asking them | | | | for people with social phobia. I call them tools, because |
| out on a date, but when you have social anxiety, the | | | | just like any tool, they can be damaging if not used |
| feeling of fear gets so intense that they often avoid | | | | correctly. Criticisms, putdowns and lectures do not help |
| the situation altogether. | | | | the person to be more outgoing. They will make the |
| People with this disorder interact normally with family | | | | sufferer feel bad, and will lead to guilt. This may very |
| and friends, but when the meet new people, their | | | | well be what started the anxiety in the first place. |
| extreme fears come in to play. The result is usually | | | | Instead, friends and family should be recognizing that |
| that they go into a tense, muted state, and start | | | | the person with anxiety is in fact suffering from a |
| avoiding situations which may potentially lead to these | | | | disorder that they did not choose themselves. Be open, |
| fears. | | | | encouraging, and congratulate the person when he/she |
| What Are People With Social Anxiety Disorder Afraid | | | | reaches a goal. |
| of? | | | | Finally, I just want to say that unconditional love is the |
| People with social anxiety often fear embarrassment, | | | | key to helping out someone with social anxiety. Don't |
| criticism, making mistakes and being laughed at. Now | | | | stop loving someone or get mad at them for not |
| most people fear these things, but they are not things | | | | wanting to go out. They don't mean to be rude |
| that we constantly worry about. With social phobia the | | | | although it may sometimes seem like they are. Realize |
| fear of these things becomes so strong that it really | | | | that deep down they are really crying out for help, and |
| gets quite irrational. A person with social phobia will | | | | that they are victims of a terrible disorder. But the |
| therefore avoid situations that might trigger this fear. | | | | disorder is definitely curable and controllable, so help |
| Although avoiding situations might seem like a relief at | | | | them with what you can. |
| first, in the long run it reinforces the fears and makes | | | | |