It is normal for you to experience some level of nervousness while entering a room full of people who are chatting, laughing, and interacting. Some of us who are naturally shy or introverted may take more time to open up and can experience more discomfort than others. However, if you are grappling
with social anxiety disorder, a common mental health condition also known as social phobia, you may experience a range of thoughts and sensations that include extreme anxiety, intense fear of interacting with strangers as well as known people and worry about embarrassing yourself. CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the most researched and evidence-based therapy that helps in the treatment of social anxiety.
Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder:
Are you constantly preoccupied with thoughts that,
- “People are laughing at me”, and think “I am a joke”.
- “If I say or do anything embarrassing, people will think less of me”.
- “I cannot make any mistakes; else people will make fun of me”. “Any
imperfection is unacceptable”
Common features of social anxiety can manifest as:
- fear of being judged negatively
- feelings of embarrassment and humiliation
- over-analyzing your performance
- avoiding social situations like gathering, public events or even everyday activities including grocery shopping.
- physical sensations such as blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, nausea, or difficulty speaking.
CBT for Social Anxiety
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help you to understand that your thoughts, feelings and behaviors are all connected. In other words, the way we think affects the way we feel, our physical sensations and how we act.
CBT can help you develop healthier behavioural and thinking habits, identify and change negative patterns of thoughts and learn easy-to-implement ways to confront inherent fears. Recent research studies have revealed that CBT can be significantly more effective than that of conventional talk therapy or even medication. And the results are likely to be longer-lasting, as well.
CBT Techniques for Social Anxiety
Identifying Thought Patterns
You may find yourself overthinking about your participation or lack of participation in the social event you just attended and get caught in a repetitive and negative thought cycle. This is called the post-event rumination cycle that can make your social anxiety worse.
Using CBT tools, your therapist can help you recognize and identify these negative thoughts that often involve exaggerated fears of judgment, rejection, or humiliation in social situations. You can then learn to replace these thoughts with more balanced and rational beliefs. The process involved in breaking this unwelcome chain is known as cognitive restructuring.
Behavioral Experiments:
Your therapist can incorporate behavioral experiments, which are practical and hands-on exercises that can allow you to test the validity of your anxious thoughts. For instance, imagine you're grappling with social anxiety, convinced that if you speak up in a group setting, people will judge you negatively. Your therapist might suggest a behavioral experiment like choosing to share a simple opinion or contribute to a group discussion to challenge this belief. This will allow you to actively engage with your fears, test your assumptions, and gather real-world evidence to reframe your thought patterns.
Exposure Therapy
Gradual exposure to different feared social events in a controlled and supportive environment will help you to come out of your shell. Through repeated exposure, you will learn that your feared outcomes are unlikely to occur. You and your therapist will develop coping strategies tailored to your needs to manage your social anxiety.
If you’re interested in learning more about CBT for social anxiety to see if it’s right for you, you can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our therapists today! You can also click on this link to view our highly qualified clinicians, and put your mental health first today.