Health care providers recognize social anxiety as a mental health disorder that affects approximately 7.1% of U.S. adults (National Institute of Mental Health [NIHM], n.d.). Researchers have found that social anxiety has a variety of causes (NIMH, n.d.). Serotonin imbalances, intense family conflict, bullying, or being victim of abuse are just a few of the biological and environmental factors that can play a contributing role to the onset of Social Anxiety (Frick et al. 2015).
A person with social anxiety may experience any of the following symptoms when thinking about or participating in a social interaction:
Physiological Expressions:
- Blushing
- Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Trembling and shaking
- Difficulty speaking
- Dizziness/lightheadedness
- Rapid Heart rate
Psychological Effects:
- Worry (intensely, lasting days-weeks)
- Embarrassment
- Stress or Nervousness
- Missing work
Consequences of untreated Social Anxiety
The immediate consequence of untreated social anxiety is a person limiting their social activities and/or interactions. Other long-term effects of untreated social anxiety can include:
- Development of low self-esteem
- Compounded experiences of feeling not understood
- Feeling that something is broken about him or herself
- Isolation
- Depression
- Developing a negative thinking cycle
- And in extreme cases, an individual can resort to substance abuse, job loss, or suicide (NIMH, n.d.).
Ways to manage Social Anxiety
- Grounding and mindfulness exercises – Practicing mindfulness increases awareness to one’s sensation and thoughts and is important in recognizing the first sign of social anxiety (i.e., blushing, dizziness, etc.).
- Join a support group with other individuals affected by social anxiety.
- Try reading about the experiences of others living with social anxiety. It can be helpful to develop ways to describe one’s feelings. Examples of blogs include Diary of a Social Phobic, Socially Speaking, and Free from Social Anxiety.
- Seek mental health services to develop greater understanding and learning how to live with Social Anxiety in a healthy manner.
What does Bible say about Social Anxiety?
While the Bible does not directly speak about social anxiety, God created us to be social beings and to build connection with other children of God. Our mission inevitably will include building relationships, regardless of the number. We can only exercise and express godly love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8A) through socializing with others. Moreover, we honor God through continual meeting with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). There is an important gift that God has given us to live in fellowship with others, namely to help each other heal and grow.
References:
Frick, A., A ̇hs, F., Engman, J., Jonasson, M., Alaie, I., Bjo ̈rkstrand, Frans, O., Faria, V., Linnman, C., Appel, L., Wahlstedt, K, Lubberink, Fredrikson, M., & Furmark, T. (2015). Serotonin synthesis and reuptake in social anxiety disorder: A positron emission tomography study. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(8), 794-802
National Institute of Mental Health (n.d.). Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness/index.shtml
Social Anxiety Institute (n.d.). What is social anxiety? https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/what-is-social-anxiety
