{"id":1465,"date":"2023-04-01T17:38:58","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T17:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intherapy.london\/?p=1465"},"modified":"2023-09-28T16:12:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T16:12:30","slug":"social-anxiety-therapy-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intherapy.london\/counselling-therapy-london\/social-anxiety-therapy-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Anxiety Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Social Anxiety Therapy London<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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You know you’re suffering from social anxiety (aka social phobia) when just the thought of having to meet up with a group of friends causes a mild state of panic. It can affect your sleep, and cause an array of psychological and physical symptoms, like blushing, sweating, memory loss and a complete shutting down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s as many variations of social anxiety, as there are people. Some suffer in large groups, and others suffer when they have to be alone or intimate with just one person. It can be debilitating, and have a serious effect on the quality of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social anxiety disorder is a very common phenomenon, effecting around 5% of the population<\/a>. Women are two to three times likely to suffer from social anxiety than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are effective social anxiety treatments available \u2013 if you need help to overcome social anxiety, please get in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is social anxiety?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Social Anxiety, also known as Social Phobia is an Anxiety Disorder<\/a>. It often begins during teenage years, but can also start during childhood or in later life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety is a normal response to stressful situations, so it would be appropriate to feel social anxiety if you were meeting people for the first time, going on a date or experiencing an unfamiliar environment. This type of anxiety tends to rescind as you become familiar with the situation or get to know the people involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But sometimes the level of anxiety you experience is way beyond you should be feeling for the situation. This is when it’s referred to as Social Anxiety, or Social Phobia \u2013 a debilitating condition which has a serious negative effect on all aspects of you life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social anxiety disorder can affect your relationships \u2013 friends, family and work colleagues. There might be a sense that all eyes are on you, or that others are judging and criticising you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also hold you back from being the person you really are. Self expression can be painful, and it can be difficult to communicate with others about how you feel. It can also limit your ability to reach your creative potential and achieve your life goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone suffering from social anxiety will tend to avoid social situations, social interactions and events, as the fear around attending is heightened. This fear will be felt before, during and after the event, despite the event going well. Social phobia can also lead to substance abuse, in an attempt to increase confidence. Or an over reliance on having the right people or conditions to feel comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, there can be a drift towards isolation, which initially feels safer and less anxious, but can be lonely<\/a>, and trigger depression, mental health issues, and even more anxiety. It can be hard to communicate to others, just how anxiety provoking leaving the house can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“As you come to understand yourself more, your feelings, thoughts and reactions, you’ll begin to see that being anxious is as more a personal choice than an infliction. The power is in your hands.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The psychological symptoms of social anxiety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It’s normal to feel anxious in some social situations, but sometimes the anxiety can become unbearable. If you resonate with anything from the list below, you could be suffering from social anxiety disorder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n