3 Ways Therapy Can Help You With Social Anxiety

Social anxiety affects millions of people across the globe. While some people experience more extreme anxiety than others, it’s never easy to deal with on your own. In fact, it’s nearly impossible. 

Anxiety is manageable and treatable, but that’s just it – it requires you to take a step forward and get the help you deserve. 

Thankfully, therapy is one of the best ways to deal with social anxiety. It can help you take control of your life again and step out into social situations without paralyzing fear or worry. 

Still not convinced therapy is the right solution for your social anxiety? Let’s take a look at three ways it can help.

1. You’ll Explore the Origins of Your Anxiety

Social anxiety stems from something. Understanding the root cause of your anxiety needs to be the first step in actively treating it. 

If you go through life learning management techniques or even taking medication for your anxiety, you’re really just masking the bigger problem. 

Therapy will help you dig deeper and discover the underlying issue(s) that may have triggered your fear of social situations, in the first place. It’s not always easy to dig into those confines of your mind, especially if your anxiety was caused by something that happened in childhood. 

But, by peeling back those layers, you can truly begin healing from the ground up in a safe place, with a therapist who knows how to guide you through it.

2. It Can Break Down Barriers

Therapy itself is a social situation. 

That’s why many people with social anxiety choose not to receive help – they start thinking about being in a therapist’s office and fear takes over. But, there is no better place to start breaking down walls and barriers than in a therapy session. 

Whether you choose to see a therapist in person or through a telehealth session, you can take comfort knowing you’re in a secure environment with one other person. That intimate setting can help you to see you don’t have anything to fear. Over time, you’ll grow more comfortable in that setting, and may be more open and willing to step out into larger environments with more people. 

Therapy is the first swing of your hammer to knock down the walls of fear.

3. You’ll Learn Skills to Last a Lifetime

Throughout the course of your therapy sessions, you’ll learn how to identify negative thoughts and patterns about yourself so you can challenge them. When you know you’re in a safe environment, that becomes easier to do. 

As you start to challenge those thoughts, you’ll learn the skills necessary to build your self-confidence and develop skills that will make it easier to deal with social situations. Some of those skills include: 

• Verbal and nonverbal communication

• Active listening

• Making introductions

Certain types of therapy, such as CBT, can even help you by exposing you to “anxiety-provoking” situations while still keeping you in a safe and secure mindset. This allows you to use mindfulness and the skills you’ve harnessed to take control of your anxiety. It’s a practice of using “baby steps” to help you take control over your fear. 

Whether you're struggling with social anxiety or you've never been officially diagnosed, you don't have to manage your fear and uncertainty on your own. In fact, that's the last thing you should be doing if you want to overcome it.

Therapy might seem overwhelming and intimidating at first. But, it's the best way to learn where your anxiety stems from and how to work through it so you can enjoy social situations in the future. If you're interested in learning more or would like to make an appointment, feel free to contact me.