You want to have a fun and vibrant social life in Manhattan (NYC). But Social Anxiety keeps getting in the way.
What are the symptoms of Social Anxiety?
Avoiding social situations.
Fear of acting in an embarrassing or humiliating way.
Fear that other people will see you as stupid or inadequate.
Excessive worry.
Constant fear of rejection.
Irritability and feeling on edge.
What causes Social Anxiety?
We know that when anxiety is at a moderate, optimal level, it’s actually performance enhancing. But when we get too anxious, we avoid ("flight"), become irritable and argumentative ("fight"), or if it becomes too overwhelming, we freeze up.
Social Anxiety is what happens when we treat other people and social situations like a constant threat we need to avoid. We use avoidance to manage our social anxiety, and in our minds that’s how we project ourselves from rejection or embarrassment.
What we don’t realize, though, is that if we keep avoiding things that make us anxious, we actually become more sensitive to anxiety, so that even things that didn’t bother us before start to get overwhelming. Anxiety starts to take over your life.
How does therapy for Social Anxiety help?
I’ll help you change how you think about yourself in social situations, face your anxiety, and communicate with others more effectively. Over time, this makes your anxiety less overwhelming.
That way, you can get out there and start living your life.
Social Anxiety, like other anxiety disorders, is treatable and responds well to treatment. Left untreated it can have a longer lifetime prevalence.
I know reaching out can be overwhelming, but don't let anxiety keep holding you back. If you're in Manhattan (NYC) and are looking for help, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out to me below, and let’s get started.
