Sociophobia is an intense disorder that people suffer in socially significant situations. They are afraid to take actions that require them to make a decision.
Fear of falling into a stupid situation, fear of condemnation of others and simply that they may become an object of general attention, creates in sociophobia panic fear, which is constantly progressing. Constant worries about phobia lead to the fact that it becomes an integral part of life, and sometimes it begins to take up all your free time, thereby further excluding a person from public life. Therefore, urgent treatment of social phobia sometimes becomes necessary.
Sociophobia: symptoms
The main symptom of such a psychological illness is the fear that people around will negatively assess the person or relate to him. Most often, this leads to a reclusive way of life and complete isolation of oneself from society. Even near and dear ones become one of those whom the sociophobe is afraid of.
If a person with sociophobia appears in your environment, the following symptoms may occur:
- Increased anxiety in standard behavioral situations.
- Fear of judgment from other people.
- Fear long before a real, complex, or hopeless situation arises .
- Fear that others may notice your fear.
- Accelerated heartbeat.
- Fast breathing and constant shortness of breath for no apparent reason.
- Trembling limbs.
- Intermittent voice.
- Feeling nauseous.
- Redness of the skin.
- Increased sweating.
- Dizziness.
What are people afraid of social phobia afraid of?
This disease leads to the fact that people begin to fear the most mundane things that each of us faces daily. For example, it could be:
- Job interview.
- Date.
- Business meeting with business partners.
- Communication by phone.
- Conversation with a leader or with a teacher (i.e. with a more authoritative person).
- Wedding, birthday and other parties.
- Camping in a public toilet.
- Public speaking to a large audience.
In addition, the sociophobe can gather for weeks with courage, just to go to the grocery store. Any crowded places terrify him.
Fear of condemnation may ultimately lead to deeper phobias. Obsessive thoughts gradually begin to take on a brighter color and can literally drive a person crazy.
How to help a person suffering from social phobia
If the symptoms of one of your loved ones began to manifest, you should be patient and act gradually, deciding how to get rid of social phobia. Such people need first of all not to stop being afraid, but to begin to feel more confident. To do this, you can artificially create a situation in which you find yourself in an uncomfortable position. Seeing your calm reaction, the sociophobe will gradually become aware that if you feel uncomfortable, this is absolutely normal.
How to cope with social phobia yourself
American psychologists have developed six basic ways that can help you overcome this disease on your own. So, sociophobia: treatment alone. Where to begin?
- Start reading books that offer a series of exercises to overcome social fear.
- Learn to rest not only with your body, but also with your brain. This can help breathing exercises. However, it is worth remembering that too frequent training for inhalation-exhalation can disrupt the functioning of the heart, so it is worth doing them no more than several times a day.
- Write a list of 15 situations that you are most afraid of getting into. Moreover, when compiling the list, give each individual item a rating of 0 to 10, depending on how scary it is for you.
- Try to play each of the written situations in your head and find a logical explanation in which you will not look silly or ridiculous. Imagine that one of your friends was in a similar problem and think about how you would react to this, if you would condemn him or laugh.
- If none of the methods helps, you can make an appointment with a specialist who will develop a number of special exercises based on your characteristics and behavioral signs.
Treatment of sociophobia
Psychotherapy is by far the most effective treatment. Nevertheless, one does not have to wait for a quick result, since the specialist needs to consider all aspects and possible causes of the disease.
In rare cases, when visits to a psychotherapist do not help, you can try a more serious medication for social phobia. Now there are many drugs that help fight many more serious phobias. The problem is that if you stop taking the pills, the symptoms will come back. Therefore, it is important to understand the causes of sociophobia and get rid of it once and for all.
Sociophobia test
In order to identify problems with society, it is worth passing a test drawn up by psychotherapists. The standard version contains a description of 24 different social situations. After examining each of them, you give her a point from one to four. The higher the end result, the deeper the disease sits and the faster it is necessary to begin treatment of sociophobia. During the test, it is important to be rational and respond sincerely.
Finally
Sometimes psychological diseases are more far-fetched than real, so before you get rid of social phobia, first determine that you really have it. If you are afraid to go to a party or answer a rude seller in the store, this does not mean that you have any psychological deviations, rather, it is a sign of modesty, and not serious problems.
Be that as it may, sociophobia is a disease that comes from the head, from thoughts and fears, so it can be cured in the same way. It is important to remember that fear is normal, as it is a completely natural human feeling. Everyone is horrified by something: someone is afraid of sharks, some of spiders, some are afraid of heights or enclosed spaces. Stop concentrating on what you fear and focus on what you like or do well. A growing sense of confidence, support from family and close friends will help you through any test.