Coping with Social Phobia

Emily, 22, shares her experiences of living with social anxiety, and explains how she was eventually able to overcome it. 

Struggling with social phobia

Emily shares how terrified she was of school and being in a classroom around many of her peers. Even the idea of school caused her anxiety. She describes her experience as a gut-wrenching, sweaty, painful experience. She was constantly scared, which made her sick, causing her even more anxiety because she did not want others to see her in such a state. This is how she developed her social phobia.

Talking to someone

The problem for Emily was that she did not want to admit the effects that came with her phobia. Even if she told someone, she made it seem less of a problem than it actually was. The one thing she would change about her past is talking to someone without alleviating her problems.

Avoidance doesn’t help

Emily mentions that she fell into the trap of avoidance as well – she ignored or neglected everything that caused her anxiety. In the long run, she realised that avoidance simply gave her even more anxiety. The solution she found helpful was exposure hierarchy, a method used to list everything that causes one anxiety, in order. She recommends consulting a professional before doing this.

Breaking the cycle

After starting university, Emily made a decision to break her cycle of anxiety. With the use of progressive muscle relaxation and breathing techniques, she was able to drastically reduce it. She is now able to stay calm when surrounded by hundreds of students, and knows when and how to ask for help.