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How do you help someone with social anxiety

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,875,648 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Health & Wellbeing
If they can't go to anything that's optional a lot of the time whether it's social occassions or events or meetings etc and they feel lonely as a result? How can I help a person like that to go to things especially if they enjoy it once they're there.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,875,648 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I could relate your question to one of my cousins who has a social phobia. She doesn't go to parties and family gathering because during a social situation, the feeling of panic and anxiety raised alongside she also trembles and get sweaty. In order for my cousin to alleviate those feelings she had been dependent to ecstasy and other club drugs to boost her confidence and to fit in. Because of chronic use my cousin started to experience paranoia. Our relatives asked for help if there are available drug addiction treatment centers in Connecticut that could give medication to my cousin's social anxiety and substance abuse problem. She has been successfully treated through CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) and anti-anxiety treatment and she was also required to medical intervention and detoxification. There are different cases of social anxiety, so maybe if you consult to professionals they could provide the person you want to help a better support and treatment.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,875,648 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey!
    So I have social anxiety and absolutely hate going anywhere I know I will have to communicate with people I don't know. So I totally understand. This makes me lonely too. The important thing is not to force them to go out. This can often make them want to go out less. Maybe ask them what they are comfortable doing then gradually increasing the amount they go out. Keep talking to us :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,875,648 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi there Ybe7 :wave:

    It's tough isn't it, you want this person to have a good time, but you see them cutting themselves off from the possibility of it. Oftentimes, people rock up to events with low expectations (Im sure we've all been there) think we aren't going to enjoy it, and end up having a really good time - made better because it was unexpected.

    It could be that this person is daunted by the prospect of seeing lots of people they don't know, altogether? It's an overwhelming experience for anyone. Perhaps you could ask them as Becki says, what they feel comfortable doing? Perhaps meeting up with one other person to start with, and then build things from there, as their confidence builds up. Social situations with lots of unknown people in the room, can trigger anxious feelings - and make us want to avoid that situation as much as we can.

    Being there to support this person and help them with their social anxiety is in itself, a fantastic thing to do. Try not to put too much pressure on them to do things that they have a strong aversion to - but suggest things that are more in line with their comfort zone, and see how things go from there.

    Hope this helped you a little bit - let us know how things work out *hug*
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