5 social anxiety comics (& their meanings)

There are many comics that people with social anxieties can relate to in terms of their symptoms, fears, and challenges. Some such social anxiety comics are: 

People with social anxiety have the need to socialize but are held back by their previous episodes of social anxieties. While not all situations might trigger a person in a social situation the uncertainty of its occurrence is overwhelming for the person in its self. Hence even though people with social anxiety might make plans to go out are very likely to cancel it end minute due to their negative thoughts. 

People with social anxiety dread going to social gatherings due to the fear of being rejected, humiliated, or embarrassed by others. These fears might route from familiar situations in the past. People with social anxiety stay away from social gatherings as they feel comfortable and relatively free in their own personal space than in the presence of others. 

People who complain of social anxiety avoid social scenarios due to the build-up of negative thoughts and emotions associated with it. This build-up of negativity triggers a person and makes them feel overwhelmed about their weaknesses and the situation at hand. 

People with social anxiety might avoid social situations but arent happy about the choices and decisions they have to make due to their anxieties. Constant isolation might make an individual feel lonely. As relying on other individuals for emotional support and a sense of love and care can be difficult for those with social anxieties many people with social anxieties depend on other mediums or entities like books for a sense of comfort and support. 

People with social anxiety might find it difficult to share their thoughts and emotions with other individuals unless they are very close to them. Having someone very close to talk to each time might not be possible, hence many people believe in writing their thoughts and emotions such that there is no scope for judgment and humiliation of any sort. 

Individuals with social anxiety might voluntarily give up on many opportunities to avoid social gatherings and the fear of humiliation by others. People with anxiety concerns usually have lower self-confidence and self-esteem due to which they feel they are not capable of achieving their goals while tackling their fears and insecurities. 

Those individuals who complain about being observed by others try and hide from others’ vision. People with social anxiety prefer being under the carpet and not being spotlighted. They usually play the role of silent spectators and usually do not carry out actions that draw much attention to them.

Individuals with social anxiety might feel uncomfortable with unfamiliar people but feel a sense of connection with those they share an emotional and personal bond with. They do not fear being humiliated or rejected by the ones they trust. 

What is social anxiety?

Individuals experiencing social anxiety might feel uncomfortable being in social situations to an extent that it hampers their daily functioning, it’s sometimes referred to as a social phobia.

Individuals consider public spaces as potential spaces of humiliation and embarrassment. Social anxiety affects how a person Interact with the world around them.

Social anxiety can be differentiated from shyness. In that shyness does not affect an individual’s daily life and functioning, moreover shyness is short-lived.

On the other hand, social anxiety is persistent and negatively impacts various aspects of an individual’s life like their ability to work productively or even develop or maintain close bonds with people outside their family.

What are the symptoms of social anxiety?

The symptoms of social anxiety can be both physical and psychological.

The most significant physical symptoms of social anxiety are:

•  Nausea
•  Excessive sweating
•  Shaking or trembling
•  Lightheadedness or feeling dizzy
•  Increased heart rate

The psychological symptoms that individual experiences during a social anxiety attack are:

•  Excessive and intensive worry about the social situation
•  Worrying days or even weeks ahead of an important social event
•  Trying to camouflage themselves in the background all we need to avoid the social situation on a whole
•  The need for intoxication to face a social situation
•  The constant worry of being observed by other people
•  To avoid social contact an individual might also miss out on school or work.

How to manage social anxiety using self-help techniques?

Lifestyle changes

Apart from therapy and medication what works best to manage social anxiety is certain lifestyle changes. These may include:

•  Regular exercises
•  Having a balanced diet,
•  Socializing and talking to people about their anxiety,
•  Journal writing to express and understand one’s feelings and
• Avoiding alcohol or drugs.

Take control of your breathing

It is normal for anxiety to bring about changes in your body, for instance, increased breathing. these changes often make an individual feel uncomfortable.

One can take control of this discomfort by carrying out a few simple steps such as holding one’s breath for two seconds and slowly letting it out through their mouth.

Repeating this step several times until one feels relaxed. This is most effective when one sits down in a comfortable position with their back straight.

 

Carry out progressive muscle relaxation

Research indicates that certain activities such as walking, or jogging can help in killing anxiety. Another effective technique to kill anxiety is progressive muscle relaxation.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves flexing and releasing a group of muscles in one’s body which helps to maintain their attention on the feelings of this contraction and relaxation.

Prepare ahead of situations

It is best advised that people who experience social anxiety must plan ahead of these situations that make them nervous to increase their confidence.

Start small

to kill social anxiety people must start small. In that individuals must avoid big social situations and start with the situation that they are compatible with.

For instance, one can start by going for lunch with friends and family members rather than with a set of individuals that they’re not familiar or confident with.

Push back negative thoughts

One very effective way to kill social anxiety is to focus and work on one’s negative thoughts actively.

Think about the negative thoughts that one has about a particular situation and write them down. Following which the person is required to write down positive thoughts that challenge the negative ones.

Sensory awareness

One’s senses can help them calm down while they feel anxious in any situation. For some people trying to look at photographs that give them a sense of happiness or using a particular scent that can help to distract them from the negative thoughts and reconnect with more positive ones can help to kill the anxiety at the moment.

How to manage social anxiety using other methods?

Like other physical conditions, even social anxiety has different approaches for its management and treatment. Some people might only need a single type of treatment while others might require a combination of approaches.

Some of the ways to manage or treat social anxiety are:

Cognitive-behavioural therapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps an individual to control their anxiety by using strategies like relaxation and breathing. It works on the principles of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a kind of therapy in which an individual is exposed to a particular situation that they usually fear in a graded manner.

It usually starts with exposing the individual to a situation that is least triggering when the individual gets comfortable with this situation introduced or exposed to them with each session individuals become comfortable with a real-life situation that is otherwise anxiety-provoking.

Group therapy

As the name suggests group therapy usually involves two or more individuals who are experiencing similar symptoms and problems.

It is based on the principle that when an individual interacts with other people who are suffering from the same condition or fears they might not feel left alone or isolated.

This kind of therapy also helps in developing and maintaining social skills or techniques to interact with people in other social settings.

 Prescribed medication

Social anxiety can also be treated with the help of medication prescribed by a health professional. There are different types of anxiety medications each with its benefits and side effects.

Online therapy 

Individuals with social anxiety can also seek therapy online. This would involve interacting with the therapist one-on-one over an audio or video call. 

Some individuals with social anxiety might be more comfortable seeking help through this mode than others while in a different case some might prefer face-to-face therapy sessions. 

Conclusion 

Social anxiety and other anxiety-related mental health issues are growing in the population with an adverse impact on various areas of a person’s life due to various reasons. 

Individuals must actively take responsibility for their health and seek help to resolve their anxiety concerns and carry out a functional life to optimize self-growth. 

Citation 

https://www.boredpanda.com/introvert-anxiety-comics-wheresmybubble/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tips-for-living-with-social-anxiety

https://www.ourbetterworld.org/series/mental-health/support-toolkit/anxiety-schizophrenia-mental-health-conditions-explained?gclid=CjwKCAjwk6-LBhBZEiwAOUUDp-UzfypPfEgdAw2kWde-NTdqQRout3YeVuR6TR-zE1bjLWyq7kTEuhoCTSUQAvD_BwE

https://www.verywellmind.com/work-anxiety-4692762