Which are some social anxiety documentaries?
By
OptimistMinds
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This blog answers: Which are some social anxiety documentaries? What is social anxiety? What are the signs and symptoms of social anxiety? How to manage social anxiety using self-help techniques? How to manage social anxiety using other methods?
Which are some social anxiety documentaries?
Some documentaries on social anxiety are:
This documentary features people with social anxiety from all sorts of backgrounds. It’s a candid look into their lifetimes and how they’ve managed to deal with the disorder over time.
Laura Mvula, a singer-songwriter, investigates why Generation Y people born between the 1980s and 1990s are more prone to developing social anxiety.
She discusses her own life experience with panic attacks and anxiousness in this BBC Woman’s Hour special.
To better understand their experiences with mental health, she interviews author Eleanor Morgan, author of Anxiety for Beginners: A Personal Investigation, and reporter Bryony Gordon, author of the memoir Mad Girl.
This forthright movie portrays what it’s like to live with anxiousness. It showcases people who experience anxiety and how they were able to restore it through treatment options.
The documentary also brings hope to those suffering from stress who do not believe there is assistance available.
This one-hour documentary explains what anxiety is, what provokes it, and what we can do to combat it. The filmmakers’ goal was to raise understanding about anxiety and how we can begin a discussion about it.
The film includes discussions with children and adolescents who have experienced or are experiencing anxiousness and how they have dealt with it.
Also, there are specialist interviews and beneficial tools to assist people suffering from anxiety.
Some other documentaries focusing on various elements of social anxiety which can help individuals to cope better are:
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 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.
In addition to these individuals with social anxiety may avoid social interactions such as asking another person a question when in doubt, potential job interviews, shopping, using public services like transport or washrooms, carrying out activities in public such as speaking or even eating in that matter.
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 whom 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 this 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 disorders 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
According to the ADAA, about 36% of people with social anxiety don’t speak to a healthcare provider until they have had symptoms for at least 10 years.
People with social anxiety disorder may depend on drugs or alcohol to cope with the anxiety triggered by social situations, however, these can be looked at as temporary solutions while people must seek permanent solutions like therapy and medication for optimal results.
Frequently Asked Questions: Which are some social anxiety documentaries?
Why do I have social anxiety?
Anxiety and other related conditions like social anxiety can be due to negative past experiences like abuse or bullying or even overcontrolling parents can be a part of an individual’s personality where they are predisposed to a shy nature and later become anxious adults.
How do I not let social anxiety ruin my life?
Some strategies that individuals can try to maintain their lives while suffering from social anxiety are:
- Do not hesitate in writing for us to help
- One must become their own advocates
- set achievable goals
- focus on one’s health and prioritize it
- keeping a journal could help regulate one’s feelings and reflect on them overtime
What happens if social anxiety is left untreated
Be it physical or mental conditions when left untreated might lead to irreversible and extreme damage to an individual. Similarly in the case of social anxiety negligence of which might lead to depression, isolation, or other anxiety disorders.
Citations
https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tips-for-living-with-social-anxiety
https://www.verywellmind.com/work-anxiety-4692762
https://www.women.com/lizvazquez/lists/social-anxiety-documentary
Was this helpful?
Take Control of Your Anxiety Today: Personalized Counseling with BetterHelp
