Social interaction is a very important part of life. But what should we do when some people are afraid of social interaction or even suffer from social phobia?

What is social phobia?

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, is a neurosis. The "Chinese Classification Scheme and Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders" defines it as excessive situational fear, that is, the individual is afraid of being examined in public performances and social situations, afraid of making a fool of himself, and behaving embarrassingly. But you don’t have to be anxious about social interactions to be diagnosed as social phobia. Depending on the severity of anxiety, it can be divided into social anxiety and social phobia.

Social anxiety; when going out to eat with friends or hanging out with unfamiliar people, she often blushes, becomes stiff, and is at a loss; she greets unfamiliar people and reaches the point of saying "Have you eaten yet?" , usually feeling very awkward and uncomfortable. "Your clothes are so beautiful today." Anyway, it's all kinds of discomfort. But actually this is normal. Just mild social anxiety.

Social phobia; when hanging out with friends, you are always very anxious and feel that your every move is being scrutinized by others. You are so nervous that you may experience tremors, sweating, palpitations, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, etc. physical reaction; I am very afraid of talking to others, and I am afraid that what I say will cause irreparable consequences, so I deliberately avoid such ordinary social situations. This is social phobia. Mild social anxiety helps us release stress, adjust our mental state, and socialize better.

What causes us to develop social phobia?

1. Genetic factors

Psychologists have found that children with social phobia are 3.91 times more likely to develop social phobia than children without social phobia. That said, if you have social anxiety, you can also check to see if your parents have a similar condition. Of course, this is also your chance to address the issue head-on.

2. Life experience

The incidence of social phobia is higher for people who feel lonely, lacking, and abused. For example, physical abuse and emotional neglect in childhood can induce social phobia.

3. Family factors

The family we come from has a great influence on our growth and personality. As far as social phobia is concerned, the mode of getting along with parents, the degree of intimacy, and the way family emotions are expressed may affect our attitude towards social relationships.

4. Personality factors

Social phobia is closely related to personality. People who are introverted, sensitive, self-critical and negative, nervous and perfectionistic may be more susceptible to social phobia.

What to do about social phobia?

1. Improve self-confidence

For patients with social phobia, having good self-confidence is the best way to recover. You should always believe in yourself, encourage yourself, let yourself believe in yourself, and believe in yourself. Everyone in the world is unique and imperfect, so you have to accept your imperfections and don't be defeated by your imperfections. Before doing something, cheer yourself up and believe in your abilities.

2. Relieve stress

Generally, patients with social phobia often feel overwhelmed by social interaction in their lives. If the pressure is too great, you must turn the pressure into motivation and make your life full of motivation to work hard. Everyone has stress, but when faced with stress, you must not escape it, but choose to relieve it. If you encounter stress in your daily life, you can relax by listening to music and watching TV series.

3. Exercise more

Exercise is helpful to improve self-confidence, keep the body and mind in a relaxed state, and is also beneficial to physical and mental health. Exercising more can improve your appearance and make your body lines look better. Most people with social phobia have a sense of inferiority in their hearts and can change others' views of themselves by improving their self-image.

4. Adjust your mentality

Patients with social phobia feel that social interaction is a very scary thing. In fact, as long as they adjust their mentality, they can have different opinions. Although socializing is a very troublesome thing, making friends is also a very interesting thing, so we might as well change our mentality and face things with different effects.