Social Anxiety Disorder vs Shyness - How to Fix It

Are you Socially Anxious? What’s the difference between social anxiety disorder and being shy? That’s what I’m discuss in this video. I also discuss how we treat social anxiety disorder. I discuss the medications we use in social anxiety disorder.

Exposure therapy is a very effective technique used to treat social anxiety disorder. In this video, I walk you through the technique of using a fear ladder to help you social anxiety.

Recommended Self Help Resources (Includes amazon affiliate links. Clicking these links will not cost you any additional money. Any proceeds go to support the channel. Thank you).

Managing Social Anxiety: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach (Treatments That Work)

Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your
Fears.
References
Weeks JW, Spokas ME, Heimberg RG. Psychometric evaluation of the mini-social phobia inventory (Mini-SPIN) in a treatment-seeking sample. Depress Anxiety. 2007; 24(6):382-91.

Vincent J. Fogliati, Matthew D. Terides, Milena Gandy, Lauren G. Staples, Luke Johnston, Eyal Karin, Ronald M. Rapee, Nickolai Titov & Blake F. Dear (2016) Psychometric properties of the mini-social phobia inventory (Mini-SPIN) in a large online treatment-seeking sample, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 45:3, 236-257,

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[Ll-fgch]

I avoid even talking in class, I am not scared of talking, I’m scared of what people think of me, and I am scared of being wrong.

[yueu]

I get so happy when people leave me alone so i can finally breath.

[jemma]

I wish I could find a friend with the same problem so we can get over it together

[nicolettedidone]

i think my "shyness" from childhood has turned into social anxiety as a young adult

[alextint]

I'm worried about not finding a Job because of social anxiety

[alexandramendes]

I took F’s in class rather than doing presentations y’all. School systems don’t realize social and public speaking anxiety is a real thing.

[jiemurphy]

Having social anxiety and being in this comment section knowing other people go through the same daily struggles as me makes me feel happy knowing I’m not the only one. Don’t worry guys we will get through it! hopefully..

[FoxyWoxy.]

My social anxiety kills me and my family is just like “she’s so shy” “she doesn’t talk much” all of that and to speak to strangers I’m so awkward and quiet and it’s so weird. I hate myself for this 😔

[xyy]

I'm more scared around people i know than to strangers

[teroyselfhelpjourney]

Exposure therapy is what helped me. Everyone called me “shy” and “awkward” and nobody really told me what to do to change that. I don’t think they realized how uncomfortable social situations were for me. They thought I was “just shy” or “just awkward.” I started putting myself in social situations, saying hi to strangers on the street, and speaking in front of groups more often. I got better at it. This is what worked for me. You can change.

[ava-gylr]

every time i try to speak up and talk for once, people go "omg she can talk?" and it really just takes me back to not talking at all. i really wish people would stop doing that to me

[semihat]

It’s genuinely so weird to me to think that other people don’t feel like this all the freaking time 😭

[Filipinoimposter]

I still get that anxious feeling of being judged around friends I’ve known for awhile and it sucks cuz I can never get comfortable

[AileBlancheSH]

I wanna cry just thinking about the steps of this ladder...

[abby-lfes]

I'm so tired of being socially anxious. I just want to feel normal, and not feeling like I am a sore thumb at every social situation I've been to

[olliesfave]

I've been avoiding getting a job for 3 years due to social anxiety/avoidant personality disorder. I feel most anxious when I'm around people who might see me as stupid or incompetent. Telephone conversations are a major trigger 😦

[thecomprehensionhub]

The acronym for Social Anxiety Disorder is S.A.D, how suiting.

[alessadolan]

i had social anxiety, I used to hate being in crowded places/busses, I used to hate talking with people and maintain eye contact, I used to hate going to places alone, I used to hate going on my bike and ride to school/home. but I found a way to cure it and it genuinely helped. I forced myself to go to crowed places, I forced myself to talk to others, I forced myself doing phone/video calls, I forced myself asking strangers questions, I forced to go on self dates. and it really worked, I'm still training myself and I got more social and way more confident and I'm proud of myself.

[slister]

This disorder has influenced every single important decision that I've ever made in my life, from my choice of profession to the person I married. I had fear of writing and eating in front of others, which was extremely inhibiting. I had dreams of becoming a professional singer and musician, but the stage fright was unbearable. So I became an engineer (to please my father) and couldn't handle the meetings and presentations. Finally I settled on being a homemaker and mother, instilling confidence in my children and finding joy in their achievements. One is a professional singer/songwriter and musician and the other is a software engineer (and also an accomplished musician). I was honest with them about what held me back, and I did everything I could to help them overcome their fears. I'm 65 now, and have considerable regret for the things that I allowed this disorder to prevent me from being and doing. My only solace is in the knowledge that I brought two amazing human beings into the world.
Back in the 70s when I first started having unreasonable fears, nobody had defined this as a disorder (as far as I knew) and my parents were against any kind of psychological treatment. I couldn't talk to them about what was happening, and thought I was the only person in the world with this terrible problem. And I couldn't tell anyone! It was my shameful secret that I carried for years, until around my early 30s when I finally sought help. I was astonished to discover that I was not the only one with this disorder and that there was a name for it - social phobia, or as it's now called, social anxiety disorder.

[joannekerr]

Exposure therapy is the only way I was able to overcome my social anxiety. I was selectively mute as a child and a very socially anxious teenager. My Mom would do things with me like practice making phone calls or pretending to go to the dentist and checking in with the receptionist. Then after practicing with her for a while she would make me go and actually do whatever we'd been working on. I'm still a shy introvert and sometimes still very anxious at large parties or events but I am now a successful business owner and mostly normal person😉 able to function daily without debilitating anxiety. Thanks Mom!!!