Social Anxiety Therapy for Young Adults in California
Do you experience intense anxiety or nervousness when faced with social situations?
Do you fear being judged or criticized by others?
Are you always worried about making mistakes, looking bad, or being embarrassed in front of others?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you may have a social anxiety.
While it is normal to feel nervous in some social situations, people who experience daily social anxiety tend to avoid everyday interactions that cause them significant fear, anxiety, self-consciousness, and embarrassment.
Learning coping skills in therapy sessions can help you manage anxiety and gain the confidence to improve your ability to interact with others.
People with social anxiety may experience:
- Anxious thoughts: Fear of being judged, rejected, embarrassed, or appearing awkward.
- Feel like they’re in the spot-light
- Physical symptoms: Racing heart, sweating, blushing, trembling, nausea, or a tense body.
- Difficulty interacting: Mind going blank, speaking softly, or struggling to make eye contact and starting conversations.
- Avoidance: Staying quiet, skipping gatherings, or avoiding situations where attention might be on them even when they want to connect.
- Difficulty being themselves around others because they fear being judged by others.
- They may also feel insecure in social situations and replay conversations afterward, focusing on what they think went wrong.
How Does CBT Help With Social Anxiety?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you understand how anxious thoughts, feelings, and avoidance can keep social anxiety going. You’ll practice new ways to respond to anxious thoughts, giving you more choice in how you handle them. Over time, these skills can help you build confidence in everyday interactions.
CBT For Social Anxiety May Include:
- Managing fear of judgment i.e thoughts like “They’ll think I’m awkward.”
- Handling anxious feelings. Practice staying engaged in conversations even when you notice nervousness, blushing, or a racing heart.
- Managing self-criticism and building in self-compassion and grace
- Taking small, manageable steps. Gradually practicing situations you’ve been avoiding, such as starting conversations, speaking up, or following through on social plans or social hangouts.
- Focusing on the conversation. Shift attention toward the other person instead of closely monitoring how you look or sound.
- Reducing replaying afterward. Learn to review interactions more fairly rather than repeatedly searching for mistakes.
- Building tolerance for uncertainty
You don’t have to feel completely confident before taking a step. CBT can help you build confidence through experience and practicing these skills so that you can feel more comfortable and at ease in your daily interactions.
Online Social Anxiety Therapy for Young Adults in California and Florida
I offer online therapy for adults struggling with social anxiety. Together, we’ll work toward goals that matter to you, whether that’s making friends, dating, participating in class or speaking up more at work.