[Music]

"I constantly feel like i'm being
judged. I don't really like being in
a large group of people or being the
center of attention. Finding a job
has been hard because interviews give
me so much anxiety. I'm worried I'll
say the wrong thing. I don't really
talk in tutorials because I'm afraid
of what others will think if I
say something stupid .It's the same with
the group projects. I feel so awkward,
so i end up saying nothing. I've had
problems with social anxiety and
self-esteem for as long as I can
remember, so making friends has always
been a challenge. I don't think people
understand me. I should be going out
and doing more things but I mostly
stay in my room to avoid people."

Do you get shy or nervous in social
situations? Shyness is often seen as
a part of someone's personality.
However, for some people, their discomfort
in social situations goes beyond feeling
shy. It can make everyday social
interactions really challenging. Social
anxiety disorder involves an extreme fear
of being judged by others in social
situations. People with social anxiety
disorder become so concerned
about embarrassing themselves or
humiliating themselves in front of others
that they avoid social situations where
possible or endure them with extreme
discomfort. Like other forms of anxiety,
social anxiety can be felt physically,
usually before or during social
interactions in the form of blushing,
trembling, a pounding heart, excessive
sweating, dizziness and nausea. Other
symptoms include a fear of being
negatively evaluated by others,
distress, feeling shy when meeting new
people, being quiet and withdrawn in
groups or unfamiliar social settings,
having trouble concentrating in social
situations, and avoiding public
speaking or expressing opinions. Rates
of social anxiety can be as high as
30% in university students. Students
often have to engage with different
people every day. Whether it's a tutor,
a lecturer a barista in a coffee shop,
or a classmate. It's virtually impossible
to avoid social interaction while
studying at university. Because of this,
social anxiety disorder can seriously
impact a student's life, so it's
important to get help.

It may be helpful to understand how
social anxiety works and then we can
try a behavioural experiment. Think of
anxiety like a wave. You may find that
it builds and builds until it feels
like it's taking over. When anxiety
feels intense, our instinct is to escape
or avoid to get away from the thing or
situation that's causing us anxiety.
For people with social anxiety, this
might be avoiding others or leaving
social situations that feel uncomfortable.
But here's the thing, when it's at its
worst, anxiety can't and doesn't last
forever. Just like a wave, it eventually
subsides. When we escape or avoid the
feeling, we never give ourselves the
opportunity to feel our anxiety reduce
naturally. Then the link that's been made
between anxiety and social situations
remains and, in fact, is strengthened.
It can become a vicious cycle.

Now, onto some behavioural experiments
that you can try. These give us the
opportunity to ride out our anxiety in
certain situations until these situations
no longer hold the same power that they
used to. Behavioural experiments can be
really hard, as they involve going outside
our comfort zone. Here's an example.
Think about a situation that might make
someone feel extremely anxious, such as
giving a class presentation. The end goal
might be to get through the class
presentation without feeling extreme
distress. It's important not to try to
tackle the biggest fear right away. The
first step is to start with something
smaller like saying hello to a classmate
sitting nearby. The aim is to do this as
often as is needed to notice a reduction
in anxiety. As the person's confidence grows
in doing this, the next step is to try
something a little harder. Maybe asking a
question or making a comment in a tutorial
discussion. You can see how trying out
these smaller tasks can help someone with
anxiety build confidence to tackle bigger
fears. For more on how to plan these
experiments and how to try it out for
yourself, see the activity attached to
this module. If this feels too overwhelming
to try on your own, talk to a counsellor
or health professional. They can help you
with strategies to tackle social
anxiety.

Thanks for watching.

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