Walking in a Holidaze: Overcoming Social Anxiety During the Holidays

The holidays can feel like a nightmare for someone with social anxiety. Shopping in a crowded store, participating in events, and going out for supplies and gifts during COVID-19 is enough to drive anyone to stay indoors snuggly wrapped in a blanket of anxiety.

However, once you understand social anxiety, you can overcome its symptoms to improve your quality of life. It is a common condition that has thrived during the pandemic quarantine as more people stayed home, even working from home and using virtual schooling resources.

As the holidays slide into the end of the year, more people wish to resume their regular holiday schedule, only to find themselves up against a wall; the creeping, suffocating sensation of panic and the piercing eyes of judgment from both friends and strangers.

During a time of the year when everyone seems to be out running errands, buying gifts, and trying to have parades and Christmas concerts safely, someone with social anxiety is fighting the urge to run away and hide. They might be aware that the fear is irrational, but that does not make it seem any less real.

What is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety is a treatable mental health disorder. Someone with social phobia experiences irrational thoughts and behaviors and possibly panic attacks when confronted with a social setting. This can include a trip to the grocery store, a child’s high school graduation, or a Scout meeting; whatever the event or gathering, the person feels as if they might experience embarrassment, humiliation, judgment, or worry they will offend someone.

The person might feel fear, a state of depression, or nausea even before they have arrived for the event. They may break out into a sweat, have heart palpitations, or get dizzy. The symptoms range from psychological to physical, the more severe the condition.

Those with social anxiety might appear shy or aloof by outsiders, but they try their best to hold it together. It is common for a person with social phobia to retreat to familiar and comfortable surroundings, isolating themselves from the world.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. More than 200,000 people in the United States each year are diagnosed with social anxiety. The condition can last for months, years, or a lifetime. You can overcome the fear with therapy and treatments, but you need to take the first step.

Common Treatments

The most widely used social anxiety treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, and prescription medications.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This form of therapy is standard for treating many different types of mental health conditions. The therapist may ask the person with social anxiety to record their thoughts during a stressful social event.

By analyzing these distorted thoughts, the therapist and the patient can identify and then change the perspective from negative to positive thinking. The patient learns how to control their thoughts and behaviors and eventually create new coping mechanisms in a social setting.

Psychotherapy – Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy. Therapists use this treatment in most mental health conditions to help the patient uncover, identify, and reframe problematic thoughts and behaviors. Depending on your situation, your therapist may recommend individual sessions, family therapy, or group therapy.

Prescription medications – Common medications used to treat social anxiety include antidepressants, SSRIs, and sedatives. Antidepressants work to balance the chemicals in the brain to stabilize mood and emotions. SSRIs are a class of drugs that increase serotonin levels in the brain while sedatives slow down brain activity.

A word about prescription medications: Always consult your physician and pharmacist about drug interactions and side effects before starting a new medication. Never stop a medication suddenly without the permission of your doctor.

Tips for Overcoming Social Anxiety During the Holidays

The weather outside might be frightful, but you do not have to feel embarrassed or nervous about being around many people this season. Try these six tips to help you navigate the holidays:

Analyze your response to social situations

Before you can overcome anxiety, you need to recognize the triggers and your response. The aim is to change either the trigger or your behavior towards it. Do you feel embarrassed, nervous, or “less than” in a crowd of people? Do you think that others are talking about you? Do you worry that other people may take offense to the way you dress, smell, or behave? Where did these thoughts originate?

Often, we take another person’s behavior (albeit incorrect behavior) and use that as confirmation of a false belief. For example, if a student in school is made fun of for the way she dresses, as an adult, she may believe that other people are laughing behind her back because of her appearance. This belief can make her leery about going out into public again or trusting new acquaintances.

Serve others

Frequently, anxiety is rooted in self. Try to take the focus off yourself while out. Perhaps serve others in a social setting or find a seat where you can enjoy the entertainment without feeling like people are looking at you.

Some people will take a seat in the corner towards the back of the room to see everyone. This is a tremendous stepping-out point; do not allow yourself to stay in the corner. We want you to overcome social anxiety, not stay stuck.

Boost your self-confidence

Low self-esteem wreaks havoc on people with social anxiety as these beliefs become truth. However, this “truth” is not reality. Are there things you can do to boost your self-confidence? Do you need to shed extra weight for health reasons? How about your diet? Is it healthy or full of junk food?

Do you exercise? Exercise can give you a boost in the brain chemicals responsible for that sensation of happiness. Would you move with more confidence if you got a haircut or a new hair color? A new outfit for an event? These suggestions may sound trivial, but you walk differently when your confidence is high.

Take time to breathe

The holidays are a busy time of year. On top of that, with the recent pandemic, you may be trying to outdo yourself for your family to make this year’s celebration special. Slow down and breathe. Before you get the day started or enter a social gathering, practice breathing deeply.

Inhale through your nose and relax your muscles as you let that breath out through your mouth. Imagine all your worries and frustrations leaving your body. If you have not tried meditation, consider giving it a chance. You can find short meditations to stream online and through digital apps.

Talk it out

Have you ever imagined a stressful situation before you entered a social setting? More than likely, whatever scenario you imagined is not going to come true. Enlist the help of a trusted friend or family member to discuss your fears with whenever the anxiety starts building. This person should be nonjudgmental but truthful enough to help you see you through their eyes – a beautiful creature created by God Himself with a purpose.

Slowly get back out there

It is easy to retreat in our homes after recent events. However, we cannot experience growth in any area of our lives if we stay hidden. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 (NKJV), “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

You were created to shine. You can overcome social anxiety one step at a time. It will take moving beyond your comfort zone a little more and asking for help when you need it.

Social anxiety can be tough to overcome on your own. A faith-based counseling center can help you not only learn techniques in getting the anxiety under control but helping you to draw closer to the One who heals, Jesus Christ. Contact us today for an appointment with one of our professional therapists.