How to Get Support for Social Anxiety

Getting support can be particularly challenging when you've got social anxiety. You want to reach out to people but you're afraid. You know therapy will do you good but you're not sure you can trust anyone. Only by taking these steps can you stop the isolation and loneliness.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Reach out to family members. You may find a distant cousin or aunt also suffers from social anxiety. She may be able to support you in your efforts to overcome the problem.
2. Keep connections with friends. Let them know you're suffering from isolation and loneliness. Call someone once a week and make a dinner or movie date at least once a month.
3. Look for a therapist who specializes in social anxiety. A cognitive behavioral approach, which works on your self-talk and beliefs, is an effective therapeutic method. Another way to help you overcome your fears is to gradually expose yourself to fearful situations.
4. Read about others' experiences. The Social Anxiety Institute has a page with personal stories. You can also sign up for their electronic newsletter and look into their audio therapy series.
5. Find a support group in your area. It's a scary step but you'll reap enormous benefits. A weekly meeting at your local community center of 5 or 6 people will boost your confidence.
6. Visit Google Groups and look for alt.support.shyness and alt.support.social-phobia. Yahoo! has a discussion list called Social Anxiety Disorder Support that's open to anyone.
7. Tap into online resources. Social Anxiety Support offers forums, blogs and chats. Social Anxiety Match is a new site with online and offline events, diaries and a search tool for registered users. (See Resources below.)

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes a combination of therapy and medications is effective, but don't rely solely on drugs.
• Make a project of starting your own support group if your town doesn't have one.
• Don't limit your support network to online interactions.