One of the hardest parts about social anxiety is the feeling you are the only one with these struggles. It actually feeds into the disorder quite well. It is a story that many of us with social anxiety tell ourselves.
There is a strong relationship between social anxiety and bullying. Research has shown that a clinically significant amount of people with social anxiety have experienced bullying. Often children have a genetic predisposition to anxiety, but environmental stressors, like bullying, blossom that genetic seed.
Social anxiety and shyness are not the same. Yes, many people with social anxiety also struggle with being shy, but one is not the other. People struggling with social anxiety (myself included) have the fear of judgment, criticism and rejection. We are consumed with what people think, if we belong and how we fit in. Some people with social anxiety are shy, but many are not. In this week’s YouTube video I talk about the difference between social anxiety and shyness.
The fuel that grows our child’s social anxiety comes from the assumptions they make. Sometimes it isn’t the social interaction itself that is the struggle, it’s what they tell themselves afterwards that can be immobilizing. In this week’s YouTube video for kids and teens I discuss a common behavior that grows social anxiety and how they can avoid doing it.
Social anxiety shows up differently for each person. Social anxiety is about the fear of rejection, criticism or embarrassment, but it goes much deeper than that. The core fear can be different for each person. I am raising three kids with social anxiety and have social anxiety myself. However, our core fears are all different. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll explore the many faces of social anxiety and how to craft effective social anxiety exposures based on those fears.
We don’t get rid of our anxiety or OCD. We can make it super small. We can make it insignificant in our lives. But the whisper of anxiety or OCD is often still there. I like to look at my own social anxiety as a daily practice. It is a daily practice how I show up to the annoying whispers of “you are not enough.” It is a daily practice how I show up to the pleads to avoid uncomfortable situations. It is a daily practice to walk towards the things that overwhelm me with my head held high. In this week’s Youtube video I am talking to kids about my own social anxiety and what I do on a daily basis to keep the beast at bay.
How to Help Our Kids with Social Anxiety Social anxiety isn’t about being an introvert. It isn’t about being shy. Yes, those attributes can coexist with social anxiety, but it doesn’t have to be present. Social anxiety is about the fear of rejection. It is about the concern that others will judge or criticize you. When we have social anxiety we let others define us. […]
How to Help a Child with Social Anxiety This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Social anxiety isn’t about not being able to make friends or keep friends. It is about the overwhelming feeling of judgment, criticism and rejection one feels. In this week’s podcast I chat with my 9 year old […]
What are the Signs of Social Anxiety? It’s Often Not What People Think. Parents often miss the mark with social anxiety. They think it means a timid child, a shy child clinging to their pant legs or a child who lacks social skills. Although a child with social anxiety can have those attributes, that’s not what makes someone have social anxiety. In fact, you can […]
The Solution to Social Anxiety in Kids is Not what People Think I have spent 47 years with Social Anxiety Disorder. It is an ugly, devastating disorder that tears you down from the inside out. It can demolish any shred of self-esteem you have. It can paralyze and isolate you. But the solution to social anxiety is not what most people think. In fact, I […]
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