Two heads are better than one – so goes the old saying. If you’re suffering from social phobia, engaging in a social anxiety support group can be a great help. They say that no one can understand you best than the people who are also going through the same situation.
People with social anxiety disorder tend to seclude themselves from other people primarily because they are afraid of one thing – interacting with other people. Sufferers will spend most of their time inside their room and confined in their own thoughts. What’s terrifying is that their thoughts aren’t all positive. They tend to lose the sense of self-esteem. They feel like nobody understands them and they feel neglected. This condition, when left untreated, can lead to clinical depression which is a severe mental illness that can adversely affect people’s life. Every year, thousands of people in the country alone die from depression.
What is a social anxiety support group?
A support group is a cluster of people who have similar situations. They come together to talk about their problems, experiences, emotions, and beliefs. While most support groups meet in person and on a regular basis, there are support groups that meet through the internet. On a social anxiety support group, people meet for the purpose of attaining individual development and recovery from the said disorder. They are usually headed by a psychotherapist or a person, who has undergone the same situation and has now fully recovered. In an actual support group, each member talks about their life and the experiences which made them develop social phobia, helping one another to cope with their problems altogether.
In a typical support group, each member has a role to play. They offer aid to one another and each has provides various types of help. First, they talk about their personal experiences. Each one makes a suggestion, provides understanding and acceptance of the other’s situation. While social anxiety support system is quite a modern concept, its origins can be traced back to the establishment of fraternal organizations that happened even before the ancient times. An example would be the freemasonry. Before, people who have the same advocacy or cause group themselves together to create some sort of an organization wherein each one will be protected and given the understanding, acceptance, and acknowledgement that are seldom given by the society at large.
One of the key features of a social anxiety support group is interpersonal contact. They make sure that once or twice a week; they will gather around and talk about the recent experiences. They will do some sharing and conversational interaction. For instance, you might be asked to share a very recent experience wherein you felt such anxiety and what were the things you did to cope with it, where you failed, and what you should have done instead. Aside from the regular meetings, support group maintains contact through constant communication via emails, phone calls, newsletters, and online forums.
There are two types of a social anxiety support group. The first one is the self-help group and the other one is the so called professionally-operated group. On a self-help support system, the entire group is managed and maintained by its members. Most of them are volunteers and their group expands by means of referral. Such social groups are also called fellowships, peer-to-peer groups, and mutual help groups. The professionally-operated support group on the other hand, is facilitated and organized by professional therapists who can be psychologists, GPs, social workers, counselors, and all others. The facilitator comes up with a program to be followed by the members. They administer open discussions, sharing, and some activities that will help members cope with their social anxiety disorders. The social anxiety support groups which are run by professional GPs are usually conducted in a designated venue (e.g. clinics, hospitals, rehabs, centers, etc) while the self-help group meetings are done in an informal environment such as the house of one member, restaurants, rented venue, and so on.
Scientific Studies on the Social Anxiety Support System
Research on psychological symptomatology suggests the viewpoint that others can provide needed aid to protect people from the pathogenic effects of stressful events. This particular study was published in the American Psychological Association in year 1986. Until now, experts believe on this theory. This is perhaps the main principle behind the rise of support groups.
Why Do You Need the Help of Social Anxiety Support System?
By becoming a member of a support group, you gain so many benefits by teaching yourself with the right ways on how to overcome your social phobia.
In a support group, you realize you’re not alone.
A lot of people think that they live the most miserable life. If you’re like most people who suffer from anxiety disorder, you will think that you are all alone in this world and you have the worst problem that no one – not even your family or your partner can understand. By joining a social anxiety support group, you will be more open about accepting your condition because you will realize that it is not you alone who suffer. There are so many people, in fact millions of people out there who are also going through the same situation or perhaps much worse situations than yours. As you interact with other sufferers, you will easily relate with them and they’ll do the same towards you. When you know that somebody understands you, you’ll realize that you are not alone.
You develop your interpersonal relationship skills.
Social phobia refers to a condition wherein the sufferer is afraid to interact with other people. When they’re dealing with others, they usually feel tense, nervous, and anxious. By constantly interacting with your peers in a social anxiety support group, you will gradually develop your interpersonal relationship skills. During the first sessions, you might feel awkward and aloof towards them but later on, you will realize that you are starting to share your feelings openly without feeling the anxiety.
You will feel better.
Keeping all the feelings and emotions inside makes you feel bad. By constantly sharing it with your group mates, you will feel better about yourself and about your life. You don’t always have to bear it all on your shoulders. There are people who are ready to listen and understand you. In some anxiety support systems, especially those that are facilitated by professional therapists, members are encouraged to join some activities that are designed to make them feel better b developing their EQ (emotional intelligence). Examples are meditation, hypnotherapy, and counseling.
You will learn.
In a social anxiety support group, everyone is a teacher. You learn from other people’s experiences and on the same time, they learn from you. Each member motivates another and inspires everybody. Through dialogues and the various activities that you will be doing during your peer session, you will learn many things such as keeping your anxiety and stress levels low, dealing with other people, overcoming shyness, and building confidence.
You’re Role on the Social Anxiety Support System
Part of your role is to help yourself. By giving your full efforts, time, and devotion to overcome this problem, you are getting one step closer each day towards a fearless social life – a kind of life wherein you feel no tension or nervousness to express yourself, to be with other people and interact with them. As part of the social anxiety support system, it is also part of your roles to motivate and inspire other people who are going through the same situation by sharing your own experiences and listening to theirs. You can help them in the same way they can help you.
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