Where Does Social Anxiety Come From?
Anxiety can take many forms. You might not have anxious, intrusive thoughts 24/7, but certain things can trigger them and make you feel practically paralyzed.
That’s often how it feels for people with social anxiety. You might feel “fine” more often than not. But even the idea of social situations can cause your heart to race and your thoughts to wander to the worst possible places.
Sound familiar?
Social anxiety is very real and can negatively impact your quality of life. But have you ever wondered where it comes from? Getting to the root cause of social anxiety is often the first step toward overcoming it.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at where it stems from and what you can do about it.
Understanding the Difference
Before we can talk about where social anxiety comes from, it’s important to have a clearer picture of what it actually is.
Having social anxiety doesn’t mean you’re shy or antisocial. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to be around people because you don’t like them. Rather, it’s rooted in fear.
Social anxiety causes people to experience a deep, underlying fear of judgment from others. You might constantly wonder if people are saying negative things about you or questioning whether they really want you around. Those anxious thoughts can quickly take over and ruin just about every social interaction you’re involved in.
Social anxiety can cause you to feel nervous, self-conscious, and it can make you struggle with an intense fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.
Poor Self-Esteem
There’s no one concrete cause when it comes to social anxiety. It can come from a variety of internal and external factors, including low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.
When you already don’t feel good about yourself, it’s easy for your mind to give in to a narrative that no one likes you or that everyone is judging you.
Unfortunately, that creates a vicious cycle. The more you feel anxious about what people are saying or thinking, the worse your self-esteem will become. Your core beliefs about yourself can play a big role in how you think others view you. If those beliefs are negative, you’re more likely to feel anxious in social settings.
Genetics and Childhood Experience
Research has shown that if you’re a child of a parent who had/has social anxiety, you’re more likely to experience it, too. However, we can’t know how much of that has to do with genetics and how much has to do with external factors, like how you were raised.
For example, if your parents had an anxiety disorder, it could have impacted how you were raised. You might have seen and experienced the disorder through them, making it more likely that you would adopt those same fears as you got older.
What Can You Do?
Because we can’t pinpoint exactly where social anxiety stems from, the best thing you can do to manage your own is to seek out help from a professional. The good news? Getting to the root cause of your social anxiety will make it much easier to manage and treat it as you move forward.
From there, you’ll be able to take baby steps as you work toward social freedom. It’s possible to overcome your worries and stop assuming the worst—with the right help.
No one deserves to go through life assuming the worst about social scenarios. If you’ve lived in fear of judgment from others and you feel like your life is limited because of those fears, don’t hesitate to contact me for an appointment soon.
