Social anxiety attack is an attack that can range from uneasiness to terror in certain social situations.
During this panic attack, an individual feels very unpleasant and overwhelmed with fear of the possibility doing something embarrassing.
Physical symptoms of social anxiety attack are chest pain, blushing, sweating, trembling, shaking, dry mouth and so forth.
This disorder can be very dysfunctional and it can cause a great deal of hardship to a person that is suffering from it.
For example, there are individuals that cannot go out and socialize because of a fear that they may embarrass themselves. This leaves them isolated and alone, which causes more problems and emotional pain.
Tom is a 32 year old male that contacted us initially for his internet sex addiction. He was spending most of his time on the Internet searching for sex pictures, videos and other sexual content. One of the things that was eating up his time, was cyber sex and adult chat rooms. In other words, he had a very interactive life on line and was easily able to find a cyber girlfriend.
Tom contacted us because he was about to loose his job over his internet addiction because he was spending most of his work time on cyber sex. Throughout the counseling sessions with Tom, we found out that, his Internet problem was just the tip of the iceberg and that his initial problem was social anxiety that was caused by a traumatic event in his teens.
Interesting thing was that, Tom was looking for help for his Internet addiction online and maybe even more interesting is that he had found us and we have helped him. This has showed us that the Internet can be something negative and positive depending on your choice. What is the Internet to you?
In Tom’s case, the Internet was a perfect place to hide from reality and his social anxiety disorder. Online, he never had a social anxiety attack and he even felt superior and desirable. In other words, the Internet helped Tom to deepen and prolong his disorder and all the hardships that are caused by it.
Tom did not intentionally choose to become addicted to the Internet. However, he did not try to do anything to help himself. Some people that suffer from social anxiety attacks self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Others completely isolate themselves and yet some become addicted to the cyber world.
Experiencing a social anxiety attack can be traumatic to the point that an individual will do anything to avoid any social events. This causes isolation, which in return causes many other problems.
A social anxiety attack can be triggered by any social event such as walking in the street, being in the public transportation or at the party. Therefore, it is understandable why people that suffer from a panic disorder try to avoid any social encounters.
One important thing to know is that individuals that suffer from a social anxiety attack should never be pressured to go out. If they need to be forced to do so, that means that they are not ready.
The good news is that social anxiety is a treatable disorder. Close to 90% of the people that get the appropriate treatment, do get better or cured. Unfortunately, many individuals that suffer from a social anxiety attack never get the appropriate treatment and suffer in silence, which deepens and prolongs their suffering. Do not be one of those people.
Psychotherapy, counseling, medication, natural supplements and other alternative therapies have helped many with their anxiety disorders. Therefore, there is no reason that one of those therapies will not help you.
What you need to do is to find the best therapy that can work for you and make sure that you have constant health professional guidance and support.