Anxiety Counselling Sydney CBD

About Social Anxiety and Where to Go for Anxiety or Depression Treatment in the Sydney CBD

People with social anxiety disorder find that they experience significant anxiety or distress in social situations. Social anxiety treatment in the Sydney CBD can be effective at helping people overcome social anxiety and feel more comfortable at work, with friends, and in other situations they experience on a daily basis. If you feel anxious in social situations, worry about embarrassing yourself in front of other people, or avoid social situations altogether, read on to learn more about how to find help.

What Is Social Anxiety?

It’s normal to feel nervous or uncomfortable from time to time in certain social situations. However, some people experience such frequent or severe fear or anxiety that they tend to avoid social situations altogether, potentially leading to depression. If anxiety is affecting your everyday social life, you may have social anxiety disorder. People with this problem find almost all social situations extremely stressful. Even seemingly simple activities such as eating out, making small talk, or attending work or school can feel overwhelming. You may experience symptoms such as a racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, or nausea that are related to anxiety; you may also feel excessively self-conscious and find yourself avoiding things you want to do because of your anxiety.

What Causes Social Anxiety?

There’s no one clear cause of social anxiety; it is related to a variety of environmental and individual factors. One thing that can exacerbate it is thinking unhelpful thoughts, which only make you feel more anxious. For example, some people obsess about their behaviour in social situations, feel convinced that others will notice that they are anxious, or worry excessively that something embarrassing will happen. These thoughts reinforce the person’s negative belief system, perpetuating the problem. Avoiding social situations also isn’t helpful because you never have a chance to see that your fears are unfounded.

Social Anxiety Treatment in the Sydney CBD

If you can identify with the above symptoms and feelings, the first step is to seek social anxiety treatment in the Sydney CBD. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is often an effective treatment for social anxiety. We base this treatment on three things.

• Education—learning about your social anxiety symptoms and what triggers them
• Changes in thought patterns—identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts that worsen social anxiety
• Changes in behaviour—instead of avoiding social situations, this step involves exposing yourself to a social environment that you find stressful to see that the things you fear probably won’t happen.

Seeking help for social anxiety can be difficult because therapy itself is a social situation. However, mental health professionals understand what you’re going through and know how to help you feel at ease. If you are ready to seek real solutions to your social anxiety issues, contact Tom Gross, psychologist, for an appointment. Tom Gross has over 30 years’ experience providing social anxiety and depression treatment in the Sydney CBD and has expertise in other areas such as addiction and relationship counselling as well. Stop letting social anxiety hold you back – book an appointment with Tom Gross today.