Social Anxiety on Long Island | Treatment and Support in Nassau County
Social anxiety is more than shyness. It’s an overwhelming sense of anxiety in social situations, often with both physical and mental symptoms that make the very idea of being social something that causes fear and stress.
We as human beings thrive on social interactions, and when you struggle with social anxiety every component of your life tends to suffer:
- It’s hard to create and maintain relationships
- It’s hard to move up at work
- It’s hard to have exciting experiences
At Long Island Psychology, our therapists are available to help you work through your social anxiety challenges and find more confidence and positivity in social situations. If you are in need of a social anxiety therapist on Long Island, contact us today at (516) 732-0273.
What Does Social Anxiety Look Like?
It’s not uncommon to find yourself with some anxiety in social situations, even if you do not have “social anxiety.” Most people, for example, feel nervous when starting a new job or having to give a public presentation, as these represent more significant social situations in a person’s life.
Social anxiety manifests differently. Those with social anxiety may experience moderate to severe anxiety in most social situations, including situations that would not otherwise warrant more severe anxiety. If the social anxiety is more severe, the individual may have severe stress, negative self-talk, or even panic attacks when faced with social settings.
Signs of social anxiety usually, but not always, begin to show in the early to mid-teens. Social anxiety can be mild to severe. Some people are able to manage their social anxiety well enough to enjoy some social situations but it is a constant struggle, while others may find that they have difficulty in all or most social settings. Example symptoms include:
- Self-Consciousness
- Fear of Judgment
- Avoiding Places Other People Are or Will Be
- Embarrassment
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Blushing, and more
One of the most difficult aspects of social anxiety is the fact that these symptoms can sometimes exacerbate each other. For example, you may be sweating as an anxious response to meeting someone new, then worry that the other person will notice your sweat and think badly of you for it, causing you to sweat even more.
Social Anxiety Risk Factors
There are many reasons someone might develop social anxiety. Social anxiety does not always have a clear cause that can be identified. Some potential cause of social anxiety include:
- General Anxiety – Those that struggle with other forms of anxiety may find that it leaks into their social experience.
- Family History –Those with parents, siblings, or extended family who have social anxiety are more likely to develop it themselves.
- Negative Past Social Experiences – Experiencing bullying, abuse, or some other form of trauma related to social relationships can put one at greater risk of developing social anxiety.
- Poor Self-Esteem – Those that struggle with poor self-esteem may find that they become more anxious in social settings.
These are only some of the factors that can lead to the development of social anxiety. Each individual may have their own causes and contributing factors.
How We Treat Social Anxiety At Long Island Psychology
Long Island Psychology is one of the leading choices for therapy for social anxiety on Long Island. we have three offices available that we can travel to for your convenience, with one in Garden City, one in Rockville Centre, and one in Roslyn Heights. Our goal is to make sure that you have the cognitive and behavioral tools you need to feel more confident socially.
We want to help make sure that you can enjoy social experiences on your own. While some people try to “fix” their anxiety by avoiding situations that may cause stress or by self-medicating with alcohol and other substances, it is our goal in therapy to provide you with long term solutions.
For many, addressing social anxiety isn’t about finding a way to keep you from ever experiencing these overwhelming emotions again. It’s about finding ways to deal with them when they come up over the course of your life, and reduce their severity so that you can enjoy social situations.
Social anxiety can be all consuming, and when you are struggling with social anxiety in the Long Island area, it’s important to seek help. In our psychotherapy practice, we can work with you on developing the skills to control your social anxiety as well as the tools to branch out socially, and as you start to grow, we can help work with you on confidence and self-esteem to help you continue to make progress.
We use Dynamic Experiential Learning to approach your social anxiety treatment, which involve components of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic theory, and positive psychology to give you the tools that you need to overcome your social anxiety and the self-doubt you experience when you’re out in public. We’ll also show you how to control the symptoms of social anxiety, and the panic attacks that may affect you in social situations.
Your Greater Long Island Social Anxiety Psychologists
With offices in Garden City, Roslyn Heights, and Rockville Centre, we are within a short drive of many areas on Long Island, such as Westbury, Oceanside, Merrick, Great Neck, Roslyn, and Floral Park, and if you’re struggling with any type of anxiety, including social anxiety, it’s important that you start making progress as soon as possible. Call us today at (516) 732-0273, and let’s start working towards a more social future.
