What Is The Cause Of Social Anxiety
Disorder?

I will talk more below about possible cause of social anxiety disorder below and social anxiety help but first of all there is nothing wrong with you wanting to be alone.  There are several personality types which prefer being alone as opposed to being social and around other people.

What you probably notice is a fear, phobia or panic whenever you have to interact in a social way.  If that is what you experience then there are things you can do to become more comfortable.

Cue Alcohol

Why do you think alcohol is so prevalent whenever two or more people meet?  Very few people are comfortable, and I mean very few.  Maybe in a room of 100 people 5 might feel energized and excited about interacting with the people there, the other 95 will be in various stages of ‘I hate this, I am so self-conscious, I don’t know what to say, I am so boring, why can’t I be like everyone else, I am crap’ etc.

Having said that, we are social creatures and notice that one of the worst punishments incarcerated people suffered was to be put in solitary confinement. After a while of no interaction it becomes torturous to the mind.

So for now my first bit of advice is claim your individual make-up with pride and say to yourself and the world, ‘I am designed to enjoy my own company more so than social interaction and that is the way I am’.

Guess what. The thoughts you have about caring what other people think are the same thoughts that other people are having. Everyone walks around all day wondering what other people think of them. Did you realise this? People are consumed with thoughts about how they are perceived, not about you.

Tongue Between Your Teeth

Go out one day with the specific intention of watching people. People may look at others but they are really looking to see who notices them. It validates them as attractive or worthy.

Sit on a park bench or mall seat, lean back, head up and gently hold your tongue in between the top and bottom teeth with your lips closed (all this triggers the nervous system to be more relaxed and confident) and watch how little people notice you.  When they do they will be looking to see who notices them.

Let people think what they want. In actual fact you are projecting onto people the thoughts you have about yourself.  If you dislike yourself and feel unworthy it is far easier for the ego to project these outside onto other people.  It really does seem like other people are thinking these things to your mind but in reality these thoughts originate within you. You have no idea what others are thinking and that is their stuff to deal with anyway.

This projection is a common way the mind feels a bit better believe it or not and so this might be a major cause of social anxiety disorder.

It Is All You

The important point is to see that all these thoughts are from you. Once you see it is all starting and ending in your mind you have a little more power to change your experience.  You can stop believing all the things you think others are thinking and just be there, in the moment, without expectations or pressure on yourself to be funny or interesting or clever or whatever you think it is people want from you.

Regardless of the cause of social anxiety disorder you can overcome it by seeing through to the truth of what is going on within your mind.