Today’s problem of a social anxiety disorder (SAD) has become more amenable to publicity. Many students need to feel the ability to be fully adapted in the educational community, but, sometimes, it is a big challenge to find support from your teacher or even classmates when you have SAD. Still, aspiration to study plays a central role for students with social phobia, so they are ready to overcome many discomforts.
In our article, you can find some recommendations if you plan to start college having a social anxiety disorder. You can see that many things can simplify your learning process and overcome communicative issues.
- Get acquainted with the college values system.
Find out whether colleges have a program to support people who suffer from social anxiety problems. One of the most difficult barriers in education for students with SAD is asking someone for help. Therefore, you can be more acknowledged in easier paths for your educational institution to inform about your issues. For example, it could be a website or a video blog where you can share your questions and get answers online without meeting people. In any case, you can be provided with extra one-to-one therapy meetings or supportive counseling services.
- Find useful online sources.
As it was told earlier, getting online help is essential for people with SAD. By joining The Learn to Live community, you can identify your issue and start cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Dr. Russell Morfitt leads this project, and psychologists talk about the big picture of how social anxiety affects people in college. Knowing that you have reliable assistance from professionals will help you to be more confident in your studies.
- Be ready to study a lot.
With education, SAD students begin to challenge their thoughts. People who are going to college knowing about their social anxiety problems should concentrate on the studying process, writing sociology essays and other types of assignments rather than issues in class. Still, you need to understand that every person is unique, and it is hard to avoid conflicts even between those who don’t have SAD. All these barriers and hurdles to asking for help can stop a person with SAD from receiving studying encouragement. Instead, try focusing on methods to make the discipline to learn more important than your communicative problems. Remember that college life is not only about making friendships but about studying and become the right specialist in a specific field.
- Prioritize your principles.
Everyone should come to the understanding that social anxiety itself is not an unusual thing. It is essential not only for others but also for you to feel how significant your personal well-being is. Try not caring about what others think, going further with your inner strength as a student. Learning problems among students during the studying process, psychologists work on treating more disorders such as depression, stress, anxiety, worry, insomnia, and substance use. Realizing that you are not alone will help you to avoid overthinking others’ perceptions.
- Find someone you can trust.
Usually, people with SAD can communicate with people they trust, so they form an inner circle. Try writing your teacher an email explaining your need for assistance while studying if you don’t know where to start. Consequently, your teacher can be your source to acknowledge your discomfort to be in public. We know it is not easy to share details of your condition, but you need to move your focus more on education than on what others think about you.
- Choose the right treatment method.
If you decide to work with a specialist about your social anxiety disorder, you should discuss proper treatment. It could be CBT, supportive counseling, or medical treatment. On research, the most effective is CBT with face-to-face or online sessions.
Most people who seek counseling for social anxiety will receive assistance provided by compassionate counselors and well-trained therapists. Still, meeting with a provider, processing your week, and getting empathy, support, and encouragement may not be helpful for social anxiety. Medications could be a more effective treatment, and though there are side effects that apply to some people, many of them are helped.
- Reward yourself for great results.
When you’ve decided to pass through CBT or your therapist prescribed your medical treatment, you can reward yourself for small goals. Choose something that can encourage you during the studying process. That may be a little journey to a place where you have never been before or reading a book you wanted to. Try to dedicate time not only for studying but for your favorite occupation. Usually, when people postpone their plans later, they lose the balance of the hormones responsible for long-term happiness. When you reach your goals and treat yourself by walking in your favorite city places or trying new outdoor activities (ice-skating, swimming in the pool, skateboarding), you’ll see how your well-being is developed.
- Set time not only for mental but for physical health.
Our body has a deep connection with the way we think. To build new neural connections, you need to spend more time having physical exercises. Select the one more suitable among various practices such as yoga, fitness, or qigong. Actually, social anxiety can be a useful thing because it can drive you to work harder. Implement it in sports to train your body and brain. Meanwhile, pressure could signal you that there is danger around; try to open it through physical exercises.
- Avoid substance use.
Setting a healthy lifestyle as a rule of your daily routine, you empower yourself to develop your physical condition. Whether you avoid smoking, drinking, and other addictions, you can improve your life and concentrate on more valuable things. Often feeling stressed and socially anxious, you can make a risky choice for your health and vitality. Therefore it is important to focus less on non-stop studying and spend more time doing healthy activities.
- Know the difference.
Social anxiety disorder brings a lot of suffering to people who experience it. Still, there are many ways to feel comfortable with it. If you feel comfortable going somewhere with your mates, there is no problem. Yet, many people don’t know the difference between being shy and having social anxiety. So there is no problem in avoiding conflict, people, ambiguous situations, or overwhelming tasks. Remember that it is always better to rely on a specialist who will never judge you personally and know that you don’t need to care more about others’ feelings.
Improving Your Situation With SAD
Psychology, as a field of study, has been in existence for around 100 years. Thousands of ideas have been generated since then. But people have researched a concept that has been so compelling that it has even be declared as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Just imagine that your performance is related to how much stress you feel for any given task that you do. So the student who has a certain amount of stress is going to try harder in their classes. Same with people who are doing any other occupation: they try to do a better job when they feel a little bit of pressure.
