5 Tips: How To Fight Social Anxiety

Lack social skills? Feel tongue-tied around people? You could be socially awkward, a condition which may lead to a serious social anxiety disorder. Suchita Parikh-Mundul speaks to experts and finds out ways to stem it ASAP

- Suchita Parikh-Mundul

In a world where the suave and smooth rule the roost, those who are socially awkward, stick out like sore thumbs. The gift of the gab is a coveted social skill and those who don’t possess it are at a decided disadvantage. After all, if you can’t strike up or hold a conversation, you aren’t likely to make a lasting impression—or easy headway—in social situations, and more often than not, will be relegated to the boondocks of people’s minds and living rooms While being a social wallflower is not ideal, being aware of it and fighting it will help you get ahead.

WHAT IT IS

“Social awkwardness occurs when an individual is overly concerned with being judged negatively,” explains Rima Shah, a clinical psychologist based in Bangalore. “It’s a milder form of social anxiety. When the concern magnifies to such an extent that it begins to interfere with daily life, it becomes a phobia, also known as social anxiety.”

WHAT CAUSES IT

Social inexperience

“An individual who hasn’t had enough experience with social situations or hasn’t had enough social training growing up, can develop it,” explains Rima. “Maybe one or both parents are social novices, so there hasn’t been a good enough role model.”

Personality type

“A lot of introverts are socially awkward,” says Tarana Pithawalla, a Mumbai-based clinical psychologist. “Extroverts can be awkward too, but have the ability to ease in and out of social situations—it comes naturally to them. For introverts, this ease itself is what poses a challenge.”

Confidence, or the lack there of