What is the psychological definition of anxiety?
From psychology, anxiety is defined as an anticipatory emotion in the face of a threat or challenge that is believed to happen at some point in the future. We could say that it is a biological mechanism of protection and preservation. This emotion appears when we imagine that something bad or demanding may happen to us in the short, medium or long term. It is easy to confuse it with stress, since it is also a reaction of our organism to prepare for a demanding and/or dangerous event. The difference is that anxiety occurs when there is no real stimulus, it occurs before a stimulus that we imagine ourselves.
What is social anxiety?
Having defined anxiety in the previous question, it is easy to understand the concept of social anxiety. It is the emotional reaction that occurs when we anticipate that certain social contexts are going to pose a danger to us, either for fear of making a fool of ourselves, for not being interesting enough, funny… These anticipations usually lead to avoidance behaviors, for example, keeping quiet during a group conversation, looking for an excuse not to go to a social event, not speaking in public… These behaviors allow us to avoid that imagined danger, however, they also have a very negative emotional impact: self-esteem problems, difficulties to make friends, difficulties to create intimate bonds with other people…
What kind of people usually suffer from this type of anxiety?
As for many other emotional problems, the answer to this question is not simple. It is known that there is a certain genetic predisposition to the development of anxiety problems (not specifically to social anxiety, but to anxiety in general), but the context in which we grow up also has an influence. Thus, people who have grown up with upbringing patterns whose rules were governed by what others said and thought, may have a greater predisposition to develop social anxiety. It is important to note that what I have just mentioned are merely risk factors, not a condemnation. Having family members with anxiety problems or having grown up in an environment like the one I described a moment ago does not mean that we will develop them. In the same way that not having any of these risk factors does not protect us one hundred percent from developing an anxiety problem.
It is said that nowadays there is an increase in stress, anxiety and insecurity, do you think this is true? Do you notice it in your practice?
Absolutely, the demand for psychological help has skyrocketed in recent years. To the stress and worries we already had before, we have been adding more changes in our lives: the pandemic, the economic crisis, the war… and all the side effects they are having on our daily lives. On the other hand, teleworking, although highly recommended and something that all companies that can should offer, has pushed many people to spend day after day at home. While for many this will not be a problem when it comes to getting back together with co-workers, for others it can be a strong pressure, a perfect time for anxiety to take over.
How can anxiety be treated?
Anxiety is one of the most studied psychological processes and for which more empirical evidence exists regarding its treatment. There are different relaxation and meditation exercises, organization of free time, work and / or study… Specifically in the case of social anxiety, social skills, acceptance of anxiety, diaphragmatic breathing… are also trained. The treatment basically consists of providing the person with tools that allow him/her to face those situations that cause anxiety and to see that the consequences that he/she feared so much are not real.
Are there ways to turn anxiety into something positive/productive?
Undoubtedly, it is in fact a fundamental pillar in my way of working. Anxiety arises in situations that are important to us. If by avoiding doing something we feel nothing, it means that the activity was rather unimportant to us. However, if not socializing in the way we would like to socialize causes us great anxiety and discomfort, it means that it is something valuable. Anxiety is, therefore, a signal from our body, which warns us that we have the opportunity to approach something valuable to us, it is a call to action. Changing the value of anxiety from something negative to something positive can be complicated, but it is very important in the therapeutic process and for which the help of a professional is very useful.