Tips to deal with anxiety at Christmas: how to get through the holidays
- People with social anxiety disorder dread Christmas parties because they fear being judged or rejected
- There are ways to cope: implement a game plan, set a time limit on your attendance, think of topics of discussion before you get there
The intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, rejected or dismissed in a social scenario is at its worst during this festive time of year.
People with this disorder – social anxiety, or social phobia, as it is sometimes called – may worry about acting or appearing visibly anxious (blushing, stumbling over words, becoming tongue tied), or being cast as stupid, awkward, or boring.
Because of the often disabling anxiety that accompanies social events, they often avoid them completely, and when a situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant anxiety and distress that manifests in physical symptoms, such as a rapid heart rate, nausea, and sweating.
Social anxiety disorder affects around 15 million American adults. The average age of onset is during the teenage years. Minal Mahtani, CEO and founder of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong stresses that social anxiety disorder is not the same as shyness, at all.
Although individuals diagnosed with this disorder commonly report extreme shyness in childhood, “it is important to note that this disorder is not simply shyness that has been inappropriately medicalised”, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.