Social Anxiety is Real

Social anxiety is real. Social phobia or anxiety affects up to one-third of individuals with ET, according to Schneider’s study reported in the May issue of Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Whether you’re anxious to walk outside your home, worried about what the girl next to you in class is thinking about your shaking hands or meeting your significant other’s family for the first time, anxiety is real. Having tremors plus anxiety is like wearing your anxiety as a logo on your t-shirt!

Many people with ET experience social anxiety;” a form of anxiety experienced as shyness or a fear of public places, performance, public speaking, social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people. The term social anxiety also is used to describe anxiety brought about by anticipating embarrassment or shame.”

Tremors are impossible to hide when your anxious or emotional. Even after you have calmed down it still takes a moment to let your body relax and for the tremors fade away, if they do. There are often individuals who have so much social anxiety they get to a point where its takes over and they don't want to partake in social outings or gatherings. Besides the obvious physical disability that interferes with writing, feeding, dressing or other activities of daily living, essential tremor often is a cause of embarrassment. Shaking in public makes individuals feel embarrassed, which in turn aggravates the tremor, creating a vicious cycle.

There is no simple way to overcome the social anxiety that can accompany a visible handicap of any sort. In my opinion, the key to overcoming is acceptance and acknowledgment. Once you can accept your condition and learn to acknowledge that only your opinion matters and no one else's; then the social anxiety begins to fade away.

#socialanxiety #essentialtremors #anxietyisreal #justbreathe #essentialtremorawareness #ETawareness #nosimpleanswer #vulnerabilityisbeauty #strengthisbeauty #loveyourself #ET101 #girlwithtremors

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