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.
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