STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Social anxiety disorder, formerly known as social phobia, affects 7.1% of U.S. adults in any given year, while an estimated 12.1% of U.S. adults will experience the disorder at some point during their lives
- Social mishap exposure practice is a technique that may help; it puts you in the very situations you fear most — such as singing in a public place — in order to help reinforce the notion that nothing catastrophic will happen as a result
- Engaging in acts of kindness, such as doing a roommate’s dishes, was found to reduce the desire to avoid social situations in students with high levels of social anxiety
- Emotional Freedom Techniques, eating fermented foods, aromatherapy, ashwagandha, healthy breathing techniques and avoiding EMFs may also help to lessen anxiety naturally