Society to a Socially Anxious Being
Imagine performing on stage. Mid performance, you suddenly notice the dark auditorium around you. And realize that hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking straight at you, expecting something… This is how a socially anxious or awkward person sees the world and cringes at the thought of the spotlight constantly flashing on him. For them, every day is a struggle.
Did you have any idea that approximately 15 million adults in America suffer from social anxiety disorder today? Digest that! According to World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 3 people globally suffers from one kind of anxiety disorder or the other, which may also include social anxiety.
I believe social anxiety in particular and other anxieties, in general, are essentially results of the society we grow up in. Every society has a defined cultural framework that is fundamentally rigid. However, it is important to realize that each individual, irrespective of their social frameworks, is unique in their own ways. It is important to understand that if everyone had the same perspective of society, we would have all made the same painting.
As per our stereotypical Indian society, it is still a taboo to even express your social awkwardness, let alone coping with it. One often gets called an introvert or even a weirdo if they suffer from anxiety, and as a result, invoking a feeling of isolation. We often fail to understand that mental disorders are as important to address as physical disorders.
In our society, being vocal about your weaknesses, especially the mental ones is a weakness in itself. For a change, let’s learn to embrace the people with social awkwardness, instead of making them more isolated than they already are.
Let’s deal with it together…
- Be patient, because nobody really is these days
- Be a little less rational, for anxiety is not a rational disorder
- Try to interact. You might just get to the depth of things
- Find ways to distract them once in a while
- Be funny, for nothing wins a heart like humour.
To deal with a person with anxiety can be stressful. The trick is to not be expressive about it. These days, in a world full of friends on social media, who across the screen don’t try to get to the depth of our mental health, it is indeed a boon to have someone who listens.
