• Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
No Result
View All Result

DOES YOUR SOCIAL ANXIETY KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT?

August 11, 2022


We’ve all been there. Lying awake as the minutes (and hours!) go by, worrying about an upcoming event or ruminating on a past experience. Why did I say that stupid thing at the meeting? I wonder if she’s mad at me? What if I panic during my presentation tomorrow? Or perhaps we are spending time in bed rehearsing or scripting what we will say in an upcoming situation. When people experience social anxiety, they often have what is referred to “anticipatory anxiety” (anticipating feeling anxious in a future situation) or “post event rumination” (replaying and thinking negatively about a past experience). Both of these are activating mental processes that can interfere with someone’s ability to relax and go to sleep.

Helpful or not helpful?

Why do our brains do this to us at night?? It actually is an evolutionary adaptation that can be helpful, but isn’t always in our modern world. Worry is our brain signaling to us that there may be a threat and we need to take action to keep ourselves safe. Therefore, it enables us to override our sleep drive and keep us awake if there actually IS a threat. However, worrying about things that aren’t actually immediately threatening is still activating and keeps us awake.

Strategies to manage worrisome thoughts

There are useful strategies to address this worry. One that I teach most often to my clients is also one of the simplest! It is called “worry time.” If you are someone that tends to get into bed and then experiences a lot of worry, this could be a useful strategy. About an hour before it is time to start winding down for bed, sit down with paper and a pen (it is important to actually write and not type!) and set a timer for 15 minutes. Write down all of the worries that come into your mind. If there are just one or two specific worries on your mind, then just write them over and over. Be sure to write for the entire 15 minutes! Also, do not attempt to solve any of the worries or reframe them. Simply write out the worry content. The purpose of the exercise is to exhaust your brain of this worry content, so that when you get into bed, your brain is likely to be sick of thinking about it and won’t continue to get stuck there.

Another useful strategy is assessing the situation on which the worry is focused. Ask yourself: How likely (1-10) is this negative outcome to happen? (Often people with social anxiety tend to overestimate that likelihood). How bad (1-10) would it be? How long would the consequences persist? And finally, (the part that many worries leave out!) How would I cope with that? If you find yourself worrying close to bed time, sit down and write these out! Try to answer the questions with your logical brain, not your worry brain.

As mentioned, these two strategies can be used before bed. However, they also can be helpful once you’re in bed. If you are in bed for what feels like more than 20 minutes, and you are experiencing worry, get out of bed! This is where the intersection of anxiety and sleep problems (or insomnia) occur. If you lay in bed awake, anxious and activated, this arousal state begins to be associated with bed. Therefore, your bed becomes classically conditioned, or paired, with wakefulness. The more time you spend in bed worrying, the more your brain is cued to worry in bed. Arousal and relaxation (the state we need to be in to sleep) are opposite states.

Therefore, if you are having trouble falling asleep, get out of bed. Try one of the above strategies to address your worry, or do anything else you might enjoy to refocus. Do a crossword puzzle, watch a TV episode, start a new knitting project. This could also be a time to use relaxation strategies such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation (the intentional tensing and releasing of major muscle groups). After at least 30 minutes have gone by, get back in bed and try again. The same process can be used if you awaken in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep.

If you notice that the focus of your worry starts to shift from worry about social situations or judgment from others to predominately worry about sleep (or your sleep continues to be impaired), then that may be time to seek treatment of a sleep specialist. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective treatment for those suffering from insomnia.

How to Get Help for Social Anxiety

The National Social Anxiety Center is a national association of Regional Clinics and Associates with certified cognitive therapists specializing in social anxiety and anxiety-related problems. We have compassionate therapists who can help you to reduce social anxiety. Currently, we have Regional clinics and Associates in San Francisco, District of Columbia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York City, Chicago, Newport Beach / Orange County, Houston / Sugar Land, St. Louis, Phoenix, South Florida, Silicon Valley / San Jose, Dallas, Des Moines, San Diego, Baltimore, Louisville, Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Maryland / Northern Virginia, Long Beach, Staten Island, North Jersey, Brooklyn, Santa Barbara, Bixby Knolls, CA, Massachusetts (Children & Teens), and Denver. Call our national headquarters at (202) 656-8566 or visit our contact page to find help in your local area.

Written by,

Lauren Neaman, Psy.D.

National Social Anxiety Center of Chicago



Source_link

Share120Tweet75Share30

Related Posts

Gene Therapy Sparks Spinal Cord Regeneration
Anxiety

Gene Therapy Sparks Spinal Cord Regeneration

September 25, 2023

"Five years ago, we demonstrated that nerve fibers can be regenerated across anatomically complete spinal cord injuries," says Mark Anderson, a senior author of the study. "But we also realized this wasn't enough to restore motor function, as the...

Groundbreaking Study Forecasts 2023 as Hottest Year on Record
Anxiety

Groundbreaking Study Forecasts 2023 as Hottest Year on Record

September 23, 2023

This comes after NASA and the European Union Climate Monitor has also stated 2023 to be the hottest on record. For the new study published in the researchers analysed the CMST 2.0 dataset and discovered that 2023 has already...

SOCIAL ANXIETY DUE TO FEARS OF STEREOTYPE CONFIRMATION
Anxiety

SOCIAL ANXIETY DUE TO FEARS OF STEREOTYPE CONFIRMATION

September 23, 2023

“Do I sound too gay?”“What if they think my name is ghetto?”“They’re going to think I’m some kind of Jesus-freak.”Fear of negative evaluations or judgments from others is a core feature of social anxiety. Yet, as illustrated in the...

Best Supplements for Anxiety (An Ultimate Guide)
Anxiety

Best Supplements for Anxiety (An Ultimate Guide)

September 22, 2023

Are you struggling to find relief from anxiety? If so, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide, causing persistent worry, fear, and even panic attacks. While there are many helpful options available, supplements can be an...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Anxiety (822)
  • Depression (212)
  • Meditation (356)
  • Mental Health (1,125)
  • Mental Illness (385)
  • Sound Therapy (2)
  • Stress Disorders (403)

Popular

  • Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    303 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • Helpful Resources During Suicide Prevention Month 2022 – My Brain’s Not Broken

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • FDA Approves Luye Pharma’s Rykindo® for the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Bipolar 1 Disorder

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • How Stress Affects Your Vision

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • 4 signs of burnout in your teen– and how to help them through it

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 Naturalele.com | All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
What Are Cookies
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT