Rebuild confidence, connection, and ease in social situation
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is more than feeling shy or awkward in certain situations—it is a persistent and overwhelming fear of being judged, criticised, or rejected by others. This fear can lead to significant distress, avoidance, and self-consciousness in everyday life. Whether it’s speaking in meetings, attending social gatherings, using video calls, or even sending a message, social anxiety can create a sense of being constantly “on show”, and vulnerable to embarrassment or scrutiny.
Common experiences include:
- Intense fear or worry before social events
- Avoidance of meetings, public speaking, or group situations
- Overthinking interactions long after they’ve happened
- Physical symptoms such as blushing, sweating, trembling, or a racing heart
- Feelings of shame, inadequacy, or being “not good enough”
- Difficulty relaxing or being fully present around others
While it often begins in adolescence, social anxiety can persist into adulthood and affect many areas of life—including relationships, work, academic performance, and overall wellbeing.
Why Social Anxiety Is Hard to Overcome Alone
Many people try to “face their fears” by pushing themselves into social situations, hoping that repeated exposure will reduce their anxiety. While this intention is brave, exposure alone is often not enough. This is because social anxiety isn’t just about the situation itself—it’s also about how we interpret and process what’s happening in the moment.
In socially anxious situations, people tend to shift their attention inward, engaging in excessive self-monitoring. You might become acutely aware of how you’re speaking, whether you’re blushing, or how you’re being perceived. This inward focus limits your ability to absorb the actual interaction taking place around you. Even while physically present, you may feel mentally cut off from others, locked in a loop of self-evaluation, worry, and perceived judgement.
This internal focus prevents new learning. You may leave a conversation still believing you came across as awkward or said something foolish, even if that wasn’t the case. This keeps the anxiety going and reinforces avoidance.
Effective Treatment for Social Anxiety
The good news is that social anxiety is highly treatable. With the right approach, it is possible to reduce anxiety, build confidence, and reconnect with others more freely and authentically. As a BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, I offer a range of evidence-based therapies tailored to your needs, including:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – the most effective psychological treatment for social anxiety. CBT helps you identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns, reduce self-focused attention, and gradually face feared situations with greater flexibility and confidence.
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) – for those who experience high levels of shame, self-criticism, or sensitivity to rejection. CFT helps cultivate a kinder, more balanced relationship with yourself.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – which supports you to step towards valued life goals, even in the presence of anxiety, and to develop greater psychological flexibility.
- Behavioural experiments and guided exposure – designed collaboratively, to help you test beliefs and build real-world evidence for change.
- Mindfulness and grounding techniques – to support emotional regulation and reduce preoccupation with how you’re coming across.
My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and adapted to your pace. Whether your social anxiety is long-standing or more recent, we will work together to understand what’s keeping it going and build skills to interrupt the cycle.
Together, we will:
- Explore how social anxiety has developed and why it persists
- Shift attention outward to reduce self-consciousness in real time
- Challenge limiting beliefs and build new, more helpful perspectives
- Rehearse and prepare for real-life social situations in a safe way
- Develop a stronger sense of self-worth and inner safety in social spaces
Seeking Support
If social anxiety is limiting your life, relationships, or work, you don’t have to manage it on your own. Therapy can offer a safe, structured space to understand your experience, reduce distress, and build the confidence to connect more fully with others and yourself.
I offer therapy both in-person at my practice in London (Peckham Levels) and online, and I welcome clients from all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.