‘Social anxiety is very common’: navigate social situations with confidence with Deakin’s social anxiety podcast series
How are you settling in for 2025? We hope you’re enjoying yourself so far as we focus on our wellbeing this Mind Matters Week!
Starting a new study period can be full of excitement, but if you struggle to feel comfortable in social situations, uni can also feel stressful. Classes and learning activities are designed to be collaborative, and if you’re feeling fearful to participate, you might miss out on some amazing opportunities for personal and academic growth.
Everyone experiences bouts of social nerves now and then – it’s a normal feeling, but is usually temporary and passes. However, with anxiety disorders, the feelings are more intense, often leading to distress that can be triggered by certain situations and doesn’t easily pass.
Social anxiety, a feeling of intense anxiety in social situations due to fear of embarrassment or judgment by others, is a common type of anxiety. If you experience social anxiety, you may suffer from spiralling negative thoughts that are unrealistic, regularly second-guess social situations and develop an intense preoccupation and worry that people are judging you.
Our Social Anxiety podcast series can help
Accessed online and via the DeakinWELLBEING app, our social anxiety podcast series is packed with practical strategies to help you manage negative thoughts and navigate social situations with confidence.
Here, we asked Kate Towart (pictured), the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Counsellor at Deakin and voice of the series, to tell us more.
How might recurrent feelings of social anxiety impact someone’s life?
It can impact a person’s ability to make and keep friends – you may feel left out, as if you don’t belong, or a sense of being overwhelmed.
This feeling of being overwhelmed can lead to avoidance of people and/or places. If you avoid social events, you may become more socially isolated.
At uni, if someone is fearing social evaluation and judgement, they may avoid engaging with lectures, tutorials and/or placements, which could lead to poor academic progression and therefore often further anxiety.
Social anxiety can also impact how you feel about yourself; poor self-worth may lead to depression and/or further anxiety. Additionally, people may use alcohol or drugs as a ‘social lubricant’ to reduce feelings of anxiety, which can lead to related issues such as dependence.
What practical tips do you suggest might help someone to manage feelings of social anxiety?
- Self-compassion: practice being kind to yourself.
- Mindfulness: involves engaging the senses to remain grounded, to avoid feeling flooded or saturated with fear.
- Gradual exposure: avoid ‘avoidance’ ironically! Set small goals to achieve progress.
- Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches: such as ‘Possible versus Probable’.
In our podcast, we explore strategies such as those above and more, so please check out the podcast series for more information on each approach.
How can I support someone who I think might have social anxiety?
Create space to be able to talk about it.
Social anxiety is actually very common however many people don’t realise this as we generally don’t talk about our social fears and worries.
It can be helpful to normalise how common it is, so that people feel less alone. Encourage them to engage in counselling, speak with friends and family or utilise self-help resources (apps, online info, etc.).
Listen to the free Social Anxiety podcast series online or via the DeakinWELLBEING app for more tips, and remember help is available.
Additional support is also available
Our Mind Matters page links out to a range of health and wellbeing content to help you find more ways to be balanced, including staying connected, getting proper sleep, exercising your body and mind, and understanding the link between food and mood – check it out!
We also offer free counselling support to all students located in Australia.
For urgent support outside of business hours, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or SuicideLine (1300 651 251) straight away. They’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To chat to a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter, call 13YARN (13 92 76) to yarn in a safe way without judgement.
If you’re based at GIFT City, see how you can book counselling appointments online.
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