How to Help Your Child Deal with Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is one of the most common problems that older children and teenagers have to face nowadays. If you have a very shy daughter who is afraid to face the world, you should not just let her stay in her room and hide. No, you should not drag her to parties or ask her to become a cheerleader.
That will not do her any good. Social anxiety can have some terrible effects on teenagers so never for one minute belittle your daughter's fears of socializing with her peers. You don't really want to alienate your daughter so make sure that you respect her feelings and make her feel that social anxiety is not really so bad and that if she is willing to overcome her social anxiety, you are always there to support her in anyway you can.
Help Your Daughter Face the World
Social anxiety often makes your daughter feel inadequate and self-conscious. If your daughter starts t avoid social situations and limits her interaction with other people, do something about it. No, you should not just barge into your daughter's room and confront her about her social anxiety.
Telling your daughter that she is being irrational or that she is displaying symptoms of social anxiety will definitely not make you one of her favorites. Instead of talking directly to her about social anxieties, take her shopping and get her to talk about how she feels about herself. Being out of the home can make it easier for her to talk about her feelings.
Once your daughter starts talking about herself, her feelings and her fears do not interrupt and do not disagree with her vehemently. Instead of making comments about how shy she is and how all her fears are unfounded, you should just sit there and listen to what she has to say. Let her figure out what is causing her problems and just prod her towards the right direction every now and then.
Always remember that teenagers do not like to be told what to do especially by there own mothers so make sure that you do not commit that mistake. Aside from listening to what your daughter has to say about herself, work at building her self-confidence. Tell her what you see in her and make her feel that she is loved. Encourage her to follow her heart's desire. Help your daughter explore her talents and potentials. Once your daughter finds something worthwhile to focus her energies on, she will not really feel such an outcast.
