What’s social anxiety and do I have it? As EastEnders’ Shona McGarty opens up

Social anxiety can have a big impact on both your professional and personal life.

Shona has struggled with social anxiety since she was 15 years old (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA)

Former EastEnders star Shona McGarty has opened up about living with social anxiety and has urged people to seek help for their mental health.

The actress and singer, who is best known for playing Whitney Dean on the BBC soap opera and for being a contestant on I’m A Celebrity last year, said social anxiety is something she has struggled with since her teenage years.

“I was always a chatty child, but as I got older, everything changed. Around 15, I suddenly became painfully self-aware,” said McGarty.

“My social anxiety would happen when meeting new people, with colleagues or even at family gatherings.

“My heart would race, my hands would sweat, and sometimes I thought I might faint. I sometimes pretend to receive a phone call just to leave a social situation.”

She has decided to share her personal experience of social anxiety disorder to help raise awareness and support the launch of a new NHS campaign which urges people with six common anxiety conditions – including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – to come forward for help by self-referring online at nhs.uk/talk.

We got in touch with Dr Ravi Gill, a health psychologist and founder of Smart Mind Health, to find out what signs might indicate that someone has social anxiety disorder, and what treatment is out there to help.

What is social anxiety?

The NHS defines social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, as a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations.

“People that experience social anxiety know that the fear that they have around these certain situations is not OK, so their nervous system reacts in a way that sends them into a slight bit of panic,” explains Gill.

“So, it’s not just nerves or a lack of confidence or not knowing how to navigate something, social anxiety is a lot more than that. There’s a genuine fear that something is going to happen and a fear of being seen and getting it wrong.

“It’s also linked quite closely with imposter syndrome, and the two often come up together.”

Social anxiety often occurs in performance and group situations in the workplace.

“Performance situations in the workplace, such as speaking up in meetings, doing a presentation or making a phone call can all add pressure and really heighten someone’s social anxiety,” says Gill.

It also has an impact on social situations.

“Within a group of friends, the one that suffers with social anxiety will often just sit there and observe the conversation and won’t speak up and contribute,” says Gill. “They may feel like they will say something wrong or feel that their opinion on something might be misconstrued or misinterpreted in some way.”

What are some key signs of social anxiety? How is it different to general shyness?

“General shyness would be just a hesitancy to want to get involved, whereas social anxiety would be someone who is more actively avoiding getting involved,” says Gill. “If somebody’s shy, you can nudge them a little bit and give them that boost of confidence to say, don’t worry, you’ll be OK.

“However, those with social anxiety will just avoid the situation completely, and know themselves that nudges or a boost in confidence is not going to work – so that’s how deep-rooted that fear becomes.”

Social anxiety often presents in a mixture of emotions.

“Common emotions include shame, embarrassment, worry, and feeling like the situation is going to be too much for them,” says Gill. “Someone struggling with social anxiety might be get themselves into a negative thought spiral of overthinking a particular situation.”

There are also common physical signs.

“Physical reactions such as butterflies in your stomach and tummy issues are quite common, and some people also report a racing heart, sweaty hands, blushing and trembling,” says Gill.

The NHS website also states that panic attacks, where you have an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety (that usually only lasts for a few minutes), are also a symptom of social anxiety.

How can social anxiety affect someone’s everyday life?

“Social anxiety impacts people’s everyday lives because it often means that people will avoid social situations and will limit themselves in terms  of opportunities,” notes Gill.

“If you start avoiding one thing, it then can become quite easy to tell yourself to avoid something else. So, those feelings of social anxiety can easily be transferred into other areas of life and if they are not effectively managed or dealt with, it can be quite harmful.

“Therefore, the longer the symptoms are present, the higher the level of distress and impairment that it contributes to.”

Social anxiety can also have a negative impact on relationships.

“If you feel that you’re not able to use your own voice, or there’s a fear of being judged or saying something wrong, it means that you can become quite complacent as a partner,” says Gill. “Sometimes people will use alcohol as a way to loosen up or as a distraction to try and cope with social anxiety, and that can cause problems in relationships.

“Similarly, within friendships, if your friend is always the one that’s always having to spark up a conversation and facilitate meet ups, it can be harder to continue those relationships.”

When should someone seek help about social anxiety?

“You should seek help when you begin to recognise that it’s starting to impact work, relationships and your own wellbeing,” says Gill.

What treatments can help manage it?

“Social anxiety disorder is a diagnosable condition and is treatable, and something like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) can work really well for people struggling with social anxiety disorder,” says Gill. “CBT can help people actively work through these thoughts, and take into consideration the emotions, and then look at how those particular two things impact their behaviour.”

Mindfulness can also help.

“Things like deep breathing therapy and grounding exercises can help support the nervous system when it gets overwhelmed,” says Gill.

In some cases, medication is prescribed.

“It’s not uncommon for GPs to prescribe medication for short-term management of anxiety,” says Gill. “There’s a group of medicines called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which can help lessen the impact of symptoms.

“A GP would complete a full clinical assessment, take into consideration clinical history, and then might prescribe something that targets sleep issues, or tummy issues or low mood.”