Building up your business is not always easy. It will be a rocky road. But what is remarkable is that especially women’s roads tend to be rockier than the ones from men. There have been loads of opinions and articles that discuss this topic. With having such a broad amount of advice and reasons for that, it is not always easy to keep the overview.
One reason, that is often forgotten when thinking about why women must break down more barriers than men, is the aspect of having social anxiety. The cause that this is underestimated is that many people do not fully understand the concept of social anxiety. So, what exactly is the phenomenon “Social Anxiety”?
Several studies speak about different variations of social phobia. But there is one thing they all have in common, which is that the person concerned feels unease or simply has the worry of fear while being in a public situation. That is why this certain phobia is affecting your daily life. Regarding your business, it can be tough to believe in your abilities that you can achieve whatever you want to, because social anxiety causes substantial disabilities to your personality and capacities. In serious bad cases, it might also weaken your quality of life.
An even more important fact to know is, that women are more likely to suffer from social anxiety or severe stress than men. Studies are showing they are reportedly twice as likely to be affected.
An even more important fact to know is, that women are more likely to suffer from social anxiety or severe stress than men. Studies are showing they are reportedly twice as likely to be affected. There are reasons following the studies out there which try to explain this problem. Especially the media share their opinions by saying the percentage of women affected by this problem is higher because of them being working mothers. Women allegedly must deal with work, family and children which often causes a mental burn-out through severe stress and social anxiety. On the one hand, this sounds quite reasonable, because in the past women often stayed home with the kids and nowadays, they need to juggle their job, career and children. Scientist like Miss Olivia Remes claim that, “The burden of all these things falls to women”. On the other hand, these previously described opinions are quite subjective and there has been no definite research done about it so far.
One thing we can be certain about, according to Olivia Remes, is that women who are under a huge amount of stress are more likely to internalize it than men. That means they tend to overthink steps in their upcoming life too much. Following that, they are too afraid to take these steps.
“I almost always regret something I say or do after a social situation because I replay it in my mind more times than anyone should.”, says a young woman suffering from social anxiety. Others claim that, “As an adult, this condition greatly affects my career and ability to meet new people.”, or, “I overthink almost every word that comes out of my mouth, and I am terrified that I won’t measure up as a professional in my field of work.”. You can see that women with social anxiety often make themselves severe stress in their daily life.
The question now is, how can women overcome these anxieties? How can you be successful and follow your business ideas despite having severe stress and social phobia? As already being said, you can find tons of advice and opinions about that in the internet and you can certainly buy just as much books, as shown in the following (all found in the internet).
You need to take care of yourself and your health. However, this is easier said than done. A thing that is not always easy to keep an eye on while juggling with work and family. You should also do not forget to maintain your friendships and relationships with parents. Another thing to situate into this juggling process. Other people advice you to “have a thick skin” or to “get a business attitude”. There is only one reason that could block you from developing these skills: social anxiety!
Other advice that could help and sounds rather manageable can be seen in the following.
Honor help and support. A piece of advice that is probably easier to achieve and that everyone should use in their daily lives as well as in their business life. It is okay to ask for help and support, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. No one can manage all their stuff on their own. Additionally, it is always better to be working in a group of like-minded people, because they cannot only take employment from you, they can also help you overcoming your inhibitions and help you grow your confidence.
Honoring your limitations. It is alright if you are socially anxious. By accepting it, you can still get to where you want to get. Keeping a rational outlook in addition to that should help you to develop this acceptance. You have had success and positive situations before; do not forget them while being in a new and challenging one.
The previously described women suffering from social phobia confirm that by saying, “I’ve grown up a little more and realised this disease is something that is entirely manageable if you change your outlook on life and how you handle situations.”. “I try to have grace for myself. I’ve learned that those regrets must be learning opportunities. If there are actual offenses or misunderstandings, I address them right away so I can allow myself to move forward.”, adds another testimonial.
Dare yourself to take the first steps. And do not lose your hope if change does not occur tomorrow. It will take its time.
All in all, what all those tips and opinions have in common is that you must believe in yourself, block out others with their possible opinions and that you should not be ashamed of receiving help from like-minded individuals. By internalising these tips, you can overcome your inhibitions and your social anxiety to become as successful as you could be. Dare yourself to take the first steps. And do not lose your hope if change does not occur tomorrow. It will take its time.
