Fear of Failure and Its Role in Social Anxiety
Your parents always raised you to do your best. In school, you were encouraged to complete all of your homework assignments on time and study for any quizzes or tests.
For extracurricular activities, you were told to practice, practice, practice. If you wanted to be better at something, you had to put in the time and effort in order to reach your goals.
You’ve always aimed for a perfect score, the lead role, or winning the game. But you won’t always receive a perfect score. You could get booked for a supporting role. And wins and losses are inevitable depending on the game and team.
Failure is something that no one wants to experience. It can be embarrassing and traumatic. Plus, it just doesn’t feel as good as getting something right the first time around.
Let’s learn more about the fear of failure and its role in social anxiety.
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is a mental health condition where anxiety occurs in social settings. Social anxiety can cause someone to feel like they’re being watched or judged by the people they’re surrounded by, even their close family and friends.
The Cause
Social anxiety doesn’t have one specific cause. There are several believed causes or risk factors of social anxiety:
- Brain chemistry and structure
- Genetics
- Health condition
- Negative life experiences
- Parenting style
- Traumatic event
The Signs and Symptoms
People who have social anxiety have a fear of situations that will bring extra attention to themselves. These are some of the most common signs and symptoms of social anxiety:
- Avoidance
- Blushing
- Decreased eye contact
- Digestive issues
- Dizziness
- Increased heart rate
- Mind going blank
- Muscle tension
- Shaking
- Sweating
The Connection Between Fear of Failure and Social Anxiety
A fear of failure is a belief that you’re not good enough. This fear can occur in social settings, just like social anxiety. It can cause someone to question themselves about failing for themselves, as well as failing in front of others. This fear can lead to avoidance in social situations.
Due to these fears of embarrassing themselves in social settings, they could try to avoid certain social situations or even isolate themselves when involved in high-stress situations. The cycle of fear of failure and social anxiety can be a difficult one to break.
How to Overcome Fear of Failure and Social Anxiety
Having a fear of failure can be a natural response. There are a lot of things in life that are unknown or unexpected. These types of situations can bring on fear because they’re difficult to prepare and plan for. These are a few of the different ways you can work towards overcoming a fear of failure:
Acknowledge Your Fear
One of the best ways to work to overcome your fear is to first acknowledge it. The longer you go on pushing it to the side, the longer you won’t actually try to resolve the situation.
Reframe the Failure
Failing is part of life. You’re not going to know every answer, be prepped for every event that takes place during the day, or be perfect all the time. There’s no such thing. Instead of thinking of failure as a negative, try to reframe that perspective. A lot of opportunity can come from failing. Instead, try using it as a learning lesson so that you can do better in the future.
Practice Self-Care
Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s important to take care of yourself, especially when you’re going through times of stress. Try to give yourself a little grace and not be so hard on yourself.
Seek Support
Seeking support through a licensed and trained mental health professional can assist you with overcoming the anxiety that you’re struggling with. By helping you figure out the root cause of this anxiety, they can teach you how to better manage and control it. Reach out to us today to learn more about how anxiety therapy can help.