Social anxiety can significantly interfere with daily life, but mental health professionals have identified practical strategies to help people overcome these feelings. As students prepare for the academic year ahead, understanding the condition and learning evidence-based techniques can make a meaningful difference.
Mary's experience with social anxiety began during her teenage years, when she found herself increasingly uncomfortable in social settings. The condition worsened considerably, leading to depression and requiring her to take time away from school. By the time she reached university, she had begun to avoid group situations almost entirely.
"I didn't join clubs and societies like others did," says Mary, now 25 and speaking on condition of anonymity. "I just thought nobody would want to get to know me. I didn't really make a single friend during my whole degree."
Mary's experience reflects a broader pattern among students. A University of Chichester study identified that more than one in five university students experience some form of social anxiety during their studies, with consequences including lower academic performance, weaker relationships and social isolation. The condition itself—social anxiety disorder—affects up to 12% of people at some point in their lives.
For many students, university represents their first time living independently, with an implicit expectation that they will quickly establish friendships. Mary, who attended the University of Exeter, attempted to engage with campus life.
"When I first got there I went to one society, but everybody was talking to each other and I had a sudden fear come over me. I felt I wouldn't fit in and I went home."
What does social anxiety feel like?
Social anxiety manifests differently for different people, but Mary describes her experience as resembling an out-of-body sensation. During conversations with unfamiliar people, she would experience physical symptoms: heat spreading across her face, tingling in her hands, and a sense of disconnection from her body.
"I forgot how to form words," she recalls. "After social situations I was often left with the sense that I'd done something awful. I had an all-consuming feel of shame. I kept thinking there was something fundamentally flawed in me."
Neil Greening, chair of the Social Anxiety Alliance UK, explains that this pattern of self-blame is characteristic of people with social anxiety.
"People think they have a personality flaw. They internalise it rather than seeing it as a recognisable condition that they can get help for."
It is important to distinguish between ordinary shyness and clinical social anxiety. Feeling somewhat nervous when meeting new people, entering unfamiliar situations or attending a job interview is normal. Social anxiety becomes a clinical concern when it actively prevents people from participating in activities they would otherwise pursue. For those with a formal diagnosis, the impact can be severely limiting.
"It can be hard to admit to any form of social anxiety in a world where extrovertism and social confidence is generally admired. Many people try to hide their social anxiety or use safety behaviours."Greening notes that evidence suggests social anxiety is increasing, with smartphone use and remote working contributing by reducing face-to-face interactions and elevating anxiety levels.
What are the hidden habits that worsen social anxiety?
A University of Chichester study published in February 2026 identified several patterns that intensify social anxiety among students. These include heightened self-consciousness, excessive overthinking, fear of judgment from others, altering one's personality depending on the social group, and withdrawing after difficult social experiences. These behaviours, while understandable as coping mechanisms, often reinforce the anxiety cycle.
Common safety behaviours that people with social anxiety adopt include using a phone to avoid direct interaction, positioning themselves close to a trusted person or remaining at the edges of groups, and restricting conversation to neutral topics such as work. While these strategies may provide temporary relief, they prevent people from gathering evidence that contradicts their anxious predictions.
How can you manage social anxiety?
Mary eventually sought support through the NHS, receiving a form of talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This approach is considered the gold standard treatment for social anxiety, helping people reframe unhelpful thoughts and modify avoidant behaviours. NICE recommends individual CBT specifically designed for social anxiety disorder—typically 14–16 sessions over four months—as the first treatment offered to adults.
Prof David Clark, a psychologist at the University of Oxford, encourages people to seek professional support but emphasises that individuals can also take concrete steps to help themselves. The first step involves reducing obsessive self-monitoring during social interactions.
"People with social anxiety often monitor themselves constantly during social situations. Am I blushing? Do I sound stupid? Do I look nervous? Focus outwardly on the conversation, other person or your surroundings."
Clark recommends conducting behavioural experiments to test anxious predictions. This might involve asking a question during a meeting or contributing to a group conversation and observing what actually happens.
"People with social anxiety often assume negative outcomes – that they will embarrass themselves or think others will find them boring. Testing that can help people break that. It's frightening, but it can really help."
Another crucial step is eliminating safety behaviours such as rehearsing every sentence before speaking, avoiding eye contact, or staying physically close to one particular person. These strategies prevent people from discovering that their feared outcomes rarely occur. Clark also advises against post-event rumination, the tendency to replay social interactions repeatedly in one's mind.
"It's so easy to distort what actually happened."
Mary's recovery has been gradual.
"I used to play things over constantly in my mind. What I've learnt is that dealing with social anxiety is a gradual process. The therapy really helped me, but so did something a friend said to me a couple of years ago. When I said I didn't want to join her in meeting some of her friends, citing my poor social skills, she said she'd never thought that about me and that I shouldn't undersell myself. I was overcome with emotion."
She has since made meaningful progress.
"I'm now pushing myself to engage more. It helps that in my postgrad course we're in smaller groups, but I've also joined an astronomy group. It's still difficult and it doesn't always go how I want it to, but I'm learning to manage it."
Where can you get support?
In February 2026, NHS England launched a six-week campaign encouraging people with anxiety conditions, including social anxiety disorder, to seek support through NHS Talking Therapies. A key advantage of this service is that people in England can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies without first seeing a GP or having a formal diagnosis. This removes a potential barrier for those hesitant to seek help.
Recognising social anxiety as a treatable condition rather than a personal failing is the first step toward recovery. With professional support, self-directed strategies and the encouragement of trusted friends, people can gradually expand their social comfort zone and build more fulfilling connections.
