'Tis the season for social anxiety: Help employees cope during the holiday party rush

While the holidays can be an opportunity for people to reconnect with loved ones, it can also be a month of parties and gatherings, making socializing feel more like a requirement than a pastime. 

For those struggling with social anxiety, the holiday season can be downright terrifying.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined as an intense fear of being watched or judged by others in social situations. Unlike general anxiety disorder, SAD is based on fear rather than worry, meaning the condition can easily interfere with all areas of a person's life as they attempt to avoid the cause of their fear — be it school, work or personal relationships, explains Dr. Raafat Girgis, psychiatrist and medical director at Moment of Clarity Mental Health Center in Orange Country, California. 

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While this may seem like an issue out of employers' purview, Dr. Girgis emphasizes that workplaces and work events can commonly be triggering to those with SAD, making it harder for them to connect with their fellow colleagues and focus on their work. 

"In the workplace it is important for supervisors and employers to take SAD seriously for several reasons, first being that in social settings SAD will provoke fear that becomes extreme almost crippling anxiety," he says. "A person with this diagnosis may become intentionally isolated to decrease the fear of being judged by others or having their performance scrutinized."

Dr. Girgis notes that most employees won't likely feel comfortable sharing that they struggle with SAD with their manager, given the stigma surrounding the condition. There will be people who feel SAD isn't even real or that it is a weakness the person has to just "get over," but that's just not the case, underlines Dr. Girgis. 

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"I recall from years ago, a young therapist that was new at her job became emotional in a treatment team meeting — she sat in the room with seasoned professionals and tearfully hid her face from others," he says. "I asked her to come with me, we stepped out of the meeting and she began to gasp for air. In the long run, she adjusted to the atmosphere of the work day and managed herself well." 

Those suffering from SAD may experience a range of physical reactions due to a triggering circumstance, including trembling, nausea, trouble breathing and heart palpitations. Dr. Girgis advises managers to allow any employee exhibiting these symptoms (regardless of whether they share their mental health condition) time to decompress afterward, using tools like walking away and changing focus to something unrelated to an upsetting situation. This often means allowing the employees to have alone time, away from large groups of people, to collect themselves. If the employee in question experiences these symptoms often around crowds, managers can empower their employees to take time before, during and after meetings to step out and soothe themselves, Dr. Girgis explains. 

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"Some of the most creative people on earth have experienced SAD, such as performers, educators, scientists and some of the greats we are fond of in current and past generations," says Dr. Girgis. "Having this disorder does not mean the person is too impaired to work."

As for workers struggling with SAD, Dr. Girgis advises them to build a toolbox of soothing and coping mechanisms that allow them to navigate or remove themselves from panic-inducing situations.

"it is important to have a plan of action when episodes happen to anyone who may struggle with SAD," says Dr. Girgis. "Have a scale chart on how you are feeling at the moment and what it is that you need to be comfortable. Identifying what you are feeling and why you are feeling that way will be an important key to coping with the stressors and or triggers."