We often have situations in our lives when we feel nervous around other people. This can happen during a job interview, on your first day at a new job, the first date with someone you really like, and other scenarios.
These situations are temporary. People normally feel more relaxed and comfortable once they get accustomed to the new circumstances.
However, for some people, this nervousness does not go away. They feel anxious and self-conscious not only during unique stressful situations but all the time. Even during such everyday tasks as commuting or buying groceries, they have a hard time maintaining eye contact and having small talk.
If you can identify with this, you may be experiencing social anxiety.
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is also known as social anxiety disorder or social phobia. People who experience it feel nervous or uncomfortable when they are in social situations.
If you suffer from social anxiety, you may feel like you are constantly “on stage” when you are among other people. You are concerned that something that you will do or say something embarrassing or humiliating.
In addition to that, you may fear that people will judge, think badly of you, reject you, or consider you stupid, boring, or weird.
Situations that frequently cause social anxiety are going to work or school, talking to strangers, dating, attending parties or eating in front of others, entering rooms or starting conversations, and more.
People who have social anxiety frequently experience physical symptoms. These can be mild such as blushing, stumbling, or sweaty hands. Others can be a lot more severe, for example, faster heart rate, nausea, upset stomach, or heavy sweating. In very severe cases, people can even experience debilitating anxiety attacks.
People with social anxiety often are aware that it is exaggerated and perhaps even unwarranted. Yet, they feel powerless and unable to do anything about it.
What’s Bad About Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is one of the most commonly experienced anxiety disorders. It’s rather widespread and, according to statistics, it affects around 15 million adults in the United States. Since these statistics refer to adults only, the actual number of those who experience it may be much higher.
Social anxiety can make the lives of those who suffer from it extremely hard. They may worry weeks before a serious event. Then, they may spend weeks or months after the event worrying about what they did and how they acted.
Social anxiety can significantly decrease the quality of one’s life and interfere with different areas of it. People may miss out on or decline many great possibilities or sabotage themselves.
People with social anxiety have a predisposition to low self-esteem, poor social skills, constant negative thoughts, severe depression, and alcohol or drug abuse. Yet, only 5% of people seek professional help.
How Can Kratom Help?
It’s not entirely clear what exactly causes anxiety. However, one possible explanation is overactive amygdala, the section of the brain that is responsible for our fear response.
The studies on kratom are limited at the moment. However, what we do know is that it affects the mu-opioid receptors in the brain. It does so in a slightly different way that opioids do, yet the fact is causing plenty of negative attention.
Some studies indicate that stimulating mu-opioid receptors in the amygdala has direct effects on anxiety levels. Kratom also affects receptors in the brain that bind with adrenalin and serotonin, both of which play a role in regulating anxiety.
Sadly though, we still have limited studies on the effects and capabilities of kratom and limited information on how exactly kratom affects anxiety and other conditions. However, numerous kratom users report the positive effect of kratom on their social anxiety.
Best Kratom for Social Anxiety
Out of the different types of kratom, users report white and green strains as the best strains of kratom for social anxiety. Some report green strains being better as they help with pain, provide a mild energy boost, and diminish anxiety.
Others prefer white strains as they make them more energetic, talkative, and positive. Nonetheless, white strains make some users agitated and jittery.
As a natural substance, different kratom strains can affect people in different ways. Therefore, we advise you to try a few different strains and see what makes you feel better.
Below are some of our picks for best kratom for social anxiety. If you have no experience with them, we advise that you try free samples that some online kratom vendors offer.
1. Green Maeng Da
Green Maeng Da is a moderate strain of Thai origin. Users frequently refer to it as the strongest of all green vein kratom strains. It provides a perfect balance of the effects of the red and white strains.
Most users experience a balance of pain relief, stress relief, energy boost, and mood enhancement. Green Maeng Da also provides the clarity of mind and helps people focus, be less distracted and have clear thoughts.
These effects can very beneficial for those who experience social anxiety because by with lower levels of stress, a more positive mood, and more energy they can have an easier time dealing with the fear that they have of social situations.
2. Green Malay
Green Malay’s primary properties are mild energy boost and pain relief. It also calms the mind and lowers blood pressure. As a result, it can also aid in lowering social anxiety. Green Malay has long-lasting effects that make it a favorite strain of many.
Keep in mind that more Green Malay isn’t necessarily better. Taking an excessive dose can make you feel jittery, irritable, and nauseous. This can make your social anxiety worse.
3. White Maeng Da
White Maeng Da increases energy, boosts the mood, and makes you feel euphoric. It also relieves pain and makes it easier to stay focused and think clearly. Because of that, people with social anxiety have an easier time to relax and participate in social interactions and conversations with other people.
While a number of users report not feeling jitters and nervousness with White Maeng Da, it’s still best to experiment with this strain and see how it makes you feel.
4. White Borneo
Many use White Borneo Kratom to boost focus, ability to concentrate, as well as enhance the mood. White Borneo also provided mild pain relief. Since all of these attributes can boost one’s productivity, this can be a great strain of kratom for social anxiety in work-related situations.
In Conclusion
If you are not experienced with any of these strains, we advise you not to experiment with them during intense social interactions. For instance, do not take these strains for the first time before an important meeting or a job interview.
Different factors such as your age, weight, and body composition can affect the way kratom responds to your body. Therefore, we always advise you to experiment with any new strains on a day off when you can observe how the strain makes you feel and what dosage works best for you.
Are you experiencing social anxiety? What situations trigger it and how do you manage it? Have you tried kratom for social anxiety? Was it helping you feel better or not? Make sure to share with us what the best kratom for social anxiety is in your opinion.
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I took Kratom last night and this morning, and I have never felt so comfortable in social situations before. However, I am worried about the possibilities of becoming addicted and having withdrawals. I am mainly wondering if I should continue the use and if I do, how often I should take it. Thanks
Hello Joshua, we’re glad that kratom makes you feel this way and we understand your concerns, especially considering the amount on negatively biased media out there. If you look at data from studies such as Kratom 8-Factor Analysis (we’ll link that below), kratom is about as addictive as coffee.
However, you may experience withdrawals if you take it too often and do not let your body eliminate the alkaloids. Keep in mind though that “withdrawal” isn’t nowhere nearly as bad as withdrawal from opioids. It’s more akin in intensity to what you will experience if you consume a lot of coffee and abruptly stop. Kratom is a plant from the coffee family and is not an opioid, as so many sources out there claim. Please type “kratom withdrawal” in the search box for more a post on how to avoid it and treat it.
So, as long as you:
– take adequate breaks (at least 24h in between doses of the same strain) and a few days off every week,
– rotate different strains, for instance, take one strain in the morning and another in the afternoon, and take regular breaks from kratom,
– accurately measure and do not increase your dosage over time if you feel that the dose is becoming weak (this usually indicates kratom tolerance and need for a break; please search for “kratom tolerance” for a more detailed post on the topic), and
– buy kratom from a vendor who delivers consistently potent kratom (this will ensure that kratom does not fluctuate in quality and you do not feel the need to up your dose),
…you should have no reason to worry about withdrawal.
Feel free to let us know if you have any other doubts or questions. We’ll be glad to help.
Kratom 8-Factor Analysis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5813050/