Having social anxiety goes beyond shyness or feeling nervous in a group gathering. Dealing with social anxiety, among other things, can be a very frustrating experience. After all, our society emphasizes connecting and interacting with other people.
When you deal with social anxiety, you might experience an intense fear of being judged, humiliated, or embarrassed any time you are around other people. It's common for people with social anxiety to feel awkward around other people and may struggle to hold or start a conversation.
People most commonly experience social anxiety when they are out to dinner, in small groups, meeting someone new, or even going to the grocery store. However, many more situations can cause someone to feel anxious in social situations.
As challenging as social anxiety is to deal with, there are absolutely ways to combat it. Here are 3 of the best tips.
1. Show Kindness to Yourself
It's easy to be your own worst critic regarding social situations. You might constantly feel that other people are judging you for everything. It's most common to assume people are judging you for any number of things, including:
Your clothes
Makeup
Hair
The way you talk
The way you walk
The words that you say
Overall appearance
In social situations, we all experience this to some degree. When you have social anxiety, these can be amplified. Why do we do this, though? A lot of it has to do with the inner critic in your head. The voice that compares you to everyone else.
Remind yourself that every social situation helps you overcome your anxiety. Even something as meaningless as interacting with a cashier is a huge step toward working on your social anxiety.
Overcoming social anxiety doesn't happen overnight, unfortunately. You might feel frustrated with yourself and feel like you aren't progressing. While it's understandable to feel that way, you should know that even the smallest steps forward are progress.
2. Know Your Triggers
Maybe you don't get as nervous around friends and family, but meeting anyone new does. Identifying what triggers your social anxiety can help you prepare for them ahead of time. Or, maybe, you know, anytime you are in a large group or at an event, it can cause you to feel a panic attack coming on.
Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. If you have the means to do so, avoid any particularly triggering situations until you can work your way up to feeling comfortable in that situation.
3. Relaxation Techniques
It's common to experience physical reactions when you are faced with a situation that makes you anxious. You might notice physical changes such as:
Racing heart
Shallow/rapid breathing
Lightheadedness
Sweating/feeling clammy
While these are normal reactions, they aren't exactly easy to deal with. To help calm yourself down again, you can try various relaxation techniques. One of the best ones is through breathing techniques, such as boxed breathing. Boxed breathing and other techniques counteract the changes to your breathing when anxiety flares up. To practice boxed breathing:
Breathe in for four counts
Hold for four counts
Breathe out over four counts
4. Bonus Tip: Try Counseling
Therapy is a transformative tool that can help people with many different issues. When you have social anxiety, though, this can feel very daunting. Therapy sessions are always a safe and judgment-free zone. Therapists believe that you are the expert of your own life, and we are here to guide and support you throughout your journey.
If you are interested in learning more about social anxiety therapy, don't hesitate to reach out to me. We can also explore the idea of teletherapy for you if that makes you feel more comfortable.
