What is Social Anxiety?
Full article about the definitions, causes, symptoms, and triggers of social anxiety
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How to deal with social anxiety?
Dealing with social anxiety is often not as easy as throwing yourself into the crowd, but it’s still an achievable goal. Are you looking for ways to be more comfortable in social situations and more easily interact with others?
These 11 ways can help you to get started and get out of your social anxiety:
1-Focus on others, not yourself:
When we’re in a social situation that makes us nervous, we tend to get wrapped up in our thoughts and feelings. We might think that everyone is watching and judging us. Our focus is on our bodily sensations, and we’re hoping that by paying more attention to them, we can control them better.
When you focus too much on yourself, you become more aware of how nervous you are, which then triggers more anxiety. This also prevents you from being able to concentrate fully on the conversations around you or the performance you’re giving.
If you shift your focus from internal to external, you can reduce social anxiety to a great degree. While this is easier said than done, it is possible to focus on two things simultaneously. The more you concentrate on your surroundings, the less power anxiety will have over you.
2-Challenge your negative and anxious thoughts:
Sometimes it might feel like there’s nothing you can do about the way you feel. But there are a lot of things that can help.
If you want to reduce symptoms of social anxiety, a good way to do that is to challenge your mentality and negative thoughts. First, identify the anxious thoughts that come into your head when you think of social situations. After that, analyze these thoughts and challenge them.
If you’re always thinking the worst, question why and try to change your thinking. It’s a long journey, but it’s possible to change the way you think.
Related:How to accept negative emotions ?
3-Face your fears:
One of the most helpful things you can do to overcome social anxiety is to face the social situations you fear, rather than avoid them. Avoidance perpetuates social anxiety disorder. While avoiding stressful situations can help you feel better in the short term, it prevents you from becoming more comfortable in social situations and learning how to deal with them in the long run. The more you avoid a dreaded social situation, the scarier it becomes. Avoidance can also prevent you from doing things you would like to do or from achieving certain goals. For example, the fear of speaking up can keep you from sharing your ideas at work, standing out in the classroom, or making new friends. Overcoming a dreaded social situation may seem impossible, but you can do it by taking one small step at a time. The key is to start with a situation you can handle and gradually work your way up to more challenging situations to build your confidence. And coping skills as you climb the “ladder of fear.”
Related:How To Overcome Fear ?
Related:10 Tips to overcome fear and become unstoppable
4-Take a breath:
Taking a deep breath and slowing down your breathing can help alleviate the physical symptoms of anxiety, which include an increased heart rate, pounding chest, dizziness, and muscle tension.
Sit down, get comfortable, and take a deep breath. Hold it in for four seconds, then exhale slowly, pushing out as much air as possible. Take another deep breath, filling your lungs with air, and continue until you feel your breathing slow to its normal level rate.
5-Find social situations and engage:
Make a concerted effort to be extra social. Look for social environments that can help you vanquish your fears.
It might be a good idea to start with a social skill training class. Here, you can practice your social interactions in a controlled environment before you have to use them in the real world. The class can also provide you with some tips on what to say and do when you find yourself in a social situation you’re unfamiliar with or anxious about.
6-Talk:
It is possible to start feeling more confident during conversations by slowly overcoming social anxiety and shyness. Talking to someone can be very difficult, and figuring out what to say is not simple. Sometimes an awkward silence can feel very long. However, if you talk to people gradually, it will assist you in being less anxious each time.
7-Burn off the adrenaline before an event:
When you get nervous, adrenaline gets released into your body. This can cause you to become tense and stressed, triggering an adrenaline rush and leading to sleep problems, concentration problems, and changes in eating patterns.
Before attending a social event, it may be beneficial to try and release some of the stress you’re feeling. Working out or tiresome household activities can help burn off excess adrenaline and keep your nervous system more regulated.
8-Improve Your Health:
To avoid having anxiety exacerbated by poor physical health, make sure to exercise regularly (including cardiovascular exercise and weight training) and eat a healthy, balanced diet. Drink chamomile tea to soothe your nerves. Try to stay away from alcohol.
9-Being Alone:
Introverts who suffer from seasonal affective disorder recharge their emotional batteries by spending time alone rather than with others. Choosing to take time alone to gather your thoughts (rather than out of fear) is a healthy, self-aware choice.
Related:Things That Happen When You Start to Enjoy Being Alone
10-Congratulate Yourself:
Though you may not be confident in your abilities as a public speaker, remember that there are countless other accomplishments in your life to be proud of. Acknowledge that you have to face more challenges than others, and be proud of the small successes in your life. On some days, simply being proud that you made it out of the house is an achievement. By building on these small accomplishments, you will gradually start to feel better about yourself.
11-Keep a Journal:
Keep a journal so you can see how much you’ve improved. Writing about your thoughts and experiences will also help you recognize when you are falling back into old habits and negative thought patterns.
