Do social events trigger your anxiety? Does meeting new people make you nervous? Do you avoid eye contact when you meet new people?
These signs are common symptoms of social anxiety. If you are uncomfortable in social situations, you’re not alone. Social anxiety is a paralyzingly fear of social interaction where you are so afraid of judgment, being awkward, or being stared at.
Making friends and having social interaction is an important part of life, so it is really important to try to overcome this fear. Social anxiety it’s not a part of yourself, you are able to change that, you just have to really believe in yourself and start taking action.
Be transparent to others
Don’t be embarrassed or upset because you feel what you feel, be honest with others. Explain what you feel. Trust in the goodness of other people. Most of the time, the people around you truly do want to understand you.
Breathing exercises
Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises are great ways to slow it all down.
Breathing exercises can help you control your anxiety. Having a steady breath has a direct impact on your heart rate and, in turn, your thoughts. Take deep, long breaths and focus on calming your body down. This will help you regain control over your reactions, and lessen your anxiety.
Put yourself out there
Although it can be tempting to avoid social situations it is really important to get yourself out there. That means accepting invitations to go places and do things that make you uncomfortable. Start saying “yes” more times. You might feel anxious at first, but over time the more you do, the less fearful you will become. The next time someone invites you for something, make an effort to go.
Meet new people through hobbies
Start taking classes for something you enjoy, and join a club or an online forum. It’s easy to meet people that way and you instantly have something in common to talk about with them.
Take it slowly
It might be impossible to change overnight, but you can slowly step outside of your comfort zone every day. A small act can be to look at people and smile at them instead of avoiding eye contact.
The more you challenge yourself, the easier it’ll get.
Stop trying to please everyone
Don’t try to fit in to win a group of friends. Don’t try to be perfect or someone who is not you. Be yourself. If someone doesn’t like who you really are, they are not going to be a good friend to you anyway.
Seek for help
If you just can’t deal with your anxious thoughts on your own that’s ok. If your social anxiety is constantly interfering with your daily life then don’t hesitate to seek professional help in whatever form you feel comfortable looking for. Talking to a professional can help a lot. They will give you proper tools on how to deal with your social anxiety.
Overcoming social anxiety is a long journey, it takes practice. And the more you practice it, the less anxious you will become in social events.
Do you feel anxious in social situations? What do you normally do to overcome this feeling?
See you in the next week 😊
