5 Strategies To Help Ease Social Anxiety
Whether you’re browsing the grocery aisles or in a crowded setting, social anxiety can leave you feeling nervous and afraid of rejection. Severe social anxiety can make easy exchanges of everyday life seem nearly impossible. However, it is possible to live with and manage social anxiety.
What is social anxiety?
Social anxiety is different from the normal nervousness of new experiences, such as a first date or a job interview. With social anxiety, the everyday normal occurrences can cause significant anxiety, self-consciousness, and embarrassment because you fear being scrutinized or judged negatively by others.
A few symptoms of social anxiety include:
Fear of interacting or talking with strangers.
Avoidance of doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment.
Avoidance of situations where you might be the center of attention.
Anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event.
5 Strategies To Help Ease Social Anxiety
Explore triggers
Pinpointing the exact reasons why you feel most anxious is a stepping-off point in managing social anxiety. Write down what social setting makes you feel most anxious and instead of ignoring these situations, immerse yourself into them consciously and prepared.
Take baby steps and be kind to yourself
Your social anxiety simply will not go away overnight. It also won’t go away by forcing yourself to be in situations where you are not comfortable. Start small and build up; once you feel confident in one setting, move to the next. Above all else, be kind to yourself during this phase and remember that you’re doing the best that you can.
Practice relaxation techniques
Becoming familiar with breathing techniques can be an ideal way to go into a setting that triggers your social anxiety. The 4–7–8 breathing exercise can help tremendously. To become familiar with this breathing technique, you will want to inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. Exhale slowly for a count of 8 seconds.
Meditation, yoga, and other physical activity are great ways to help ease anxious feelings.
Limit alcohol and caffeine
It may feel tempting to grab a coffee before an interview for that extra boost or to sip on some wine during a cocktail party, but be aware that consuming alcohol and caffeine can actually intensify feelings of anxiety.
Instead, try being mindful of what you consume to see what does and doesn’t spark your anxiety.
Seek help from a therapist
If you are still finding it hard to manage your social anxiety, seeking help from a therapist is always a good idea.
