Social anxiety is a common condition that can make you feel like an outsider, but you are not alone. It can cause a lot of distress in your life, but it's also treatable and manageable. This article will give you some tips for managing social anxiety and living a more comfortable life.
Be honest about it with people you care about.
Lots of people have social anxiety. It's normal to feel nervous in certain situations, but if you're experiencing an intense, overwhelming fear that interferes with your ability to function normally, then it may be time for some help. That can start with opening up to a friend or loved one.
If you're trying to hide your anxiety from others, that's understandable, but it will likely end up making it worse. Hiding it can create shame around having social anxiety and will make it even harder for you to deal with. Most of the time opening up to people leads to some sense of relief.
It can also be helpful to verbalize your fears and thoughts to someone who can give you objective feedback. For example, if you're having thoughts and fears like "Everyone hates me!", then a friend can help you see that that isn't true.
Learn to let go of thoughts
Social anxiety sufferers often find themselves getting stuck in a cycle of worrying about what other people are thinking about them and their actions, which only leads to more anxious feelings and behaviors. This can be very difficult for people with social anxiety because social connections are a primal need for humans, so our brains have a hard time letting go of the fear of being disliked.
Dr. Christine Padesky is known for saying that anxiety is about overestimating danger and underestimating our ability to cope. Consider this: the scary thoughts we are having are an overestimation of danger. People are most likely not focusing on us as much as we think they are, and if they are it’s probably not nearly as negative as we assume.
Secondly, we are underestimating our ability to cope. Let’s say someone does have a judgment or even dislikes you altogether. Is it as catastrophic as your brain is telling you? Do you have the resources to get through that? Have you ever been through something harder than that in your life? Anxiety can make it hard to see a way through a problem, but you are resilient! You can cope with it.
So it comes down to not taking our thoughts too seriously. Try noticing the thought and letting it float away. If you practice this it will get easier.
Try Mindfulness and Meditation
One of the best ways to combat social anxiety and its symptoms is through mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness means being aware of your current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. When we're mindful we can better recognize when our minds are wandering off into negative thinking patterns (e.g., worrying about what other people think). Try being mindful of what is happening here and now, and notice how your mind wants to go off into worries or predictions about the future. Now imagine if you could practice letting go of those worries. Mindfulness is about training your mind to be more present and not so caught up in the past or the future.
Meditation is another way to help you become more aware of these patterns--it involves sitting still for a period of time while focusing on something simple like breathing slowly and deeply. Practiced over time, meditation can help calm the nervous system and reduce overall anxiety.
You can start off small by taking some deep breaths before going out into public spaces; even just focusing on one thing at a time rather than multi-tasking can make all the difference! Over time this will become easier as you get used to doing so; eventually it may even become second nature!
Get professional help if needed.
If you're still struggling with Social Anxiety, it's time to get some professional help. There are several effective therapies that can help you manage your anxiety and avoid the pitfalls of self-treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure Therapy--these all have been found to be effective in reducing social phobia symptoms in many people. A therapist can also help you make a plan for managing your anxiety and meeting the goals you have for your life.
It is possible to live a rewarding life with social anxiety, but it takes work and help from others
You can get help from friends and family. You can get professional help. You can learn to live with social anxiety and expand your comfort zone over time, but it takes work and determination.
You will have good days, bad days and some days where nothing goes right at all! But if you stick at it, then eventually the good days will outweigh the bad ones by far!
I hope these tips have helped you understand social anxiety and how it can affect your life. I know that it's not easy to live with this condition, but the more you know about it, the better prepared you'll be for overcoming it!
Begin Online Anxiety Treatment in North Carolina
You don’t have to struggle with social anxiety with the support of online anxiety treatment. Our team would be happy to support you with online therapy services no matter where you are in the state. You can start your therapy with Strive On Counseling by following these steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start expanding your social comfort zone!
Other Services Offered with Strive On Counseling
Our team is happy to offer a vareity of support for your mental health needs. This is why we are happy to offer many forms of therapy. Our services include individual counseling, anxiety treatment, EMDR trauma therapy, therapy for men’s issues, mindfulness, Buddhist counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, teletherapy / online therapy. Some other resources we offer include guided meditations, supplements, a list of books and other useful resources, and online courses. If you would like more information about any of these services, please reach out today, and start doing therapy in North Carolina!