How To Overcome Social Anxiety

[TopicStarter]

Experiencing social anxiety can be really frustrating sometimes. Speaking from personal experience, it often hinders your ability to express yourself, leading others to doubt your potential.

In personal interviews and group discussions, where the first impression plays a crucial role, being socially anxious can feel like a curse. After all; it’s not fair to have people doubt your competence because you’re not expressive.

If you frequently find yourself in these waters, don’t be disheartened because you are not alone. It’s easy to fall into the cycle of beating yourself up for not being confident. But you need to break this pattern eventually, since it will do you no good in the long run.

Social anxiety is really common, and you’ll be surprised to find that a lot of people suffer from it while putting on a confident face on the outside. It’s nice to fake it till you make it, but you need to learn to accept yourself for who you are and work on the imperfections patiently.

Here’s my advice for dealing with social anxiety gracefully:

#1 Show up with a brave face: I know that sleeping on social plans can be tempting. Sometimes even an important work call can prove to be an unnerving task. But to continue growing in life, you’ll have to put yourself through uncomfortable situations.

The best option at hand is just showing up. The worst that could happen is that you’ll mess up a little, but that’s perfectly okay. It’ll serve as an insightful experience, and the next time, you’ll stand with your head held a little higher.

#2 Perform breathing exercises: Whenever you’re about to face a tough social situation, focus on your breathing and try to breathe as deeply as possible. Doing this will ensure a rich supply of oxygen to your brain, calming down your nerves a little.

It might come across as funny, but try standing in the superhero pose for a few minutes. You’ll feel an instant surge of confidence.

#3 Don’t live inside your head: Overthinking is the root cause of social anxiety. We often tend to delve really deep into things, analyzing every aspect of a conversation. But you should frequently remind yourself to take things lightly and let yourself go with the flow.

#4 See a counselor: Sometimes, due to deep-rooted traumas, no matter how hard you try to beat it, social anxiety can be chronic. If that’s the case, then please don’t feel bad about yourself. There’s no shame in seeking professional help, and nothing is better than working on yourself. So, acknowledge your needs and get medical help because you deserve comfort and ease in your life.

Have you had to overcome social anxiety? What are some methods you use to help?

[Scarlett]

7 hours ago, TopicStarter said:

#3 Don’t live inside your head

For anyone with anxiety, this is the hardest part. I have a friend with terrible social anxiety. Anytime she is around new people, her hands sweat and she gets a nervous laugh going. She has trouble focusing on conversations and she always worries she is saying the wrong thing. It can be quite difficult to get out of your own head!

[Jeremy_CLK]

#2 has always worked magic for me all the time. This easy and often ignored exercise can save a life. By simply breathing, you get your mind off the thing that is causing the anxiety. This simple "breath in" ..."breath out" has helped me remain calm during my presentations.

[Emma]

I find when I am nervous about any social event, it helps to just not take myself too seriously. I try to get in a state of mind where I am relaxed and easy going to take pressure of anything going on and it seems to help most of the time.