Thinking about Therapy?
Take our quiz to see therapists who are a good match for you.
Take our quiz to see therapists who are a good match for you.
After helping countless individuals reduce their social anxiety, I’m providing some top tips that can help you improve your daily life. Have you ever avoided social situations due to the fear of being judged or watched by others? Have you ever feared being embarrassed or humiliated by people, accidentally offending someone, or being the center of attention? Do you ever “clam up”, grow silent, or avoid people/crowds completely?
If so, it could be that you have social anxiety. Social Anxiety Disorder is an immense fear of social situations or, being judged harshly by others. If social anxiety has been affecting your life negatively, read on to discover some helpful tips to reduce uncomfortable symptoms associated with social anxiety.
1: Expose yourself to your fear
The last thing people with social anxiety want to do is expose themselves to their worst fear which, is social situations. This is because people have the tendency to avoid what worries them the most. Exposing yourself to your fear will lessen the anxiety over time.
One way you can do this is to take baby steps towards facing the biggest, most anxiety provoking event which, for you might be talking to a stranger, grocery shopping in public, or giving a presentation in front of your class. If you continue to avoid what worries you, your anxiety will only get worse over time. Like the saying goes, “Feel your fear and do it anyways”.
2: Be present centered
In accordance with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, anxiety is caused from negative, future-oriented thoughts. Social anxiety involves negative, future-oriented thoughts surrounding social situations. Some of these thoughts might be “what if I embarrass myself when I talk to her”, “what if I say something stupid”, “what if I make a fool of myself”, etc.
All of these thoughts haven’t happened yet and might never happen. To negate these thoughts, it is important to remain in the present moment. Try thinking about something that is happening in the “now”, the visuals you might be seeing, the sounds you might be hearing, the smells you might be smelling, etc.
3: Challenge your negative thoughts
What if the future-oriented negative thoughts that you’re thinking aren’t true? What if your thoughts are more so geared towards black and white thinking styles instead of the grey areas? If you’re having thoughts such as, “I’m going to sound stupid if I say something, I look ridiculous, No one will want to be my friend… then you’re thinking in terms of “black and white”.
How are you so sure that you’re going to sound stupid if you say something you really wanted to say? Are you sure that you’re going to look ridiculous if you say a certain thing? Are you sure that no one would want to be your friend? Have you ever had a friend in the past and if not what is the true reason behind that?
Thinking about what you’re thinking about is important in reducing social anxiety. This term in psychology is called metacognition. What you are thinking might not necessarily be true or rational. To find this out, evaluate your thoughts.
4: Breathe
I know this one seems oversimplified but, slowing your breathing really does help lessen the physical symptoms of anxiety. Take a moment to think about a time when you felt anxious in a social situation. How were you breathing?
Often, when people are experiencing anxiety, their breathing is constricted or fast. In these moments something that you can try is the 7/11 breathing technique. This involves breathing in through your nose for seven seconds and out through your mouth for eleven seconds. Repeat this until this way of breathing feels natural and you feel like your anxiety is diminishing.
5: Get Physical
I don’t know about you but, it really seems like anxiety is more prevalent in today’s day and age in certain first world countries. People had anxiety back then but, it definitely didn’t seem as common. Why do you think that might be?
One reason could be surrounding the chemicals that your body produces when feeling anxious. Norepinephrine is responsible for the adrenaline and energy that moves through your body when anxious. Adrenaline and Cortisol are prevalent in the body when anxious or stressed. Today, when people feel physical symptoms of anxiety, they often do not burn off the chemicals produced in the body during those moments. Back then, jobs and careers were more laborious.
Chemicals associated with anxiety were burnt off and people were able to function in those moments. When feeling anxious before going into a social situation try, burning off those chemicals through exercise. You can go on a run, do some jumping jacks, or whatever physical activity you choose. Notice how when you exert enough energy your anxiety lessens. To see if it is working, try rating your anxiety on a scale of 1-10 before and after doing the exercise of your choosing.
Conclusion
Some of the tips listed above will reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. The next time you feel anxious in social situations try exposing yourself to your fear, being present centered, challenging your negative future-oriented thoughts, slowing your breathing, and getting physical. If symptoms of social anxiety persist schedule a session to see a therapist. Burch Tree Counseling Center specializes in treating Social Anxiety Disorder and is a great option for individuals who live in Florida.
