4 Simple Tips to Help You Manage Social Anxiety

Today, the fast-paced lifestyle is resulting in a large among of people experiencing some or the other form of anxiety. Of these, one of the common ways is through social anxiety - an intense fear of being watched or rejected by others in a social setting. 

Social anxiety can feel like being stressed and nervous while meeting people, even if it involves having fun with them like going to a party or attending a sports event. It can make you feel lonely, lost, and misplaced if you’re unaware of what is causing it. You can also start to avoid family gatherings and outings with friends altogether.

It is not uncommon to feel this way, as you’re still trying the best you can for yourself. With the right support and care from friends, family, or even your mental health practitioner, you can learn to understand the role social anxiety plays in your life and what you can do about it.

Also read: How Does Therapy Help With Anxiety?

Read more about the symptoms of social anxiety and its care and treatment options on this page.

4 Tips for Dealing With Social Anxiety 

Start small

You can start by exposing yourself to smaller and easier social situations. Instead of going to a huge party with a group of friends, you can start by going to a small gathering with your friends you feel comfortable with. You can try different experiences as you get more comfortable with the company and yourself. If you’re trying to meet new people, try to meet some of them in a controlled environment like your house or your friends house where you feel safer and more comfortable. 

Starting small is a great way to broaden your safe space with others and indulge in activities that find pleasurable. If any situation gets too overwhelming, you can always take a step back.

You can tell your friends, family, and even your therapist about you making an effort towards coping with your social anxiety. This can help them understand and support you better. 

By joining the Coping With Anxiety community, you can also give yourself a chance to discuss your concerns with others going through a similar experience or simply observe what it’s like for others to experience and manage anxiety. 

Reduce screen time when out with others

It can be tempting to keep checking your smartphone and surfing through social media when you get uncomfortable or self-conscious around others, or when the silence is making you feel out of place. 

Staring at your screen can act as a medium to distract yourself from the anxiety and nervousness that you could be feeling. However, this can further exacerbate your social anxiety which can lead you to not being able to make fruitful face-to-face conversations with someone or with a group.

Numerous research studies have pointed out that using social media to cope with the discomfort in social situations is related to feeling depressed, isolated and having low self-esteem.

Also read: How is Social Media impacting our Mental Health and What we can do about it

Focus on your senses

It can get overwhelming to experience negative emotions such as fear, frustration, or anger in social situations sometimes. When feeling like this, remind yourself that this is a difficult time for you right now and you do not have to act upon the emotion but simply feel it.

You can learn to focus on being patient with yourself and the situation without rushing into intrusive thoughts that involve the past or the future. Focusing on the present moment with as much self-compassion can help in managing social anxiety. 

One way to focus on the present is by grounding yourself in your five senses: Bring your attention to your breath, and your body movements. Focus on the way you’re breathing. Is it deep? Is it fast? What can you smell? You can then slowly learn to calm yourself through your senses.

Also read: Social Anxiety - Are You Experiencing It?

Do something good for someone now and then

Research has shown that doing good to someone is linked with motivation and reward. When you take a step to do a kind thing for someone, it can distract you from your anxiousness and feelings of inadequacy in social situations that can make you nervous.

Hence, being kind to someone can help counter the negative emotions experienced in social situations. It can help you alter expectations and promote a more hopeful approach to interacting with others.

You can learn to reframe your thoughts through these actions too. If you still experience anxiety, you can remind yourself that it is okay to feel uncomfortable sometimes and that you’re not alone. 

Put simply, we all feel awkward or out of place in social situations from time to time. However, it is important to be mindful when things start to feel too overwhelming too often. 

Also read: How Does Treatment for Social Anxiety Work? 

Being kind and compassionate towards yourself and others experiencing social anxiety through these situations is key. If you feel like talking to someone about your concerns, book a free 30-minute call with our mental health coach.