If you’re like most anxiety-ridden people, you often get self-conscious when faced with the prospect of meeting others. To some, it goes beyond that. They feel nauseous when giving a speech or being interviewed for a job. Among the types of anxiety disorders, social anxiety can make you the most miserable. This social phobia can derail your efforts to perform well in the work place and built a lasting relationship.
Don’t mistake social anxiety with shyness, which is the default term for people who act nervous in social situations. A shy person is not debilitated by fear; he can open up when prompted, with as much comfort as a naturally gregarious person. Social anxiety has a lot to do with the fear of being embarrassed. You imagine scenarios where people are laughing at you because of what you do in a social interaction.
Needless to say, you could get worse if you don’t conquer this fear now. You can start by using the Linden method. Here are some more things you can do to fight back against social phobia.
How to Calm Your Social Anxiety By Controlling What You Think
1. Think “Breathe”
Breathing exercises are a part of any therapy against any anxiety disorder. When you get to a point where you can’t breathe because of nerves, you can use the default breathing exercise that you’ve gotten used to.
2. Think “They Don’t Know I’m Nervous”
The thing is, most socially anxious people turn inward rather than outward. The reality is that many people around you have their own troubles. The woman in the corner may be waiting for her date, who hasn’t called her in the last hour. The bartender may be waiting desperately for his break time so that he can fix his wedgie or scratch his back in the men’s room. Other people are not looking at you, and they don’t really know you unless you make a scene by fainting or sulking for hours in a corner. They’re not looking and they don’t care.
3. Think “It’s Not So Bad”
A social situation is not as bad as you think. There is no one in the room who took dancing lessons for years with a professional. No one has gone through a lot of trouble to train in public speaking school just to be able to function socially. All the people there are mingling to have fun, and so should you. Walk around, smile a bit and experience what it’s like to just be in a place where there are a lot of people around.
4. Think “The World’s Not Going to End”
If you tell a joke and no one laughs, the world’s not going to end. If you slip or dance like it’s your first time dancing, the world will continue on. You will go through the motions of waving goodbye to the people you met and riding a cab home, regardless of the experiences you had in the social gathering. The thing is, there is always a next time to practice your social skills again.
