Social anxiety can be a debilitating problem and it can actually prevent you from living your life. There are many instances in life where we have to experience some kind of social environment, however, if you do suffer from social anxiety then it can be a problem. This can make attending events difficult and it can often ruin things for others. Despite this, social anxiety can be overcome using the right tricks, enabling you to take back your life and enjoy yourself once again.
Share your Experience
The saying “a problem shared is a problem halved” is true in every way. When you choose to hide your anxiety and suppress it, it can actually increase your anxiety levels. Therefore, it is important that you share your experiences and feelings with friends or family. In fact, you can even speak to people online as there is a lot of help available such as finding the best free online dating site where you can meet people who also suffer from the same problem. It is common for people to feel ashamed of the fact that they suffer from social anxiety but it is important that you realize that it does not make you weak. Your mental health is important and just because you suffer from social anxiety it does not mean that you shouldn’t make it known. Talking about it will help to ease the burden of suffering from social anxiety.
Breathe to Control it
If you have been suffering from social anxiety for some time, you will be aware of its warning signs. When you spot the warning signs, taking action can help. Commonly, people feel that their body becomes tense and that their mind is racing at a thousand miles per hour. However, it is possible to use your body to control and ease your anxiety. Steady breathing will help to control your heart rate which will make you feel more comfortable. If you can steady your breathing and control your heart rate you will find that your mind slows down which in turn will help your anxiety.
Realistic Thinking
Anxiety feeds off your thoughts and this is when it can control you. However, anxiety is not a reality as you can control your reality to some degree. As social anxiety feeds on a thought that enhance danger and negativity, things such as a fast pulse or sweating can cause it to manifest. Despite this, the way you think can be changed and this is not just about positive thinking because you need to think about the negative thoughts that trigger your anxiety. When you do think about these thoughts, you can then begin to find a way of producing thoughts that deal with the negative thoughts as these can help to correct them.
Change Attention
Anxiety can take all of your attention, resulting in you turning against yourself. You then start to become critical of yourself, realize how your heartbeat has increased and begun sweating even more. It is as though it is a process that triggers each feeling or emotion. However, if you can shift your attention and focus on something else, such as something that someone is saying, instead of thinking about what you need to say, you will find that your anxiety will ease considerably.
Tackle your Fears
While you may choose to avoid social situations in an attempt to make you feel better, you need to realize that this is a short term fix. Ideally, you need to learn how to cope with anxiety so that you can then deal with social situations better in the future. Therefore, you could begin by facing your fears in small steps so that you can then tackle larger social situations while also giving you the coping skills you need. Perhaps meeting new people makes you anxious so you could begin by going to an event or a party with a friend. You can then take the initiative and introduce yourself to people. If you choose to avoid this then you know what the outcome will be, but if you want to take back your life then you need to really take a chance and put yourself out there – just remember it takes small steps.
Nothing is Perfect
If you believe that people are judging you on your perfection then you couldn’t be further from the truth. Nobody is perfect and we all have our flaws while it is important to remember that not everyone will like you and you will not like everyone. If you make mistakes then that is fine as well because we are human after all.
Don’t let social anxiety hold you back because you can try and combat it by following the tricks above. Get the help you need, implement the tricks and remember to be yourself.
