5 Ways to Deal with Social Anxiety on Your Own

If you suffer from social anxiety, you will fear certain situations. This can vary from person to person. Some fear speaking in front of groups of people. Some fear meeting new people. While others fear going to parties or other types of social events. In whichever situation you fear arises, you'll probably experience sweating, flushing, feeling your heart race, or other symptoms of anxiety. One of the primary symptoms you'll feel is thinking others will judge you or find you lacking in some way. Not to worry, though. No matter what your symptoms are or where they hit you, there are things you can do on your own to deal with your social anxiety.

Number One: Deep Muscle Relaxation

Learning to physically relax is one of the best ways to combat anxiety. It's impossible to feel both relaxed and anxious. For deep muscle relaxation, you will tense then relax the major muscle groups of your body, beginning with your feet and working your way towards your head and face.

Number Two: Slow Breathing

Controlling your breathing when you're anxious is another good way to deal with your emotions. When you're anxious, your breathing becomes faster and more shallow and as a result, you'll feel light-headed and dizzy, bringing on more anxiety. Learning to breathe slower and more regularly through your nose will help you calm down. This technique won't get rid of your anxiety, but it will help you better handle the situation you're experiencing.

Number Three: Visualization

The key to visualization is to remember a place where you felt safe and comfortable. Once you remember this place, get a picture of it in your mind so clearly that you can feel, see, smell and even taste that place. This takes practice and patience.

Number Four: Control Your Thoughts

Faulty thinking is a hallmark of social anxiety. Believing that others are judging you and finding you faulty in some way is a majorly detrimental way of thinking that occurs, so it is important to evaluate whether those thoughts are true. Ask yourself for proof. People with social anxiety tend to overestimate how badly others think of them. Keep in mind: your thoughts are only guesses about what others will think or what you will do. How you think is a habit and habits can be changed.

Number Five: Face Your Anxiety

Most people with social anxiety want to hide, avoid, or run away from whatever they're scared of, but by facing your anxiety instead, you'll find that it is usually something you can tolerate after a few exposures. However, you may want to try this on a situation that brings a relatively low level of anxiety first. When using this method, focus on what's going on around you instead of what's going through your mind. That should help you distract yourself from those anxious thoughts.

Have you found any of the described methods helpful? Do you use other strategies to cope with your social anxiety? Feel free to share in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check our website and other social media, as well as our new Patreon account. And don't forget to subscribe!