Intro
Social anxiety is becoming much more common in society today. As we are spending an increasing amount of time in our homes, we are gradually isolating ourselves from society (which has not been helped by the arrival of Covid-19) and we are now beginning to feel the repercussions of this, one of those being a revival in social anxiety. But you don't have to be affected by this fast-spreading, anxiety-inducing epidemic, simply follow our 5 anxiety easing tips.
So, what are these so-called 'anxiety easing' tips? They are displayed below but if you don't follow them with consistency and keep them in your consciousness then you may as well stop reading this article.
* To help with this, create a daily reminder on your phone listing the 5 tips to remind yourself of them regularly.
Practice relaxation techniques
Take care of your physical health
Seek support
Practice affirmations
Face your fears
Ease Social Anxiety With Relaxation Techniques
There are many different relaxation techniques that you can use to ease social anxiety, the best one for you may depend on personal preference or the circumstances. For example, meditation is good for a gradual increase in relaxation levels over time, but for a short-term, quick fix, deep breathing or visualization could be your best option. All we can do is give you the various popular and proven methods and their individual benefits. So, make your pick:
Visualization - Visualisation can be used as a relaxation technique to help ease social anxiety. This is achieved by visualizing peaceful and calming images, which helps by taking your mind's focus away from the source of your anxiety and transporting it elsewhere. It is best used in very short-term situations for example for social anxiety it could be seconds before talking to a cashier.
Meditation - Meditation is also a very effective relaxation technique that you can implement to ease social anxiety in the long term. Meditation is done by focusing on the present moment and letting go of anxious thoughts, there are many different paid apps that help with this but we have lots of different meditation tips and tricks in our free resource library if you want to check it out for free!
Deep Breathing - By slowing down your breathing and taking in more oxygen you slow and calm your mind. Deep breathing also increases mental clarity which is particularly important for social anxiety as it allows you to focus better on your social interactions and make you a better listener, which is vital for being a good friend and becoming emotionally intelligent.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Progressive Muscle Relaxation or PMR eases anxiety by promoting a feeling of relaxation and reducing physical tension throughout the body. This also makes you appear more confident as your body is looser and less tense.
Now that you have been informed of all the potential relaxation techniques that you can use, pick a few and regularly put them to use to quickly begin to ease your social anxiety.
Good Physical Health Eases Social Anxiety
Your physical health and social anxiety are much more closely connected than you would think. Maintaining good physical health through regular exercise, a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep all help to ease social anxiety symptoms.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet can improve self-confidence, which can help people feel more comfortable in social situations. When people feel good about themselves physically, they are more likely to feel good about themselves socially. Exercise and a healthy diet can also reduce stress and anxiety, which can have a positive impact on social anxiety symptoms. By promoting relaxation and reducing physical tension, people can feel more at ease in social situations. Good physical health can also increase social opportunities, allowing people to engage in activities they enjoy and meet new people. This can help people build social skills and reduce social anxiety symptoms over time.
Overall, good physical health can have a positive impact on social anxiety symptoms by reducing physical symptoms, improving self-confidence, reducing stress, improving sleep, and increasing social opportunities. It is important to prioritize physical health as part of a comprehensive approach to managing social anxiety.
Seek Support
Seeking support from others is another important way to ease social anxiety. Social anxiety can be a very isolating experience, and seeking support from others can help you feel less alone and more understood. But in order to make support-seeking work you must talk to someone that you trust, for example, a family member or even a professional. When you find your trusted person there are many different ways in which talking to them can ease your social anxiety.
When you seek support from others, you receive external validation for your experiences and feelings. This can help you feel less alone and more understood, thus fighting that feeling of isolation felt by those coping with social anxiety. Talking to others can also provide a new perspective on your social anxiety and it helps you understand that you are not alone in your experiences. This can help reduce feelings of shame and self-blame when talking about social anxiety and instead promote feelings of acceptance and self-compassion.
Finally, seeking support from others can also provide you with a new coping strategy for easing your social anxiety. As many other people have experienced similar feelings in their life and can provide advice and support for regularly managing anxiety symptoms.
Practice Anxiety Easing Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that are used to counteract negative self-talk and beliefs. When practiced regularly, affirmations can be an effective tool to help ease social anxiety. The benefits produced by affirmations are different from that of the previous 3 techniques because they are more confidence and self-improvement orientated rather than solely for calming and relaxation purposes, so here are a few of the ways affirmations ease anxiety:
Affirmations shift your mindset: Anxiety often stems from negative thinking patterns and beliefs. Affirmations can help you reframe your thoughts and beliefs in a more positive light. By repeating positive statements, you can shift your mindset and focus on the good in your life.
Affirmations build your self-esteem: Low self-esteem is often linked to anxiety. By repeating affirmations that focus on your strengths and positive qualities, you can boost your self-esteem and feel more confident.
Affirmations promote positive action: Anxiety can be paralyzing, making it difficult to take action. Affirmations can help you overcome this by promoting positive action. By focusing on positive statements, you may feel more motivated and inspired to take action toward your goals.
Affirmations can be a powerful tool for easing anxiety. By practicing affirmations regularly, you can shift your mindset, build self-esteem, and promote positive action. But all of the benefits achieved by affirmations are only possible through consistency and repetition, and in order to succeed with this method you must be patient because it takes time.
Ease Social Anxiety FOR GOOD By Facing Your Fears
At long last. We've been building up to this technique all article. Gifting you all of the necessary skills needed to leap over this final hurdle, to finally defeat and ease your social anxiety for good. It's time to face your fears!
Social anxiety makes social situations extremely overwhelming and uncomfortable. While it can be tempting to avoid these situations altogether, facing your fears is a key step in overcoming your social anxiety. All of the techniques listed above are useful but they mean nothing if not put to the test, and even if they fail just remember that 'failure is growth'. So what good could possibly come from putting you in an overwhelming and uncomfortable social situation?
Desensitization: By gradually exposing yourself to social situations that make you anxious, you can become desensitized to them over time. This means that you may become less reactive to the anxiety triggers and feel more comfortable in social situations.
Increased Confidence: Each time you face a fear and overcome it, you build confidence in yourself and your ability to handle social situations. This can help to reduce anxiety and increase your sense of self-efficacy.
Challenging Negative Thoughts: Social anxiety is often fueled by negative thoughts and beliefs about oneself and others. By facing your fears, you can challenge these negative thoughts and beliefs and develop a more realistic and positive outlook.
Creating New Experiences: Avoiding social situations can lead to a limited and isolated life. By facing your fears and engaging in social activities, you can create new experiences and opportunities for growth and personal development and ultimately a more entertaining and free life!
Conclusion
Even though it may be hard to face your fears and step out of your comfort zone it is 100% worth it, and I can tell you from personal experience that these 5 tips are LIFE-CHANGING. I used to be socially anxious and couldn't talk to my friends, let alone strangers without feeling anxious but now I am completely the opposite, I actually enjoy talking to strangers and making friends. So if you really want to improve your life and put an end to the tiring struggle that is social anxiety then please just follow these 5 tips with consistency and consciousness of mind and the world will be at your feet!
Thanks for reading, if you want to access our large array of free resources helping combat social anxiety and promote self-improvement then click here!