Sick of Sitting at Home? How to Start Facing Your Social Anxiety

Having social anxiety is more than just being shy. Social anxiety is something that can leave you feeling as if you never want to leave the house. And, for a while, that may work out for you. But maybe now you are growing tired of never going out, but it's too hard. Every social situation may leave you feeling drained and incredibly anxious.

Learning to face social anxiety can be challenging, but it is not impossible. Maybe you have tried to in the past, but it just didn't work out. It helps to remember that it is not a race. You can do this as slow as you feel comfortable with. If you aren't sure where to start, keep reading for how you can begin facing your social anxiety.

Know Your Triggers

Not everyone experiences social anxiety in the same way. Some people worry about saying the wrong things in front of other people. Or ordering food at a restaurant or speaking over the phone. While others may be okay with being around others, as long as they aren't asked to share their own thoughts or speak up.

Social anxiety manifests itself in so many different ways. One of the best steps you can begin to face your social anxiousness is to understand what makes you nervous.  You can make a list of the social situations that make you the most nervous. Also, list how you feel during these moments. Clammed up? Sweaty? Feeling like it's hard to breathe? Acknowledging all of these things, in the long term, can help you work through and overcome social anxiety.

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

When you are socially anxious, it often comes with negative thoughts. These negative thoughts can be specific to the social situation or what could potentially happen. For instance, you may worry that you will say something wrong or stumble over your words. Or you may worry that you will trip and fall.

While in the past, you may have had embarrassing moments like this. So now, your brain thinks, "Oh no! It's going to happen again to me," as your brain cycles through everything that could go wrong. Which can worsen your social anxiety. Often, our anxiety in social situations come from the fear of being judged by others.

However, what you can do is challenge these thoughts. If you make a mistake while speaking, you may fear other people's reactions. What you can do is challenge this by saying, "Am I reasonably expecting a negative reaction, or would the mistake barely be noticed?"

Challenging your negative thoughts, over time, helps your brain to realize that not every social situation will end disastrously for you. Try to think of all the times you haven't done or said anything embarrassing, and we bet that list will be longer than things you have done!

Go In Small Steps

Forcing yourself to interact and be in situations with people can be really hard. As mentioned earlier, this isn't a race, so you shouldn't feel pressured to take "one giant step for mankind." Instead, start off small. When you are grocery shopping, your first instinct may be to go through self-checkout. Instead, go through a cashier's line and practice small talk. Something as simple as, "How are you today?" to the cashier can help boost your confidence in talking to other people.

Talk To A Therapist

Many people believe that social anxiety is just being shy. Maybe in the past, you have heard, "Just get over it! People are just people, like you!" While the intention behind those sentiments may be true, they are certainly not helpful by any means.

Talking to a trained licensed therapist can give you the safe space you need to talk about your social anxiety. Most therapists are offering telehealth services in their practices now, as well. So even when you feel like you absolutely can't leave the house, you can talk to someone who gets you from the comfort of your own home.

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We understand how difficult it is to deal with social anxiety. If you need help or more tips to overcome anxiety of any kind, please reach out to our office to get started.