How to Get Rid of Social Anxiety?

Apr 15, 2022 — Mental Health Care

Do you get tense every time the doorbell rings? Do you find yourself trying to think of excuses to get out of your social outings? You might have social anxiety. But don’t worry, you are not the only one.

Owing to the past two years of a global pandemic and lockdowns, many people have developed social anxiety. Of course, some of it is justified. Crowds and social gatherings can still be avoided, but that does not mean there should be a stop to socialising. Socialising is important for mental and physical health. So, if you too are dealing with social anxiety, there are a few things you can do to get rid of it.

Make a Plan
All good things start with a plan. Recognise the social situations that make you anxious and make a list of things. Furthermore, create a rating system for each situation based on how anxious each one makes you feel. This way, you know which situation needs to be dealt with at the earliest and you can set the pace for the whole exercise. A plan will also give you a clear and collective view of your anxiety issues.

Take it Slow
You cannot overcome social anxiety overnight. You have to give yourself time. Therefore, go slow with the process. Hopefully, you have made a plan to tackle social anxiety, so you have a good idea of the different levels of anxiety you are facing. For example, attending a public event can induce a lot of anxiety as opposed to running some errands. Therefore, you work your way upwards gradually increasing the difficulty levels. This will help you become more confident in dealing with anxiety.

Have a Support System
It is important to have a strong support system of people around you who know about your anxiety and are empathetic to you. They can really help you deal with your social anxiety. They can, they can help you figure out how to deal with your anxiety by doing role-plays or rehearsing situations with you, and most importantly, they lend you a sympathetic ear when you want to talk.

Have a Positive Outlook
When dealing with anxiety, you have to be positive. Sure, there will be little victories, but there will also be a few setbacks. One day you will feel great, but then the next, you may not feel so great. But it is important that you remain positive throughout and keep making progress little by little. Consistency is the key.

Get Help
A mental health professional is the best person who can guide you in dealing with anxiety. Many people, for whatever reason, shy away from talking to a mental health professional. But the truth is that a professional is far better equipped to help you tackle anxiety. It’s their job! So, trust that a professional will help you the best, and don’t be apprehensive about seeing them. You can also take help from mental health professionals, you can always come to Tending Minds, one of the best anxiety and depression therapy in pune, who will assess you and guide you better.

Other things that will help you deal with social anxiety are consuming positive media, getting some exercise, getting enough sleep, and following a nutritious diet. Social anxiety is more common than you think and everyone is dealing with it in some way or the other. So, don’t worry and use the above-given advice to deal with/ overcome it.