We have previously discussed the terror of enduring social anxiety. That brings us to the question—how do we cope with this? Is there a magical formula that will fizzle out the experience into thin air? Truth be told, no.
To get rid of the anxiety that is consuming you little by little, you will need Patience. Here are a few steps to get you going!
1) Question, Question, Question!
Whenever you find your inner critic getting the best of you, question it. Whether it's about giving a toast at your best friend’s wedding or asking a stranger to take a picture, ask yourself how bad could it really be?
You might say something ludicrous and end up making a fool of yourself, and maybe the stranger will deny helping you. But, can you cope with it? Ask yourself the worst possible thing that could happen, and question the actual odds of that happening.
Maybe your best friend will put an end to your 8-year long friendship and cut all ties with you, but how likely is it to occur in reality? Probably not.
The action might result in a couple of giggles and a few minutes of awkwardness, but that will be it. What will follow this, will be the satisfaction of having overcome a mighty barrier.
2) Practice is the key
As you practice getting rid of your fears, you learn that the beginning is always baffling, but following that mountain is just a hill. The more you practice ejecting social anxiety out of your life, the more the fright of embarrassment diminishes.
It becomes slightly easier every time you are to give a speech or talk to a stranger. Keep in mind, the first approaches are the hardest but don’t just stop at one, keep going until the pinnacle of anxiety subsides into a minor hill.
3) Aim your attention towards others.
It often happens that during an important lecture or a friendly conversation, we tend to miss out on what the other person is conveying, due to the pressure bubbling inside us.
We are extremely focused on the questions we can raise, and the suggestions we can put forward to sound smarter or more interesting than the normal crowd. This deviates our attention from the actual conversation.
Once you shift your focus to the other person’s views and mannerisms, the pressure within you ebbs. You are no longer concerned about sounding like the brightest person in the room, but your concern is to absorb all the ideas the person is expressing. And this will turn out to be beneficial for your gnawing anxiety.
These are just a handful of tactics that can be useful to overcome your anxiety, but by sticking to these tips, we can guarantee you a positive outcome!
Check out our article on Social Anxiety: https://www.mona-muse.com/post/20-signs-you-have-social-anxiety
Check out our website: https://www.mona-muse.com/blog/categories/school
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