Despite enjoying the best days of life, one may not find the will not to notice the elephant in the room. Well, it has to be anxiety. Addressing it becomes essential when you cannot concentrate well in your life as it interferes with your daily activities and goals. However, this feeling of distress does not appear without a cause. There are specific triggers that set things in motion. Our brain decides the series of physical and mental reactions to varying incidents differently. It is why some individuals experience social anxiety on specific occasions. Let us know what this truly is.
What is social anxiety?
It could be better understood as the nervousness and fear that an individual feels on a particular occasion. It marks difficulties in the behavioral aspects of that person and the ability to cope rationally. Social events like a family gathering, public speeches, or interviews can trigger your social anxiety disorder.
You feel immense discomfort and fear to face other people. There is a constant worry of being judged and evaluated by strangers. One may anticipate social anxiety when confronting an unfamiliar situation or circumstance. Some instances can be so disrupting that an individual might lose their senses out of fear. It is why having a check on our social phobia should be rectified at the earliest.
How to understand you are suffering from social anxiety?
You might think of social anxiety as something rare and difficult. Nevertheless, it is more common than most people realize. Particular events turn on a person’s anxiety. While some individuals have difficulty setting foot in every social gathering, some only fear meeting strangers.
Whatever may be the cause, social anxiety is evident from a person’s behavior. It signifies the peculiar behavioral changes that a body goes through while experiencing anxiety. Some characteristics that you can check to recognize this disorder are—
- Excessive sweating while surrounded by people
- Intense fear in particular circumstances
- Constant distress during social events that hinders your personal growth
- Worrying way before the event even happens
- You get nervous thinking that other people would notice you
- You start to shiver at the thought of being judged
- Increased heartbeat when around people
- Extreme hesitation in initiating a conversation
- Consistently avoiding any chance of meeting new people
7 tips to overcome anxiety when surrounded by people
You should not doubt your ability to overcome social anxiety. Although frightening, we can manage this disorder through the following tips.
1. Brace yourself
Avoiding social invitations can worsen your condition. Meeting new people is a part of being social, and it helps you to gain confidence. You can prepare yourself for an unanticipated situation beforehand. Meeting new people is not as terrifying as your anxiety is tricking you into thinking.
2. Exposure is your way out
Instead of ignoring your fear, you can willingly decide to appear in social events. Hiding your anxiety could make it grow to be even more intense. Exposure therapy may positively condition it and lessen the associated symptoms.
3. Know what sets you off
Next time you step into a social gathering, examine what triggers your responses. Gaining knowledge about these things will only add an advantage in tackling your fear. Once you understand what causes your reaction, you can learn and adapt to try and eliminate it.
4. Start with a smaller gathering
In your journey to combat social fear, consider taking small, consistent steps. That means you could start by accepting invitations to places with a limited number of people. Smaller gatherings will let you concentrate better on your behavior.
You can plan meet-ups with your family or friends to gain confidence. Remember to make eye contact wherever possible, as it can help you to feel less nervous.
5. Set a layout plan
When meeting new people, you can prepare a list of things that you can or cannot d which can even include talking points. Try to omit the things that obstruct your focus and concentrate on aspects that would make you appear to be more confident, this can help you to become more confident.
6. Dress well
Dressing well never gets out of fashion. When you look good, you gain a certain sense of assurance of your identity. Most people experience an inferiority complex in front of people because of their appearance.
7. Motivate yourself
Even though anxiety can physically and mentally exhaust you, motivation can be your best rescuer. Motivate yourself every day and become your own sort of uplifting therapist. You could start by picking your trigger points and working on them until you improve.
Is social anxiety natural, or is it just shyness?
The anxiety of being surrounded by people might seem normal. However, it is more than just shyness. The symptoms that are reflected by this disorder are more than being nervous. A person with social phobia goes through extreme fear when exposed to crowded situations.
Our thoughts play a significant role in affecting our mental balance. Despite you realizing that your thoughts are irrational, your fear seems to remain unaffected. Anxiolytic drugs may help individuals reduce their chances of recurring social anxiety. CBD has been shown to help decrease some forms of anxiety for some people, which includes PTSD and SAD. Kratom, such as Red Bali Kratom, although not approved by the FDA, has some research suggesting that it also may work as a natural and potent sedative that might help you to relax and relieve the effects of anxiety.
The dos & don’ts of being in a social event
Some points that you can practice to stay sane at a social event can be:
- Initiate conversations
- Pick your invitations wisely
- Stop hanging around people that let you down/leave you stranded
- Make peace with your social phobia
- Work on building a friendship
The very things that can intensify your anxiety are the things that you should avoid:
- Not having enough knowledge about the place that you are visiting
- Expecting every person to be judgemental
- Assuming the worst outcome for situations
- Accepting invitations from entirely unfamiliar individuals
- Counting yourself as an inferior person/low self-esteem
- Letting your emotions run wild
Conclusion
Every person can relate to being shy or afraid of meeting someone. Even if you cannot gather the strength to be confident around people, try to act like it. People can actually have a hard time realizing if you are faking your confidence or not. You have to believe that you can improve your situation through an accurate method, believe in yourself and your confidence will build, and your anxiety should decrease gradually.
