If you’ve ever experienced significant fear and anxiety in a public setting, you know that social anxiety is very much a REAL thing! Most of us experience some level of anxiety from time to time, which is very common. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health states that 1 in 5 of us experience anxiety regularly (www.nimh.gov).
Anxiety can often interfere with our daily lives. Social anxiety, however, can be debilitating. The intense fear of being around people in public can cause a person to avoid certain settings and connections with others, placing limited expectations on their lives. There are several steps we can take to weaken the impact that social anxiety may have on us. Let’s take a look:
Step 1
Recognize it – We want to be aware of how social anxiety shows up for us. Is my body talking to me? Is my heart racing? Is my chest tightening? Are my hands trembling? When we recognize how anxiety presents itself, we can then acknowledge it.
Step 2
Address it – Once we acknowledge that symptoms of social anxiety are present, we can use simple coping strategies to decrease the intensity. Strategic breathing is an easy, free, tool that can be used anywhere, anytime! The 4-7-8 breathing technique assists with shifting us from a “fight or flight” state to a more manageable one. You can watch a short, simple video here to learn more about this quick and effective tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c5yrOlGDbk.
Step 3
Collect evidence – I may feel unsafe, but am I really? That “fight or flight” response is built in to our physiological makeup to keep us safe. Thankfully our bodies have this built in “bells and whistles” tool available to protect us. Sometimes, those alarms go off, but we’re actually not in harm’s way. It’s just our body attempting to keep us well protected. A simple check-in such as, “is there PROOF I’m unsafe?” may do the trick to remind your body and your brain that things are actually ok and you can give permission for the bells and whistles to settle.
Using mindfulness to better acknowledge and accept your thoughts and feelings is a great coping tool to help us better manage our anxiety when we’re in social or public settings. If you’d like more information about how to utilize mindfulness and other tools to decrease symptoms of anxiety, contact us today at 479-268-4142!
