Walking around in public would be a pleasant experience if it weren’t for the jittery feelings, the thought of interacting with people, and always thinking that they see me negatively.
What can we do to deal with these feelings? Continue reading to explore:
- How to Deal with Social Anxiety in Public
- 3 Treatment Paths for Social Anxiety
- The More You Know!
- Bonus Tips!
- And much more!
How to Deal with Social Anxiety in Public
1: Think About Your Triggers
Triggers are defined as any kind of stimuli that remind you of a painful memory and worsen how you feel (a strong negative reaction). This could be something you see, smell, hear, taste, or feel.
| The More You Know! The term trigger is commonly associated with a stimulus resurfacing a traumatic memory. When we think of the word “trigger”, we more frequently link it too traumatic disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) But feel free to know that the term can be used for other mental health conditions as well. The bottom line is that any stimulus that worsens your current symptoms is classified as a trigger. |
You can take the first step by identifying what kind of situations and stimuli tend to make you feel more anxious:
- Is it talking to someone at the grocery store and making a mistake?
- What about speaking to a couple of friends you haven’t seen in a while and wondering “What will they think of me?”
Whatever the case, allow yourself to sit down and take your time to think about these situations.
2: Note Down Triggers and Scenarios
Journalling or noting things down is the best way to keep a record of your triggers. It can benefit you by:
- Reducing anxiety – Sometimes as you write things down, you might think that they aren’t as bad as they were in your head.
- Keeping track of symptoms – A log to track the intensity of your symptoms
- Identifying patterns – You might be able to find yourself negatively thinking and work on it.
3: Practice Being in Triggering Scenarios – Role Play
Choose a specific scenario you want to act out and role-play in therapy or with a friend.
This sounds overwhelming and I understand if it does.
But think about it this way – you role play in an environment where you feel safe and ready to face the challenges. You can always choose to pause, take a break, and re-play the scenario for different outcomes.
Role plays are a huge part of therapy and help you feel more prepared for situations because you would have experienced similar things before.
| Bonus Tip: Switch it up! Role reversal (where you act out as the other person and your friend/therapist acts as you) along with normal role play is much more effective for social anxiety. Talk to your mental health professional for further guidance. |
4: Break it Down
Remind yourself to take baby steps.
You don’t need to, for example, successfully run a trip to the grocery store and make small talk with an employee in one go.
Break down a scenario into smaller chunks and focus on completing one tiny chunk at a time. For example, if you need to talk to an employee at a grocery store, break it down into:
- Find the store
- Walk in through the door
- Familiarize yourself with the store
- Walk around and get comfortable
- Identify employee
- And so on
5: Identify Helpful People/Resources
What do you do when you feel anxious despite being prepared? First of all, that’s normal and valid.
Secondly, try to help yourself by doing something with a close friend for starters. Or maybe learn some breathing techniques to help with the feelings of anxiety.
You can also help yourself be prepared in many other different ways.
3 Treatment Paths for Social Anxiety
Treatment Path 1: Self Help
If your anxiety is mild or if you feel more comfortable working on your anxiety yourself, you can turn to self-help guides.
These guides will help you develop the necessary skills to work with symptoms and thought patterns that cause anxiety in the first place.
For example, the NHS has a wonderful self-help guide for social anxiety. You can try the guide here and see if it works for you.
Here’s another self-help guide that helps you develop strategies against social anxiety.
Treatment Path 2: Therapies and/or Combination
Psychotherapy, which is sometimes known as “talk therapy”, is one of the most common modes of treatment for social anxiety.
Evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) work differently to cater to your anxiety and related symptoms. You could even get individual therapy or work with others in a group therapy.
Lastly, if you feel like therapy alone might not be the best for you, mental health professionals can always work together with medical professionals to provide you with medicines and therapy together.
Talk to a medical or mental health professional to find out which kind of treatment is right for you.
Treatment Path 3: Medication and/or Combination
Many people might choose to treat their anxiety through medicines for many reasons. Your medical professional may initially prescribe medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for anxiety-related symptoms.
Medication can also be used in combination with therapy to help relieve anxiety-related symptoms.
Conclusion
Social anxiety can be dealt with by preparing for situations beforehand. It all starts with identifying your triggers and noting them down regularly.
You can then role-play and ideally engage in role reversal with your friend and/or therapist to experience what it would be like to engage in that uncomfortable situation. Keep other helpful resources around for additional support.
Treatment options for social anxiety include self-help, psychotherapy, medication, and a combination of the last two. Everyone is different, so be sure to talk to your healthcare provider to see what will work best for you.
