How to Overcome Social Anxiety

Do social events trigger your anxiety? Does meeting new people make you nervous? Do you avoid eye contact when you meet new people?

These signs are common symptoms of social anxiety. If you are uncomfortable in social situations, you’re not alone. Social anxiety is a paralyzingly fear of social interaction where you are so afraid of judgment, being awkward, or being stared at.

Making friends and having social interaction is an important part of life, so it is really important to try to overcome this fear. Social anxiety it’s not a part of yourself, you are able to change that, you just have to really believe in yourself and start taking action.

Be transparent to others

Don’t be embarrassed or upset because you feel what you feel, be honest with others. Explain what you feel. Trust in the goodness of other people. Most of the time, the people around you truly do want to understand you.


Breathing exercises

Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises are great ways to slow it all down.

Breathing exercises can help you control your anxiety. Having a steady breath has a direct impact on your heart rate and, in turn, your thoughts. Take deep, long breaths and focus on calming your body down. This will help you regain control over your reactions, and lessen your anxiety.


Put yourself out there

Although it can be tempting to avoid social situations it is really important to get yourself out there. That means accepting invitations to go places and do things that make you uncomfortable. Start saying “yes” more times. You might feel anxious at first, but over time the more you do, the less fearful you will become. The next time someone invites you for something, make an effort to go.


Meet new people through hobbies 

Start taking classes for something you enjoy, and join a club or an online forum. It’s easy to meet people that way and you instantly have something in common to talk about with them.


Take it slowly

It might be impossible to change overnight, but you can slowly step outside of your comfort zone every day. A small act can be to look at people and smile at them instead of avoiding eye contact.

The more you challenge yourself, the easier it’ll get.


Stop trying to please everyone

Don’t try to fit in to win a group of friends. Don’t try to be perfect or someone who is not you. Be yourself. If someone doesn’t like who you really are, they are not going to be a good friend to you anyway.


Seek for help

If you just can’t deal with your anxious thoughts on your own that’s ok. If your social anxiety is constantly interfering with your daily life then don’t hesitate to seek professional help in whatever form you feel comfortable looking for. Talking to a professional can help a lot. They will give you proper tools on how to deal with your social anxiety.


Overcoming social anxiety is a long journey, it takes practice. And the more you practice it, the less anxious you will become in social events.

Do you feel anxious in social situations? What do you normally do to overcome this feeling?

See you in the next week 😊

8 Replies to “How to Overcome Social Anxiety”

  1. Hi Katie Pereira I just got acquainted with your blog I hope I can use it 💖

  2. Thank you for this. I really like it.

  3. Many times, I would just go away from new people. And sometimes, when it is not possible to go anywhere, I would not make eye contact or I wouldn’t atleast talk to them. But I hope this blog helps me overcome this fear.
    I thank and appreciate you for constantly trying to change the life of others whom you don’t even know!

  4. Thank you for your wonderful thoughts..!♥️
    ,Navya 🌻

    1. Thank you for this. It gets really hard sometimes to cope with social anxiety. It makes me feel like I will never accomplish anything in life.

  5. Lauren Elizabeth says: Reply

    I’m thankful for these blogs, and I know that they’re helpful to a lot of people.

    One thing that’s worked for me when I experience social anxiety is to do the exact opposite of what I would normally do.

    For example, I never wanted to make eye contact with anyone. Now I make eye contact on purpose. Nothing says confidence more than this simple thing. You’ll notice others look away, and when they do, you’ll know they are as nervous as you are. Perfect to find someone who it looks like you could connect with. If someone returns the eye contact, don’t look away. You have a choice to walk toward them and let them start a conversation with you, which may turn out to be really fun, or you can choose to hold the look until the slow count of 5 to show you might be interested in meeting them. This is what’s called owning the room.

    Yes it takes courage to make eye contact, but you’ve already taken the hardest step – you actually walked into the room. Now you’ve given yourself a bonus – You’ve identified the souls that are anxious like you, you’ve identified the souls that are wanting to meet you, and possibly identified people you want nothing to do with.

  6. Midwest_Unrest83 says: Reply

    I’ve dealt with this for many years now middle aged and feel like it has held me back in SO much. I cry some days because I feel helpless like I’m locked up in my own prison- my mind.
    I’ve also got agoraphobia, general and social anxiety and panic disorder, epilepsy and ADHD.
    People absolutely drain me, and I drain myself.
    The worst panic and anxiety almost always occurs in a vehicle. I don’t drive due to having epileptic seizures so I feel powerless, like I’m in this big hunk of metal going 40-50mph and there’s nothing I can do to get back to “my safe space” my home in time. The car is where my 1st seizures and panic attacks started so there’s also a ton of health anxiety. Sometimes my breathing exercises work or I can refocus on something but once I go over that hill where it’s full on panic mode I’m certain I’ll have a seizure, so I freak out and prepare to die.
    Scariest part was one time I had a seizure and actually tried to get out of the car on the freeway while my significant other was taking me to the hospital. Luckily he grabbed the door and stopped me from potentially killing myself and others! 🤦‍♀️ One time B4 that I nearly tried kicking my ex bfs window out of his car.
    I had started to panic, panic can often bring me to seize and because I feel trapped my brain tries to find a way out. I literally feel like I’m being suffocated then I won’t remember anything and usually I’ll wake up in a hospital bed sore tongue bitten up like burger.
    Fun! Haha

    In cars, shopping, anywhere with people
    I get exhausted very quickly.l even get tired from my family, whom I love with all my heart. but even they get sick of me whining mostly because they don’t understand it or think I “should’ve gotten over it by now” but they can be very helpful at times too.
    Nobody can understand something like this if they haven’t gone through it. Remember, there are varying degrees of ALL mental illnesses!
    One may have had anxiety before but that does not mean you’ve been diagnosed with social anxiety! I know it can be tempting to get on Social Media and take quizzes, etc. However, a licenced therapist will know the correct tools to diagnose, prevent and treat the areas you truly need help in instead of using Web MD as your virtual doc.
    Not saying everyone who hasn’t been formally diagnosed can’t have a health problem Usually we’re pretty good at noticing and saying to ourselves: “Ok, something is just not right here.
    Or “I’ve had nearly all or all if these symptoms perhaps, I am ______!”
    Also, it’s great to be intune and be more aware than burying your feelings!
    Just be careful not to get caught up in that “I’m disabled because I was nervous in class, or I couldn’t make eye contact, or didn’t want to talk to company that day, etc” We don’t always have to be one extreme or the next, you may just be experiencing, nervousness, anxiousness, or irritability. Which, are all perfectly normal, healthy emotions.
    If it’s interfering in your daily life, at school at place of worship, your friendships have become strained, family is concerned, or they act irritated or say something cliche like ” it gets better!” 😒 They CANNOT know that for you, although, they mean well. 😉
    Fact is: we know ourselves, we know if something doesn’t feel like ourselves, and it’s getting worse or just isn’t getting any better no matter who you talk with or what you do.
    So trust your instincts, but don’t get so caught that you obsess.
    Take care everyone.
    Don’t waste your life on worry!! Get out there and have a ball, forgive, travel, laugh, cook, be silly, argue, shop, dance, cry, go the distance, go for bike rides, play in the rain, travel, distance yourself, then come back again. love and challenge yourself, go ahead and try to do that thing you thought you could never do, you may surprise yourself and finally do it.. with ease!!! ☺️✨🙏

  7. You’re very brave. If you don’t believe in yourself at least I do. Thank you for opening up. Remember, people aren’t as scary as it seems. Shit, they probably feel the same inside even though they aren’t showing it.

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