Is social anxiety holding you back from living your passionate life? Do you hesitate to make that important phone call, walk into that shop or approach someone for a job opportunity because of fear?
Fear of humiliation, of a negative response or, are you simply shy?
This fear and anxiety will mean that you will avoid certain situations and opportunities. This can hold you back from living the fulfilling and passionate life that you deserve.
Whenever you feel yourself avoiding those certain situations that make your palms sweat, your hands shake and your heart race, try these tips:
1. Slow Breathing
Focus on taking deep calming breaths. Breathe down deep into your stomach, draw that beautiful enriching oxygen through your nose into your lungs and feel it flow through your body. Focus on the movement of your breath, keep it slow and purposeful and it will also help to slow your speeding heart.
There are so many benefits to mindful breathing; not least it calms the nerves! This technique is particularly useful at that moment right before you are thrust into a situation that heightens all those anxieties. Such as walking into an unknown situation by yourself, or making a phone call to a potential client. Take a few minutes to concentrate on your breathing, to center and calm yourself.
There are so many benefits to mindful breathing; not least it calms the nerves! Click To Tweet2. Practice What Makes You Feel Anxious.
If it’s cold calling someone? Then practice with a close friend.
If it’s walking into an unknown café, shop or party then have a close friend or family member go there beforehand. You can practice walking in by yourself knowing there will be a familiar face there.
Or you can simply picture the situation in your head and practice how you want to approach it. Imagine going through the motions and stepping through the processes of whatever social situation makes you most anxious. Practice makes perfect, and that familiarization will help you approach certain situations with less fear then you may otherwise feel.
3. Reach Out To Other Socially Anxious People.
No one else understands the racing heart, frantic thoughts and sweating hands than another socially awkward person!
Find a like-minded community to support, encourage and lift each other up. They will provide a great source to talk to, and may even have some great ideas on how to make that anxiety-ridden situation better.
No one else understands the racing heart, frantic thoughts and sweating hands than another socially awkward person! Click To Tweet4. Recognise And Accept Your Feelings Of Social Anxiety.
If you can pinpoint what makes you anxious about a certain situation then you can drill down to the why and hopefully overcome it. A therapist may be able to help you here, especially if your social anxiety is particularly crippling.
5. Challenge Those Anxieties.
Go on, you have it in you. Hold those fears up to the light and ask yourself, how bad can it really be? Then take a deep breath, wipe your palms and kick that anxiety to the curb!
Hold those fears up to the light and ask yourself, how bad can it really be? Then take a deep breath, wipe your palms and kick that anxiety to the curb! Click To TweetMost of these tips are about using that beautiful brain of yours. You just need to rewire it! Rather than the fight or flight response that tends to take over in a socially scary situation, you need to start thinking. Focus and face your fears. It is a cliché, but it can work.
You might also enjoy reading 3 Ways To Enjoy A Positive Mindset.
By facing your fears you will find those situations are not the catastrophe we build them up to be.
By facing them, they become less frightening.
By overcoming them you can live your passionate life!
Thank you so much to the lovely Rachel Maree for being Guest Blogger today.
Rachel Maree specialises in writing for small businesses in the health, fitness, pregnancy and parenthood industries. She is also a mum to 2 beautiful children and a registered nurse. She loves her hectic life. It lends her inspiration and experiences to write intriguing, funny and informative articles and stories.
You can find Rachel Maree here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmareewrites
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