How to Ease Social Anxiety with Mindfulness
Focus on your senses., Focus on the present., Focus your attention outward., Be aware of your anxiety., Blame the anxiety, not yourself., Use mindfulness in a social situation.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Focus on your senses.
One mindfulness technique is placing yourself completely in the moment.
You can do this by focusing on your senses.
When you are in an uncomfortable situation, close your eyes or choose a spot to look at.
Go through the five senses and focus on things you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.
This can help you reduce anxiety while you are around others.For example, when you are feeling anxious, you can start by choosing three things that you can see around you, then three things you can touch.
Next, focus on three things you can hear.
Inhale and focus on a couple things you can smell, then see if you can taste anything.
You may need to intentionally do these things.
Try sniffing something pleasant, like a flower or an essential oil, or putting a piece of hard candy in your mouth. -
Step 2: Focus on the present.
One key to mindfulness is to focus on the present instead of worrying about the past or the future.
By doing this, you are able to let go of things in that past that are causing you anxiety and not feel anxious about the future.For example, instead of worrying about what people are going to think about you later, or letting something that happened before ruin the moment, focus only on the present moment.
Think about what the other person is saying, their facial expression, and where you are at the moment.
Keep in mind that the goal of mindfulness is to get your mind to slow down and to help you to focus on the present.
This practice can help to reduce your anxious and racing thoughts.
When you feel anxious about the past or future, stop and bring your thoughts back to the present.
What are you doing in this moment? Look around.
What worries are there now? The ones from the past and present are not important in this moment.
You can also focus on your five senses in the moment.
This helps ground you in the present.
By focusing on the present, you can silence an overanxious mind and allow it to be still and silent for a moment.
This will help to build new pathways in your brain. , To help ease social anxiety with mindfulness, pay attention to things around you instead of what’s going on inside your head.
Mindfulness helps you acknowledge that the anxious thoughts are there, but have them like background noise as you focus on the present moment.To do this, pull your thoughts to what’s going on around you instead of your thoughts.
Focus your attention on the conversation and the people you are with.
Be present and active in the moment, instead of dwelling in your mind with your anxious thoughts.
Come up with a word you can say to help redirect your thoughts when you go inward.
For example, if you are having a conversation and start to have anxious thoughts, say “focus” or “be mindful” to help you move outward instead of inward.
Using visualization can also be an effective way to ease your anxiety.
Try closing your eyes and imagining your are on a sandy beach walking barefoot as the waves crash on the shore, or imagine you are standing on a hilltop with a beautiful view in front of you and a gentle breeze blowing in your face. , One of keys to mindfulness is recognizing your anxiety.
When you become aware of your anxiety, you can take measures to help prevent or decrease the anxiety.
Start identifying the symptoms of your social anxiety so you will know when it is occurring.You can look for symptoms, like shortness of breath or trembling, or you can recognize what types of situations give you social anxiety.
For example, if you are talking to a group, pay attention to your body and symptoms.
If you start to notice any signs of anxiety, choose a mindfulness technique to help you deal with the anxiety. , When you realize that your social anxiety is bad in a situation, take a mental step back.
Remind yourself that your feelings of fear and discomfort come from the anxiety, not from yourself.Although your anxiety may be causing your discomfort, remember that you are still in control of how you react to your feelings.
You are responsible for anything you say or do as a result of your anxiety, which is why it is important to learn and use healthy coping techniques. , When you find yourself in the middle of a social situation, you should choose one of the mindfulness techniques.
The one you choose may depend on the situation.
A breathing technique may work in one situation while focusing on your senses may work in a different one.
For example, if you find a voice in the back of your head feeding your negative thoughts, focus on something in the room.
Excuse yourself to the bathroom to do some breathing exercises.
Tell yourself over and over "focus, focus" and bring yourself into the present.
You will probably need to practice mindfulness in social situations before you get the hang of it.
Don't get frustrated if it's not a success the first time. -
Step 3: Focus your attention outward.
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Step 4: Be aware of your anxiety.
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Step 5: Blame the anxiety
-
Step 6: not yourself.
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Step 7: Use mindfulness in a social situation.
Detailed Guide
One mindfulness technique is placing yourself completely in the moment.
You can do this by focusing on your senses.
When you are in an uncomfortable situation, close your eyes or choose a spot to look at.
Go through the five senses and focus on things you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.
This can help you reduce anxiety while you are around others.For example, when you are feeling anxious, you can start by choosing three things that you can see around you, then three things you can touch.
Next, focus on three things you can hear.
Inhale and focus on a couple things you can smell, then see if you can taste anything.
You may need to intentionally do these things.
Try sniffing something pleasant, like a flower or an essential oil, or putting a piece of hard candy in your mouth.
One key to mindfulness is to focus on the present instead of worrying about the past or the future.
By doing this, you are able to let go of things in that past that are causing you anxiety and not feel anxious about the future.For example, instead of worrying about what people are going to think about you later, or letting something that happened before ruin the moment, focus only on the present moment.
Think about what the other person is saying, their facial expression, and where you are at the moment.
Keep in mind that the goal of mindfulness is to get your mind to slow down and to help you to focus on the present.
This practice can help to reduce your anxious and racing thoughts.
When you feel anxious about the past or future, stop and bring your thoughts back to the present.
What are you doing in this moment? Look around.
What worries are there now? The ones from the past and present are not important in this moment.
You can also focus on your five senses in the moment.
This helps ground you in the present.
By focusing on the present, you can silence an overanxious mind and allow it to be still and silent for a moment.
This will help to build new pathways in your brain. , To help ease social anxiety with mindfulness, pay attention to things around you instead of what’s going on inside your head.
Mindfulness helps you acknowledge that the anxious thoughts are there, but have them like background noise as you focus on the present moment.To do this, pull your thoughts to what’s going on around you instead of your thoughts.
Focus your attention on the conversation and the people you are with.
Be present and active in the moment, instead of dwelling in your mind with your anxious thoughts.
Come up with a word you can say to help redirect your thoughts when you go inward.
For example, if you are having a conversation and start to have anxious thoughts, say “focus” or “be mindful” to help you move outward instead of inward.
Using visualization can also be an effective way to ease your anxiety.
Try closing your eyes and imagining your are on a sandy beach walking barefoot as the waves crash on the shore, or imagine you are standing on a hilltop with a beautiful view in front of you and a gentle breeze blowing in your face. , One of keys to mindfulness is recognizing your anxiety.
When you become aware of your anxiety, you can take measures to help prevent or decrease the anxiety.
Start identifying the symptoms of your social anxiety so you will know when it is occurring.You can look for symptoms, like shortness of breath or trembling, or you can recognize what types of situations give you social anxiety.
For example, if you are talking to a group, pay attention to your body and symptoms.
If you start to notice any signs of anxiety, choose a mindfulness technique to help you deal with the anxiety. , When you realize that your social anxiety is bad in a situation, take a mental step back.
Remind yourself that your feelings of fear and discomfort come from the anxiety, not from yourself.Although your anxiety may be causing your discomfort, remember that you are still in control of how you react to your feelings.
You are responsible for anything you say or do as a result of your anxiety, which is why it is important to learn and use healthy coping techniques. , When you find yourself in the middle of a social situation, you should choose one of the mindfulness techniques.
The one you choose may depend on the situation.
A breathing technique may work in one situation while focusing on your senses may work in a different one.
For example, if you find a voice in the back of your head feeding your negative thoughts, focus on something in the room.
Excuse yourself to the bathroom to do some breathing exercises.
Tell yourself over and over "focus, focus" and bring yourself into the present.
You will probably need to practice mindfulness in social situations before you get the hang of it.
Don't get frustrated if it's not a success the first time.
About the Author
Evelyn Hayes
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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