Social anxiety can affect every area of your life. Whether you're avoiding eye contact at the grocery store, overthinking every word in a conversation, or skipping events altogether, you could be dealing with social anxiety. The good news? It’s perfectly manageable with the right tools and strategies! Here are ten practical tips, backed by clinical experience from leading anxiety therapists, to help you navigate social situations with greater ease.
1. Challenge Negative Self-Talk
Social anxiety often stems from fear-based thoughts like “Everyone is judging me” or “I’ll embarrass myself.” You must learn to identify and question these beliefs. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can teach you some useful techniques. Ask yourself questions like: Is there evidence for this thought? Is there another way to look at the situation?
2. Use the Power of Breathwork
Breathwork is a superpower when it comes to anxiety. Deep, slow breathing calms your nervous system and signals to your body that you're safe. Try box breathing: inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four again. You can practise this before and during anxiety-provoking situations to center yourself.
3. Start Small and Build Gradually
Avoidance reinforces your fear. Instead, think about creating a “social exposure ladder”—a list of situations ranked from least to most anxiety-inducing. Start with manageable steps, like asking someone for directions, and gradually work your way up to the situations that cause you the most distress.
4. Practise Mindfulness in the Moment
Mindfulness helps you stay present in the moment instead of getting lost in anxious predictions. Focus on physical sensations—your feet on the ground, your breath, the sounds around you. These exercises can ground you when your mind starts spiralling.
5. Reframe Mistakes as Normal Human Moments
You might worry about tripping and falling, misinterpreting a situation, or saying the “wrong” thing. Don’t let that keep you from enjoying the company of others. Everyone slips up from time to time, and those mistakes don’t define you—they make you human.
6. Make Use of Visualisation Exercises
Before a social situation that you’re dreading, try visualising it going well. Picture yourself speaking calmly, making eye contact, and feeling at ease. This mental rehearsal can reduce anticipatory anxiety and put you in the right mindset for success.
7. Set Manageable Goals
Instead of general goals like aiming to “be confident,” set smaller, more specific ones, like initiating one conversation or staying at an event for 30 minutes. Celebrate every occasion of progress, no matter how small it feels.
8. Limit Safety Behaviours
“Safety behaviours” refers to things like avoiding eye contact, rehearsing sentences, or clinging to your phone. These may feel like solutions in the moment, but they prevent true growth. Try to reduce your reliance on these so that you can build genuine confidence.
9. Be Kind to Yourself
People with social anxiety tend to engage in large amounts of negative self-talk and post-event rumination—replaying what they said or how they acted. Instead of dissecting interactions, practise self-compassion. Remind yourself: “I showed up, and that’s a win.”
10. Work With an Anxiety Therapist
Anyone will benefit from professional guidance. A qualified anxiety therapist can help you uncover the root of your anxiety, teach you proven techniques like mindfulness-based approaches, and guide you through real-life exposures with care and encouragement.
Get Your Social Anxiety Under Control
With consistent practice, support, and the right strategies, you can build the confidence to connect with others more freely and authentically. Start working in the right direction with Connect Cognitive Therapy! Our team would be honored to support you with social anxiety disorder therapy tailored to your needs. Contact us today to explore options.