7 Ways to Manage Social Anxiety

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7 WAYS
TO MANAGE SOCIAL ANXIETY
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HAVING ANXIETY ISNT ABNORMAL, and its good to
not be alarmist whenever you feel a flood of it
coming on. Most of the time, a stray anxiety
wave, or even an attack, doesnt necessarily mean
anxiety is a problem in your life. There is a
vast DIFFERENCE between having anxiety from time
to time and actually having an anxiety
disorder. There are also a variety of ANXIETY
DISORDERS that can plague a person. What triggers
the anxiety differs on the disorder in this
case, were speaking directly about social
anxiety.
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Social anxiety isnt the same as not wanting to
hang out with friends one night, either. Its a
REAL ANXIETY DISORDER that can make someone
unable to interact with others because of
crippling anxiety that keeps them from
engaging. If you have an anxiety disorder that
affects how you interact with others, MANAGING
THIS CONDITION IS VERY IMPORTANT, as it can be
both socially and mentally debilitating. Here
are seven ways you can start managing your social
anxiety.
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GET HELPFROM LITERATURE
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Sometimes its unrealistic to expect someone to
pay for professional medical treatment, though
its ALWAYS RECOMMENDED TO USE THIS AS YOUR FIRST
LINE OF DEFENSE against any psychological or
mental management issue. However, it is possible
to learn how to cope through methods you learn
from a valid source. One such source can be
self-help literature. Before you purchase
anything, however, always vet your sources. Its
not good enough to buy any self-help book, but
instead buy one WRITTEN BE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
who know what theyre talking about.
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START SEEING A THERAPIST
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As stated above, seeing a therapist or other
healthcare professional about any disorder should
be what you do first. These PROFESSIONALS KNOW
HOW TO HANDLE THESE ISSUES and can give you the
best information to help you work through
them.   One perk therapists have over self-help
books is that your therapist actually knows you.
THEY CAN BETTER TAILOR YOUR THERAPY TO SUIT YOUR
SPECIFIC SITUATION AND NEEDS. Not everyones
anxiety disorders come from the same place and
have the same triggers, thus the care of these
disorders should be highly specialized. Some
coping mechanisms work for everyone, but actually
helping to professionally manage your anxiety can
be what helps you more than anything.
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DEEP BREATHING
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This may seem silly, but sometimes BREATHING
PROPERLY CAN BE WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM HAVING AN
ANXIETY ATTACK. Deep breathing exercises that put
emphasis on focus and patterns can keep your mind
occupied outside of the anxiety instead of
forcing you to focus on it, furthering your
anxiety or anxiety attack. Deep breathing is
also good for preparing for high-pressure
scenarios that may cause anxiety, as well as any
other anxiety triggers. IT CAN KEEP YOU CALM in
circumstances where anxiety is inevitable.
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EXPOSURE THERAPY
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This method doesnt always work for everyone, but
its one you may consider in order to try to
slowly get rid of your anxiety triggers. This
method involves WRITING DOWN 10 ANXIETY-DRIVEN
SITUATIONS THAT YOU EXPERIENCE. These situations
trigger your anxiety and can cause an attack.
List them in order of severity and go down the
list, exposing yourself to them as you are
comfortable. The more you get used to these
situations, the more the anxiety will subside.
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Become more accustomed to socializing
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You dont have to run into the middle of a crowd,
but it is a GOOD IDEA TO START EASING YOURSELF
INTO SOCIAL SITUATIONS LITTLE BY LITTLE. Start
with scheduling phone conversations, then try
something a little bigger. Inviting one friend
over, then going to their house. Gradually
building up your tolerance for social situations
can help you experiment with where exactly your
social anxiety line is.
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START FOCUSING ON THE SMALLER, OBJECTIVE GOALS
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People with an anxiety disorder often discredit
progress they make. They compare themselves to
so-called normal people who can socialize
easily. They think things like everyone can do
something as simple as make a phone call, so just
because I did it once doesnt mean Im making
progress. The truth is that even something that
seems so simple can be major progress. If you
have social anxiety, its important to NOT
COMPARE AND CONTRAST YOURSELF WITH OTHERS.
Champion every goal you accomplish and focus on
making tiny milestones really count.
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STAY LEVEL-HEADEDAND RATIONAL
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Going hand-in-hand with the above tip, its
always important to understand your goals and how
achievable they are. Its unrealistic to think
that an anxiety disorder can vanish after reading
one book or going to one or two therapy sessions.
You wont be able to become a social butterfly
after managing anxiety for a month.   STAY
GROUNDED in what youre capable of and push
yourself a little at a time. This helps you keep
those goals you have in mind attainable, and it
also doesnt set yourself up for failure.