When you first discover that you have social anxiety, it can feel like the end of the world. It feels like something is broken inside you, and there’s no way to fix it. Your first reaction may be that you cannot possibly go on living with this kind of anxiety forever. But don’t worry! It gets better. With time, patience, and willingness to work on yourself, you can learn how to cope with anxiety and live a happy life again. Here are five ways that may help you deal with your anxious feelings:
Change your perspective
Are you aware that people with anxiety are more creative than those without it? It’s true! People who suffer from anxiety are often innovators, creative thinkers, and people who excel professionally. We all have strengths and weaknesses. It’s how we see the world that makes all the difference. You need to change your perspective and see your anxiety as a strength, not a weakness.
Change your anxious feelings with these steps.
- Identify how you feel. We often confuse our emotions. Start by identifying what you think, such as nervous, irritated, fearful, or anxious. For example, does guilt or anger contribute to your anxiety?
- Think about what actions are associated with each emotion. For instance, avoiding situations is associated with fear. We often think more anxiously when we are anxious. Anxiety causes our thoughts to be repetitive and focused on potential adverse outcomes.
- Think about reducing your anxiety. It only makes sense to try to change your feelings.
- Come up with a counter-action. It would help if you approached instead of avoiding in cases of fear and anxiety; changing how you behave only works if your fear is unfounded. Stress can serve an essential purpose if you are in danger.
- Whenever possible, avoid danger. Put yourself in a position to act differently, both physically and mentally. It won’t work if you serve different but don’t think otherwise. You have to think and act differently.
Practice self-care
You need to take care of yourself to take care of others. If you are running on an empty tank, you will not be able to function correctly and support others in your life.
Anxiety can be very taxing on your body, so you need to pay special attention to your diet and rest. If you don’t eat well, your serotonin levels will be lower. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that your brain uses to make you feel happy. So the less serotonin you have, the more anxious you will feel.
Try to eat foods high in B vitamins, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. These are vitamins and minerals that studies show can help boost serotonin levels. You may also consider taking supplements if you don’t get enough of these vitamins from your diet alone.
Examples of self-care for the physical body:
- Make sure you eat a healthy meal.
- Take part in physical activity.
- Try going for a walk.
- Stay hydrated.
- Make sure you sleep well.
- Spend some time in the sunshine.
- Have a relaxing bath or shower.
Aim to sleep eight hours every night. Sleep helps regulate your hormones and breaks your brain from being “on” all day. When your brain is tired, it cannot correctly regulate your serotonin levels.
Some very impactful anxiety music
Meditate
The best way to deal with anxiety is to practice meditation. It is one of the best tools for self-awareness and stress reduction.
When you feel anxious, it is common to have a “self-critical voice” inside your head that constantly criticizes everything you do. Meditation helps you make peace with those critical voices and shut them up.
Meditating also helps you focus on your breath and clear your mind. It is a great way to get “in the now” and off autopilot. Anxiety is often fueled by “what-if” thoughts about things that haven’t happened yet or that you cannot control.
So, imagine if you could shut off those noisy thoughts for a few minutes each day.
Get a support network.
When you first start experiencing anxiety, you may want to keep it to yourself. This is because you may feel embarrassed or like people will think you’re weak. However, this isolation can make your anxiety worse.
It would help if you had someone to talk to about your anxiety. Having someone you can talk to who understands what you’re going through can help reduce stress.
The best way to get a support network going is by joining a group like a Meetup group or an online discussion board. You can also start a blog and reach out to other people who may be going through similar experiences.
Conclusion
Coping with anxiety can be a challenging process, but it is possible. You need to change your perspective, practice self-care, meditate, and get a support network if you want to succeed. If you work on these things, you can overcome social anxiety and live a happier, healthier life. So don’t give up, and always remember that you can do this.
