Do you have an intense fear of social situations? You might feel as though anything you say or do has the potential to embarrass you. Or maybe the thought of being judged leaves you feeling panicked, unable to interact with others. You don’t have to live this way, there are ways you can become more confident and comfortable when faced with social interactions.

Practice social skills

Social interactions can feel more comfortable depending on aspects such as your personality, how often you interact with others, and past experiences. If you are finding yourself feeling anxious in social situations, you may discover practicing social skills could be a game changer.

A very important aspect of being optimistic in public settings is knowing yourself. When it comes to feeling more comfortable and confident interacting with others you will find great value in developing more self-confidence. Knowing who you are feeling good about yourself will decrease the fear of what others think of you. To increase self-confidence you can identify what you are good at, what you are passionate about, and what you bring to relationships.

Some other social skills you can focus on are:

• Engaging in small talk
• Ask great questions and actually listen to the answers
• How you present yourself
• How you handle rejection
• Identifying where you find your value
• Building self-assertiveness
• Being able to say no

Exposure in Vivo

Exposure in Vivo is when you face an object or situation in real life in order to decrease the fear behind it. This can be helpful for many types of anxiety, but in this case we will focus on social situations. The purpose of doing this is you may receive new information, become more comfortable, and increase safety when facing your fear.

For example:

Let’s say your fear is having casual conversations with others because you feel like you never know what to talk about and it makes you feel uncomfortable. How exposure in Vivo would work is finding opportunities in your life where you can have casual conversations. You could do this by inviting your neighbor over for dinner, talking to the person checking you out at the grocery store, or invite a friend to run errands with you.

Applied Relaxation

When you struggle with social anxiety, it can be helpful to find relaxation techniques that can make your body and mind more at ease. There are many proven techniques that are effective in coping with everyday stress and anxiety. Our therapists at New Vision Counseling and Consulting can walk you through different techniques as you start to implement them into your daily life.

Here are some examples of relaxation techniques:

• Body awareness
• Visual Imagery
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Breathing exercises
• Meditation
• Prayer

Next step

If you are looking for ways to become more confident and at ease in social situations , we CAN help. We will walk with you as you face your fears, grow in self-assertiveness, and find ways to live with your mind and body at peace. Your next step is to contact us at (405) 921-7776 to learn more about how we can best help you.