People with this disorder generally can relate well with their family and close friends, however, meeting new people or speaking in public can create intense shyness, self-consciousness, and fear of embarrassment.
Learning how to handle anxiety in social settings becomes important if you want to improve your relationships, and become more involved with social activities.
Social anxiety disorder can be described as having a constant worry that you will be negatively evaluated by other people during a social interaction - this can be experienced in the following ways:
- feel anxious and uneasy about being noticed or judged
- fear of being humiliated, made to look silly, making a mistake, be blamed or laughed at
- extreme shyness
- avoid social activities
- physical symptoms such as: extreme sweating, dizziness, shaking, nausea, rapid heartbeat
By looking at a spot either between or slightly above the other persons' eyes & allowing your eyes to go a bit out of focus, this will relax your gaze and still have the benefit of looking directly at the person.
How to Talk More Easily to People If it is difficult to have a conversation with someone, try to talk while engaged in an activity together, such as when you are shopping, playing a game of chess or monopoly, taking the dog for a walk, or doing yard work.
Doing an activity together helps to promote conversation.
Learn to be Assertive Being more assertive will not only improve your relationships, you will have less anxiety.
To better express what you are thinking or feeling, it helps to begin your sentences with the word "I.
" Some examples of this could be statements such as: "I like talking to you" "I know that your work is important, but, I feel sad that we do not spend more time together" "I feel ashamed of not going to the wedding with you" "I like to read romance novels" How to Make Small Talk Watch the news, read the newspaper and a few popular magazines.
By keeping up with current events, you will feel more comfortable adding your bit of information.
If you have a hobby or special interest, learn how to talk about it in a way that will generate interest.
People generally enjoy having their curiosity piqued and will probably ask questions that you will have answers to! Telling jokes or funny stories is a good tension reliever, and can open the door for others to share their stories as well.
By experimenting with some of the above four tips, you will be well on your way to learning how to handle anxiety in social settings.
Social anxiety can be overcome.
By taking baby steps, you can learn to control your anxiety and lead a more fulfilling life.