As part of our campaign to raise awareness about the impact social anxiety has on people鈥檚 lives, and how therapy can help, our members share their top tips on how to ease feelings of social anxiety.

  1. Think more positively

Accredited therapist says that social anxiety is often accompanied by a type of thinking that magnifies natural negative biases. 鈥淭hese thinking biases tend to be as a result of a mix of natural evolutionary responses but also personality and past life experience too,鈥� explains Louise. Louise also says that social anxiety can stem from times that we felt 鈥榠n danger鈥� - for example, bullying or being criticised. Accredited therapist and anxiety expert agrees and suggests challenging the anxious or negative thought by asking yourself:聽"Is this thought really true?鈥澛�

  1. Identify the common theme

Registered therapist says that if you experience social anxiety, there is likely to be one or two common themes associated it, which are useful to look out for. 聽Examples include a demand for certainty, a fear of negative judgment or a demand for complete control in every situation. Lauren explains that when we can't have these, we can feel heightened levels of social anxiety. 鈥淏y identifying the common themes, either independently or with the help of a therapist, you can challenge this mindset and help you identify what you can control in each situation,鈥� shares Lauren.

  1. Prepare, but don鈥檛 overthink

Kamalyn recommends that preparation can be key in alleviating anxiety associated with social situations. 鈥淏efore entering a social situation, it can be useful have a few go-to topics or questions in mind as conversation starters 鈥� just avoid memorising responses. Keeping things natural reduces pressure and prevents overthinking and anxiety,鈥� shares Kamalyn.聽

  1. Develop a visual image of happier times

Visualisation techniques can also be a powerful tool to use when experiencing social anxiety. Lauren suggests asking yourself questions about happy times like: Where were you, what were you wearing, and any other specific details you remember can help. 鈥淭ry to be as detailed as you can be because when you're experiencing a heightened state of anxiety it can be too overwhelming to challenge your own thinking patterns,鈥� says Lauren. 鈥淏y having a visual image in your mind that you can reference instead, will allow you to remember a time in your life when you didn't feel anxious or panicked, and that no matter how bad you feel, these feelings are temporary.鈥�

  1. Make friends with your social anxiety

Louise suggests that it can also be helpful to try to remember that other people you encounter are also just 鈥榮urviving鈥� the social situation in the best way they can. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more than likely that they won鈥檛 even notice what you or other people are saying or doing, they are far too busy concentrating on themselves,鈥� says Louise. She adds that some people will appear more confident, but that doesn鈥檛 mean they don鈥檛 also feel anxious. 鈥淭he key is to be able to turn the volume down on your anxiety so that it doesn鈥檛 become crippling,鈥� adds Louise.

  1. Be yourself

It鈥檚 human nature that we鈥檙e all drawn to people who are authentic and truly themselves, so Louise suggests that in some situations it may be worth telling people that you feel nervous. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l likely be surprised by how many others tell you that they are feeling the same. Just try to chat normally as you would to family or a close friend, often social anxiety is made worse by overthinking your role in the interaction,鈥� shares Louise.

To find a registered therapist who can support you with social anxiety visit 麻豆原创鈥檚 therapist directory at