Helpful Strategies for Coping With Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health condition that affects various age groups. Individuals with this disorder have an irrational fear of being embarrassed, judged, or watched. They have an extreme level of discomfort and anxiety that interferes with daily functioning — including their relationships and jobs. While it can be treated with proper medication management and therapy, there are other ways to cope with social anxiety, too, such as:

• Improve your social skills

  Aside from mental health services in Worcester, Massachusetts, an effective way to cope with social anxiety is to identify which social skills need some work. For some people, this may entail improving their assertiveness, learning to say no, or developing their verbal and non-verbal communication skills. The latter involves learning how to adopt a relaxed body posture and responding to others positively.

• Practice deep breathing exercises

  With social anxiety, you may have strong emotional reactions in social situations. To reduce these reactions, put your body in a relaxed state through deep breathing exercises. While in social situations, focus on breathing and take deep breaths from the diaphragm instead of shallow breaths from the chest.

• Learn to reduce negative thoughts

  It’s possible to misinterpret facial expressions or comments made by others when you have social anxiety, and this contributes to the emotional reactions you experience. To reduce negative thoughts, write them down in a journal and challenge these negative thoughts with alternatives. Similarly, depression therapy in Massachusetts or psychotherapy for anxiety can also help you learn how to reframe negative patterns of thinking.

RNL Behavioral Health Services INC is your go-to, dependable provider of mental health and telehealth in Massachusetts. To learn more about our anxiety management services, call us today.