We are discussing 6 simple steps below to master staying calm in social situations. Let’s see.
How to Master Staying Calm In Social Situations in 6 Simple Steps
1. Be In No Hurry to Get There
Feeling rushed or running behind can aggravate social anxiety. Don’t rush. Instead, take your time getting to your destination. It is better to arrive late with a positive mindset than to get to your destination agitated or confused.
It is also good to walk slowly and deliberately when you arrive. Ensure that you are aware of your movements. Being aware will help you control your nervous system, which is the place where anxiety likes to stay.
2. Take a Deep Breathe
Focusing on how you breathe will distract you from anxious thoughts. Try breathing from your belly instead of your chest. Take long and slow breaths. Breathe into your belly in a way that makes it expand.
Your belly should bulge out like it does after you eat a big meal. Deep breathing calms the nervous system and makes you feel relaxed. If you stick to this breathing technique, you will see your panic disappear very quickly. Also, Novaform mattress benefits the process of staying calm with better sleep.
3. Pretend Like All People There Like You
People with social anxiety feel like they will not be accepted. You may feel like everybody is waiting for you to embarrass yourself so that they can laugh at you.
Even though such extreme embarrassment rarely occurs, people still have this fear. Assuming rapport with people there will help you feel relaxed. Pretend that you know these people and they like you. Doing this will relax your mind and put you at ease.
4. Practice Relaxing In Social Situations
Practicing relaxation is a good way to calm your mind in social situations and is something that you should try. However, I am not implying that you should go to one social event after another.
Practice relaxing entails purposefully thinking about social situations when you are relaxed like when you are watching a funny series on Netflix. This is very important as it will help your brain associate being calm with being social. While this is subtle, it can be very powerful when it comes to overcoming social anxiety.
5. Ask the Right Questions
In some situations, asking the right questions can help you alleviate your anxiety. In a social situation, you may not find conversation topics. And anxiety makes a person forget even the most basic information.
This can make it hard for you to talk with other people. The best thing to do is to put the pressure back on other people there.
Don’t ask those questions that have one-word answers. Instead, consider asking open-ended questions. This will make them expound on their answers hence taking the focus off you and your worries. This will make you feel less worried about yourself and your social situation.
6. Focus on the External
Focusing on the external instead of focusing on yourself is also a good way to keep anxiety at bay. When you focus externally, you focus on your outward surroundings. You can focus on things like what people are wearing, the décor in the room, or the food.
Focusing on the external is good as it will prevent you from thinking about being perfect. Accept that you are not yet perfect and other people are not perfect too.
When you focus on the external, it will be hard for internal thoughts to take over and make you feel anxious as you will be thinking of other things. So, next time you are in a social situation, look for something around you to pay attention to. Look around. Are there things that you have never seen before? Pay close attention to these things so that you don’t focus on what is wrong with you.