How to be more confident when you have social anxiety

Introduction

Social anxiety is something that affects many people, but it doesn't have to hold you back. Even though social anxiety can be difficult to face, there are plenty of ways to reduce the stress—and even beat it for good. In this guide, I'll walk you through some strategies for managing and overcoming your social anxiety so that you can feel confident in any situation.

Start by doing something small, today

Okay. You want to do something about your social anxiety, but you don't know where to start. Maybe you feel like a ball of nerves when you think about trying new things or meeting new people, and the thought of going out into the world and doing things that make you anxious is just too much.

Well, don't worry—we have good news! You don't need to tackle everything all at once. In fact, starting small can help build confidence over time while also making sure your brain gets used to coping with those anxious feelings without having them spiral out of control by saying "no" or shutting down entirely.

So how do we start? The best way is by choosing one thing that isn't too scary (yet) and doing it today—like taking a walk around the block or sitting on a park bench for 10 minutes before heading home after work. These seemingly small steps can add up over time and lead directly into bigger challenges such as meeting new people or giving presentations in front of large groups

Know your triggers

Knowing what specifically triggers your anxiety is a great way to start managing it. For example, if you always get nervous when meeting new people but feel fine once you're talking, then it's probably best not to stand in the corner and wait for someone else to introduce themselves.

Asking yourself questions like: What makes me anxious? How does my body feel when I'm anxious? What do I notice about their facial expressions or tone of voice? can help separate real threats from imagined ones and help you put things into perspective so that your anxiety isn't controlling every aspect of your life anymore (which will make other people less likely to judge you).

Once you've identified what causes your social anxiety, try looking at some alternative ways of approaching these situations so they don't trigger such intense reactions next time around!

Bring a friend into the mix

If you're feeling a little nervous, don't be afraid to ask a friend to come along with you.

Don't be afraid to ask a friend to come with you! If they are in the same situation as you (e.g., they suffer from social anxiety), they may feel more comfortable attending the event if they have someone else there who knows what it's like.

Don't be afraid to ask a friend stay with you! If one of your friends is attending the event and staying longer than planned, consider asking him or her if he or she would mind helping out at all by being an extra set of eyes keeping an eye out for potentially dangerous situations that could arise during the party or gathering.

If none of your friends are available and no one else has offered their help when needed before now then maybe it's time reconsider whether those people truly care about what happens next year -- which means thinking carefully before making any commitments based on their support alone.*

Practice the basic social skills that you feel the most anxious about

The first step is to identify the social interactions that make you the most anxious. This will likely vary from person to person, but common ones include:

• Talking on the phone
• Meeting new people or going to a party
• Speaking in front of others or giving a speech

Once you know what triggers your anxiety, it's time to practice those skills! If speaking in front of groups is one of your biggest fears, then go find a small group of friends (or even just one friend) and practice talking in their presence. Start with something easy like telling them about your day or describing an event that happened recently. Next try telling them about something exciting that happened last week or asking them questions about themselves--these are great ways of engaging in conversation while also practicing feeling comfortable being the center of attention. Practice this same skill by bringing up topics on which everyone agrees--such as favorite sports teams--and gradually move into more controversial topics such as politics or religion over time.

Keep your thoughts in check.

In the moment, you may feel like your thoughts are telling the truth. But they’re not always accurate.

You might be thinking something like “I look stupid in this outfit” or “I can’t believe she said that about me! That was so rude!” The problem is that these thoughts about yourself and other people probably aren't true—they're just ideas floating around in your head. And sometimes they're not even based on anything real at all—they're exaggerations or misinterpretations of what happened.

Don't be too hard on yourself when you have social anxiety, because it will make it easier for you to get anxious again in the future if you think that every little thing is a disaster waiting to happen! Instead of panicking over every little thought, try to remind yourself that most of them aren't true at all. Remembering this fact will help keep your worries under control so they don't take over everything else going on around us (like being able to get dressed).

Practice using grounding techniques

One of the most effective ways to overcome social anxiety is to use grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help you be more present, calm and relaxed. They can help regulate your emotions which are often a big part of social anxiety.

Grounding techniques are simple exercises that bring us back into our bodies so we can better understand what's going on in the moment and take action from a place of awareness rather than reactivity.

A few examples of grounding exercises include:

• Taking three deep breaths (in through your nose and out through your mouth)
• Touching something concrete like a wall or countertop
• Squeezing an object such as a stress ball or rubber band

Take care of your body

Your body is your home, and you want it to be a beautiful place. To achieve this, focus on taking care of yourself by eating healthy foods (organic if possible), drinking lots of water, getting enough sleep and exercise regularly. Make sure that you are doing things that make you feel relaxed, such as meditating or going for walks outside.

Social anxiety can be beaten if you're willing to put in the work and practice patience.

The good news is that social anxiety can be beaten. You just have to be willing to put in the work and practice patience.

It's going to take time for you to improve your social skills and confidence, so don't expect results overnight. But you will get there if you're willing to keep practicing, even if it takes a while!

You might also have setbacks along the way. Don't worry too much about this—everyone has setbacks sometimes when they're learning something new or trying to change their behaviour in some way (like making a New Year's resolution). Stick with it and keep practicing! You'll improve over time as long as you keep trying new things and practicing them regularly.

Finally, remember that this process takes time---so be patient with yourself! It could take months or even years before all of your old habits are gone and replaced by new ones; but eventually those old habits will fade away into nothingness...and then when people look at how far you've come since then they'll think "wowza! That person sure has come up in life!"

Conclusion

Social anxiety can be a difficult thing to overcome, but it doesn’t have to be. With some practice and patience, you can start feeling more comfortable in social situations. Try some of these tips out today, and don’t forget that even if one technique doesn’t work for you (or at all), there are plenty more out there!