Social anxiety

[blusstar]

what actually helps with social anxiety? Cause I take public transportation every day and the main thing I struggle with is looking at people, I'm always making sure I'm on my phone doing something, even if I'm staring at a blank screen cause I can't stand the idea of eye contact, idk why it's so hard for me and I always feel like someone might be watching me, it's so exhausting.

[Shield_Of_Faith]

I wish I knew that myself. I struggle with really bad social anxiety myself. When I go to a doctors office one of my biggest fears that my sound silly is the waiting rooms....Sitting there in a packed waiting room for 45 mins or more just waiting with all these people around me, I feel my anxiety kicking my butt soooo much. I put on a blank expression to the point I look to serious but it's just to mask my fear in public, on the inside my anxiety is about to to freakin explode into a panic attack.

I never knew the key to figuring social anxiety out, I improved over the years here and there but it's still such a struggle. I'm sorry I just wanted to reply so you didn't feel alone in this. Anyway I do hope things improve for you in any small way that it can lead to better and bigger changes in dealing with this anxiety. All the best!

[teenytinyspider]

I have social anxiety too and I know it can get so controlling sometimes. You are definitely not alone. To share something that has helped me...

I am trying to reframe social situations as activities that I am choosing for myself. And because i am choosing them for me, i can think them as another safe container in my life where I can just be myself. In those "containers", I tell myself that I can't control the version of myself that is in other people's minds. That helps me let go just a little bit. Even for 5 minutes.

Ive had to build up to this though. Trying out this approach on like one bus ride, or one trip to the grocery store. It doesn't happen all at once.

I also recently listened to the audio book, Thriving with Social Anxiety. That gave me some new ideas to cope with social anxiety that I'm currently trying out.