Ten Ways To Cope With SOCIAL ANXIETY

SPEAKER_00: Hi, this is Underground Confidence with Shelly Treacher. Today I'm giving you just a bonus bite podcast. I usually speak to you on Wednesdays, but I thought I'd give you something extra this week. My last podcast was about social anxiety coming out of the pandemic. Today I'm gonna give you a few suggestions of how you can tackle this. Here are a few suggestions that I've made in previous media articles. You can find the links for those in the podcast show notes. Number one. Check the latest facts about safety, protection, and the virus. What are the cases like in your area now? How can you still stay safe while out and about? Number two, recognize that coming out of lockdown deserves to be treated carefully. It's another exceptional circumstance. Number three, don't lose sight of your needs. Come back to what you feel and what you need frequently. Number four, focus on the present moment. Fear is usually of something in the potential future. Focus on what you need now to be okay. Then, when the time comes, carry on in the same way. For example, focus on getting ready to go out rather than on the event itself. Number five. Allow yourself to quit at any time if you feel uncomfortable. Saying no to a dinner invite doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, just that you're being cautious. This is a good survival skill. Number six, making healthy adjustments when we feel the need is self-care. It's about being mindful that there's still a lot going on. It's unrealistic to expect ourselves to be thriving right now, as so many of us have been set back. Number seven, find someone empathetic to talk to. It's probably gonna help. One of the most positive things to come out of the pandemic is how much we may have strengthened our closest relationships. This has been a way for many of us to cope. Number eight. Conduct an inventory of your mindset, limiting beliefs, and destructive habits. Many of us have fallen into expecting or fearing the worst and feeling lonely and underconfident, which makes us treat ourselves badly. So it's important to reevaluate our mindset and our patterns of behaviour now. Number 9. In survival mode, we may have fallen into habits that aren't doing us any good. So reevaluate your routine and disrupt autopilot with anything that isn't serving you. For example, if you're concerned about being stuck in the habit of having a drink or zoning out at the end of the day, do something different, but make sure it's pleasurable. Do something rewarding and pleasurable at least once a day, and preferably more, and do it just for the sake of enjoying it. And finally, number 10. Factor in downtime. In normal circumstances, we all need time away from work. But now more than ever, we must get a total break from responsibility. Working from home and with so much to process, consider, or worry about, many of us have not transitioned easily into relaxation and leisure mode. So make sure you break from productivity altogether for at least a few days. That's it for today. Thank you so much for listening to this very small bite. If you want to go further and you'd like some help with empowering yourself, please check out my latest programs on undergroundconfidence.com or on bristolcounseling.co.uk. Thank you. I'll see you on Wednesday.