The holiday season comes with a lot of celebrations, which means a lot of people, which can lead to social anxiety.
Social anxiety disorder is a term that is used to describe a persistent fear of social situations where embarrassment may occur. Oftentimes, these social situations are grouped into those that involve interaction with others including meeting people, talking in groups, starting conversations, being seen in public, public speaking and more.
1. Breathing Exercises
One thing that you can do to help calm any anxieties that you are feeling is to practice breathing exercises. Slowing down and controlling your breathing can help you feel better. According to one study, there have been intriguing findings of altered breathing and different breathing patterns as it relates to high anxiety and anxiety disorders.
There are a number of different types of breathing exercises that you can begin doing to help with your specific problem. For instance, simple deep breathing exercises by laying down, laying your hand on your diaphragm and focusing on your inhaling and exhaling can help calm yourself down, relieve stress, and overcome some of the anxiety that you may be feeling. For those with social anxiety specifically, it can be best to do this right before a social event, or even during the event.
2. Don’t Fall Victim To Negative Coping Mechanisms
Social anxiety is a serious issue and often people will use things like drugs and alcohol to escape their situations and try to distract themselves from the problems or feelings that they are going through. This is how comorbidity problems begin. Oftentimes, people will develop these mental health problems and turn to substances to try and escape or provide themselves with some relief which can lead to a cyclical problem.
Luckily, there are professional treatment centers and local recovery programs like Indianapolis rehab that can help people not only with their substance abuse problem but with the underlying mental health issues as well.
3. Diet And Exercise
Along with these few tips, one of the best lifestyle changes that you can make to improve your situation and make it easier for you to function properly in social situations is to make a larger effort to improve your physical health. You can do this by prioritizing diet and exercise. Simply going to the gym or going for a run here and there and being conscious of what you are putting in your body can go a long way toward improving your physical health and in turn your mental health.
Exercising is also strongly associated with improved self-confidence. Helping your self-confidence and improving the way that you think about yourself will make it easier for you to deal with potentially stressful social situations.
Along with these things, you can also seek out professional help from a doctor or therapist. Medication is another option for those looking for help. Whatever you choose, it is important to make your mental health a priority in your life.