Dealing with Social Anxiety

What is it?

Social anxiety is when you feel nervous or worried about what other people might think of you in social situations such as:

• meeting new people
• speaking in front of others
• or even hanging out with friends.

It can make you feel sweaty, shaky, or like your heart is racing. A lot of people deal with it, especially teens, and it's totally normal to feel anxious sometimes.

One way to cope is to prepare for social situations by thinking about what you might talk about or doing a little research about the event. It can also help to focus on the other person rather than worrying about yourself, like asking them questions and really listening. If you fumble on your words, just correct yourself and carry on with the conversation, everyone makes mistakes

If you start to feel overwhelmed:

• Take a deep breath
• Step away for a minute to calm down
• Try to practice positive thinking, like reminding yourself that people aren’t judging you as harshly as you think.

Over time, small steps like these can make it easier to handle social situations without letting that anxiety take over.