James Donaldson on Mental Health - Tips for Managing Social Anxiety

Don’t avoid things Experts agree that avoiding situations that make us anxious can actually make things worse in the long run.

“Getting out of something you didn’t want to do might make you feel better in the moment,” says Rachel Busman, PsyD, a psychologist, “but you will still feel anxious the next time you’re asked to do it.” And the things that make us anxious — talking to new people, giving presentations — aren’t going to go away.

Push yourself While leaving your comfort zone isn’t easy, it can be very good for you.

That’s because our anxiety tends to go away when we start doing the things that make us anxious.

So when a situation comes up that makes you nervous, like walking into the cafeteria alone or asking someone to be your lab partner, try to face your fear and see what happens.

“Chances are the worst outcome that you fear won’t happen,” says Dr.

“And if it does, you might find you have the skills to handle it.” Practice As an experiment, try doing something that makes you nervous.

It’s fine to start small and ease yourself into it.

Picking goals that feel realistic to you is important — you don’t need to run for class president.

If you think you might like to join a club, try just sitting in on a meeting at first.