2019-09-01 In The Moment

Catch up with Chloe and learn

more about managing anxiety

on the In The Moment podcast,

calmmoment.com/podcast

social anxiety

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Ta ke a break. If anxiety is clouding your

thoughts, it’s OK to take time out for a few

minutes. Step outside for a moment, go to the

toilet or find a quiet space to allow you to calm

down before rejoining the group.

Breathe. Ta ke a few minutes to steady your

breathing with long, slow breaths. If you can,

try meditating for a little while. It’s possible

to meditate with your eyes open, even in the

midst of a social situation. No one will even

know that you’re doing it.

Find your focus. Bringing yourself back into

the moment can help to reduce feelings of

anxiety. Anxiety sufferers often feel restless

and fidgety, so it can help to keep a coin or

button in your pocket to play with to help you

calm down.

How to cope

with anxiety

attacks

Take back control with

these calming strategies

Over time, Fiona took small steps to build her
confidence and become more resilient. “People are
amazed when I tell them that I do public speaking
with social anxiety, but it didn’t happen overnight,”
she says. “I started by socialising online, finding
friends on Twitter and talking to local bloggers on
Facebook. Then I made myself go to a small meet up
for just an hour. Then the next time I stayed a bit
longer and spoke to one new person. Over time I’ve
built up a community of friends and now I’m the one
introducing people at events!”
She feels that there isn’t a single solution to social
anxiety and that different approaches will work for
different people: “My advice would be to manage your
lifestyle. Get enough sleep, drink water and avoid
caffeine before a social event that you’re nervous
about. It will only heighten your anxiety.”
It might be difficult to talk about how you’re feeling
with other people, but Fiona says that being more
open can help you to cope. For her, this has meant her
circle understands that she’s sometimes unable to
socialise: “I think being open and honest about your
anxiety is really helpful. It can feel scary but it’s so
freeing to know that your friends and family are on
your team and know what you’re going through. Set
expectations from the outset, don’t promise you’ll stay
all night if you know you’ll probably be too anxious to
do so. If you worry about coming across as rude when
you leave early, just get out of there and apologise
later. Real friends will understand!”