how to easily overcome social anxiety

Summary

The presenters describe their experiences with severe anxiety, especially in social settings, and the practices that helped them feel calmer and less restricted. They say anxiety still comes up at times, but they’ve learned to notice it, regulate their bodies, and let it pass.

Strategies and Practices

• Notice anxious thought patterns: Meditation can help you observe thoughts without treating them as facts or as your identity.
• Try brief journaling: Spend about three minutes writing whatever comes to mind. Reading it back can help you see recurring thoughts from a little distance.
• Practice meditation and breathwork: They began with short daily meditations and recommend paying attention to breathing. They describe shifting from shallow chest breathing toward slower, diaphragmatic breathing to help the body settle.
• Ground yourself in the present: Notice things you can see, hear, touch, and feel around you. They also suggest spending time in nature and, if comfortable, feeling physically connected to the ground.
• Use visualization: Imagine yourself in a situation that usually feels stressful, such as talking with someone, while feeling calm and confident. They describe this as a low-pressure way to rehearse a different response.
• Question assumptions about others’ opinions: You can’t know what someone else is thinking, so they suggest practicing assuming the best rather than defaulting to the fear of being judged.
• Cultivate connection: They found it helpful to think of a shared sense of humanity or “sameness” in other people, rather than viewing social situations as “you against the world.”
• Allow the feeling instead of fighting it: They suggest noticing anxiety with curiosity, making room for it, and letting it pass rather than urgently trying to force it away.
• Create distance from the anxious voice: They sometimes picture anxious thoughts as a separate character, which helps them remember that the thoughts and feelings are not the whole of who they are.
• Be cautious about numbing strategies: They describe using alcohol and other substances to quiet anxiety, but say this wasn’t sustainable for them. They also describe creating a confident online persona as an early coping strategy, while noting that the anxiety itself remained.

The presenters frame these as practices that helped them personally, not as a guaranteed solution for everyone.

People Mentioned

• Presenters: Christian and Datrie
• Other named source: Russell Brand, mentioned in connection with the idea of recognizing a shared “divinity” or essence in others.