17/12/2025
Are you feeling brave enough to face your fears this festive season? Or does the idea of meeting acquaintances or strangers over a mince pie fill you with dread? Social anxiety at this time of year can make every day painful as the events that you can't avoid stack up and up! How to cope? There are a few things that can be very helpful:
Practise relaxation for ten minutes before you need to attend your event. Learning how to switch off your stress response response will mean that your body is operating at a lower, more comfortable level and give you more resilience.
Learn a technique for letting go of thoughts. We don't need to hold on to those thoughts that everyone is judging us, looking at what we are wearing or eating, as it is highly likely that everyone else is too busy thinking about themselves to even consider us. So let those thoughts go. Maybe put your thoughts on the clouds in the sky, or on cars travelling in the opposite direction, just don't hold on to them.
Turn your attention outwards, rather than on your own thoughts and negative sensations if fear or anxiety in your body. We can do this by focussing on other people and what you can learn about them. So set yourself a challenge to find out something new about everyone you interact with.
I'm tips on how to cope with festive socialising this week so check back later in the week for more...
