Don't Let Social Anxiety Keep You In Your Comfort Zone

Your heart beats. Your skin crawls. All eyes are on you. How could they ask you this? Put you on the spot? You start hyperventilating. You start perspiring. The door's too far away. Can you make a run for it? No. You'll have to face it this time.

"I...umm, yea I... uh...ate waffles for..lun..breakfast!" you exclaim.

WAFFLES? You didn't even eat breakfast today. Why is everyone looking you like they know something? Do they know you lied? Stop looking!

I don't know about you, but when it comes to all eyes on me, I tend to get a little anxiety. Whether it's asking what you had for breakfast or having to share your "two truths and a lie" to the class, I freak out. In my head, I obviously know not to be nervous. I don't know anyone, so why freak out right? Well, I can't help it. There's something about having 20 pairs of eyes on you at once that makes me uncomfortable.

That's why I think it's critical to do things you don't WANT to do but HAVE to do. How are you supposed to have any personal growth if you don't push yourself? It's just like exercising, studying, or eating. If you don't run a little more compared to last time, you won't gain any endurance. If you don't study more than the night before, you'll fail the test. If you don't eat dessert after dinner you suck.

I think I've actively put myself out there. I'd consider myself an extroverted-introvert. When I'm comfortable around people, I tend to be a little crazy. But when I'm not? I rather just sit and listen. We all have our comfort zones. But a comfort zone needs to expand. That little bubble you put yourself in needs to grow and expand. Now, I'm not saying to let it float away into the upper atmosphere, but if you don't allow it to grow, it'll fall and pop on the ground. You can't let that comfort zone prevent you from important opportunities.

It definitely takes baby steps. If you do have social anxiety, take it little by little. Talk to someone here, talk to someone there. Raise your hand in class. If you do it over and over, maybe you'll convince yourself it isn't such a big deal. Because it ISN'T a big deal at all. Why let someone affect you in a way that doesn't make you feel good? Remember: it's how you react. Those three facts the professor asked for you to say to the class? They may all be staring at you, but none of them care.

So take a deep breath, and tell the class what you ate for breakfast. Now, I don't know a class that would ask such a question, but maybe you're in one of them. Actively put yourself out there, and everything all of sudden doesn't matter anymore. You'll have people begging to be you.