Social Anxiety Solution: Being perceived

This solution will also help if you struggle with being watched, observed, judged, or analyzed.

Everyone has unique reasons why this is an issue but at the root for many is often the idea that being watched/observed is dangerous in some way. Why you view this as dangerous is unique to your psyche and something we encourage you to reflect on but a few potential reasons are:

• people may form undesirable opinions from what they see,
• you may do something imperfectly while others are watching,
• amongst other things.

There could be several reasons, and if you desire to, you can self-reflect to find them, but overcoming this trigger will require you to see that regardless of why you think being observed/watched is dangerous, you don’t have to view those as reasons to be anxious. This can be easier said than done because there may indeed be consequences from you being watched but even if there are, you don’t have to view those consequences as reasons to be anxious. You can know that you dislike those consequences and wish they didn’t exist or wouldn’t happen, but if you want internal peace and to be anxiety-free, you cannot view them as reasons to be anxious.

This awareness allows you to shift focus and use your goals to strategize how to avoid consequences you prefer not to face. There are times when consequences from your actions help you learn so you can make more effective decisions in the future. Other times, you may not care about certain consequences but believe you have to fear them because of experiences in your past.

Recommended reads for overcoming social anxiety (link)

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