#social-anxiety

#social-anxiety

When I first received an invitation to my friend's wedding in Tulum, Mexico, I was excited and honored to be included. Then, as I read the RSVP instructions, it hit me: I wasn't offered a plus-one. Instead of being upset or offended, I remembered my friend had always wanted an intimate celebration. I also knew the bride and groom had likely considered that I didn't have a serious partner at the time, and that our mutual acquaintances from college would make easy tablemates at dinner.

We tend to overestimate how uncomfortable small talk will be and underestimate how enjoyable it will be. We let our worst fears win out. Do people sometimes reject our bids to chat? For sure. But most of the time, we have more in common than we expected. Pushing yourself to talk with others can be a kind of exposure therapy. If done correctly, you'll be rewarded for initiating conversations by having a good time conversing. The more good conversations you have, the more likely you'll be to have more conversations.

There are all kinds of things we could murmur to our brains to soothe the fear of being judged. You could point out that almost nobody is looking at you; mostly people are too wrapped up in themselves. You could point out that you already know you're competent from how you rise to occasions at work; there probably isn't much to mock about you. You can pat and soothe your brain with evidence that the thing it's afraid of is very, very unlikely.

Walking into a room you've never been in before can be one of the most nerve-racking experiences one can go through. Without prior knowledge of who's in there, what those people are like, and where the best place to sit is, it can be a serious anxiety trigger for the socially awkward among us. But what if there was someone who could mediate those anxieties on behalf of the people who have them?

I described the sinking dread after social effort, the sense of being too visible. At astonishing speed, the AI responded gently, intelligently, without platitudes.

Groups can feel overwhelming due to the complexity of managing multiple people's emotions and interactions, requiring significant emotional and mental effort from individuals.

Effective therapy fosters rapid, positive change and enhances life satisfaction. Individuals may require encouragement to transition away from ongoing support to trust in their new abilities.

"Narcissism's two faces of vulnerability and grandiosity are seen as distinct, even though both share the quality of a need for validation and admiration."

I've embarked on a five-year mission to become more outgoing, figuring out which situations I could be comfortable in, and setting myself exercises in social etiquette.