Hey there,
Friend.
Thanks for hitting play today and sharing a part of your day with me.
Welcome to this meditation for breaking free from social anxiety.
This topic is near and dear to my heart,
Because for the longest time I suffered with social anxiety.
I dreaded most social events or gatherings,
Whether with friends,
At work,
Or even with family.
So in this practice,
I'm going to guide you through the simple process I would do before going into any situation that would trigger anxiety,
That helped me break free from the loop of worrying about social situations,
And drastically improved my overall experience while being in them.
What I would do is on the days leading up to any social event,
And on the morning of that day,
I would go through a list of mindful reflections and prompts that I created for myself,
While vividly calling to mind the particular situation that I will be going into.
This would allow me to get clear on how I want to think,
How I want to feel,
And how I want to act while I'm in those situations,
Reinforcing to my brain that this experience is 100% in my control,
And I'm creating it from inside myself.
Because ultimately,
That's what it's all about.
Remembering and reminding yourself that you,
And only you,
Determine how you experience reality,
And life.
And that's the golden nugget here that often gets lost on us when we are stuck in the web of anxiety during social situations.
We focus so much on what's outside of ourselves,
But really we have the power to consciously influence our experience.
And just by setting the stage in your mind,
And prepping yourself beforehand for how you want your experience to unfold,
Goes a long way to actually creating a favorable and pleasant experience no matter where you are.
So I'm going to guide you through this process as a meditation exercise,
But you can 100% do this as a journaling exercise if that works better for you.
Just pause the recording after each reflection that I present to give yourself enough time to write down your answers.
So let's get comfortable,
And put our minds and bodies in the best position right now.
In the best state possible to be at home with ourselves.
Take a few nourishing breaths,
And bring some positive energy into your heart,
Into your mind,
And into your body.
And let go.
Put a light smile on your face,
And see if you can take on the attitude of,
I got this.
I'm excited for this.
I can do this.
Not just for this exercise,
But having that attitude for any upcoming situation in your life.
Social anxiety is sometimes just a story we repeatedly tell ourselves.
And like all stories,
They can be changed,
And new ones can be created.
Because you are a conscious creator of your reality,
And how you experience reality.
So sit with that attitude for a few moments.
Lean into that attitude.
That you and you alone have the power to craft your experience of any situation from inside yourself.
See if you can draw some inspiration from that.
See if you can draw some motivation from that.
That you are in control of how you feel,
Not anyone or anything else.
Smile into that.
Smile into that from your heart.
And let that put your mind at ease,
And release any tension that you're holding on to in your body.
Breathe into this attitude,
And let it nourish you.
So to start,
I want you to call to mind a typical situation that happens in your life that causes you anxiety.
Ideally,
If it could be something that's upcoming in your life.
Maybe an event,
Or gathering with friends or family,
Or something at work perhaps.
Some type of interaction that you're concerned about.
Hold that event or situation clearly in your mind,
And set the scene.
Imagine yourself being there.
Take a snapshot of yourself in your mind,
Being at that event,
In that situation,
Seeing yourself clearly.
Now,
As you see that image,
I want you to say,
I am a conscious creator of my reality.
I am a conscious creator of my reality.
And I can bend it for my enjoyment and peace.
And I can bend it for my enjoyment and peace.
And I can bend it for my enjoyment and peace.
One more time.
Hold yourself in your mind,
Being at this event,
In that situation,
And say to yourself,
I am a conscious creator.
Of my reality.
And I can bend it for my enjoyment and peace.
Now,
Let's create that reality.
During this event or situation that you just called to mind,
I want you to reflect on how you want to feel during this time.
Simple.
Yes.
If you want to feel a certain way,
Which you likely do,
Because everything comes down to feelings,
Declare it now.
Affirm precisely how you want to feel during this time.
Now,
While you're in this situation,
How can you make it the best possible experience?
What choices can you make to help yourself experience this situation with joy and being at peace?
We don't ask for a lot of things.
We just ask for a little bit of joy.
We ask this question enough,
But how can you help yourself?
Now,
Let's see this situation come to life the way we want.
What exactly do you envision?
What is the ideal way you want this situation to unfold?
See it in your mind now.
If you can't see it,
State it out loud.
Blurt it out if you need to.
Just paint a very clear picture of how you want to experience this situation,
Focusing on your emotions and your physical senses while being there.
I'll give you a few moments.
Now,
As you are there with the people you are with,
How do you want those interactions to unfold and be experienced?
What do the interactions with others look like?
How do you feel in those moments?
Can you see any of those interactions in particular?
Get as detailed and clear with your intention as possible.
Now,
I'm going to ask you to imagine being excited for this upcoming event.
Can you imagine looking forward to those interactions with the people around you that you just created in your mind?
Can you see yourself being excited the days and hours before this event happens?
What about right now?
It may sound a little strange,
But I want you to see if you can psych yourself up for this upcoming experience right now.
Can you get excited in the tiniest way for some aspect of this upcoming experience?
And I understand this may seem difficult,
But we have to remember our outer experience changes when we change the way we look at things.
So I ask you to find a different way to look at this upcoming event.
Is it possible to see this event as a vehicle for your own personal growth?
Is it possible that this event is actually an adventure,
An exploration to understand yourself more deeply?
A gift,
Perhaps,
To expand yourself in any number of ways,
Intellectually,
Spiritually,
Emotionally,
Or physically.
Imagine it being just that.
What if you completely surrendered to that idea,
To being in this situation and it's all happening for your greatest good?
What does that look like?
What if you saw it as a call to simply strengthen your spiritual practice,
To get present,
Embracing it as a clean slate in which nothing else matters except the current moment.
Your life is a movie,
And at all times,
It's asking you to honor its present scene.
It's asking you to honor its present scene.
And what if those familiar feelings of uneasiness and anxiety creep up while you're in this situation,
But it's actually not a problem?
What if you handled it with love in your heart?
What if you showed care for yourself,
Coaching yourself to slow down,
Breathing deeply,
And giving yourself some grace?
What does that look like?
But ultimately,
What if you just simplified your intention for this situation?
What if this simply was just to make the effort to force your eyes to see,
For your brain to fire off new neurons,
And for your heart to understand something new?
What if your intention was simply to be aware of the many subtle moments of kindness,
Compassion,
And connection throughout your time with the people you are with?
What if your intention was simply to remain curious?
Perhaps your only goal going into this situation,
And every other situation in the entirety of your life,
Is to keep opening your eyes,
To keep noticing where you are,
And to keep asking yourself these type of questions.
So again,
I ask,
What would that look like?
So friend,
As we end this session,
The powerful thing about doing an exercise like this before any situation is that you are calibrating yourself for how you want to show up in that situation,
Increasing the likelihood of having that experience.
You are pre-paving your future with a new way of looking at things,
With the emotions you want to experience,
Making those states more familiar to your mind and body.
I truly hope this practice can help you if you're struggling with anxiety.
Give it a try before going into any social situation,
And see what changes in your experience.
Thanks for listening today,
And if you have any questions,
I'm here to support you.
And if you happen to give this a try on your own,
I'd love to hear about your experience.
Drop me a note in the comments.
Take care of yourself.
