Calming Social Anxiety – Nervous System Reset

If social situations feel overwhelming, you’re not alone. This meditation offers a gentle nervous system reset to help calm anxiety, ground the body, and create a sense of inner safety before socializing. Through mindful breathing and grounding, you’ll be guided into a steadier and more spacious state. Arrive feeling more present, at ease, and supported.

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Transcript

Welcome to Whispers of the Heart Guided Meditations. I'm your host and guide, Noriko Tanigawa. There are moments when the thought of stepping into a social space can feel very heavy. Maybe the mind begins to race, Quietly looking for excuses not to attend. Even when we think it might be fun, Something inside us hesitates. The weight of it all can make us want to turn around and stay safely where we are. Maybe the body tightens slightly, As if preparing for something uncertain. And even when we truly want connection, The nervous system may still move into protection. Today's meditation is not about forcing ourselves to be different. It's not about pushing anxiety away or pretending it isn't there. Instead, This practice is about honoring our experience of social anxiety and gently supporting our nervous system so it can soften, Settle, And ease the fear of the unknown. So that we can step into the world from a place that feels a little safer, A little more spacious, And a little more at ease. In this meditation, We'll slow the breath, Ground into the body, And create a sense of inner safety that we can carry with us as we move into our next interaction. We don't have to be perfect. We don't have to meet anyone's expectations, Including our own. We only need to arrive as we are. So find a comfortable position. Let the body soften and allow the breath to begin settling naturally. This is calming social anxiety, A nervous system reset before socializing. And whenever we are ready, Let's begin. Find a comfortable seat or lie down. In today's practice, We might want to settle into the position where we can keep our spine straight, Whether it's sitting up or lying down. We're going to use the spine as an anchor today. Feel free to grab your favorite blanket, Pillows, Anything and everything you can think of to make you feel at home and comfortable. This is the time to love yourself. This is the time for you, Time to totally accept yourself as you are. And whenever you're ready, If you need a little bit more time, Feel free to pause this meditation and take your time getting ready, Creating this beautiful, Cozy space just for you. And whenever you're ready, Let's take a deep breath in and out three times to help ground ourselves. Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Let's take another deep breath in and breath out. And one more time, Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Ah. Allow our breath to return to normal. Place your hands on your belly and feel your hands moving up and down as you take your breath in and out. I would like you to bring your attention to your spine. From your tailbone all the way up, Up through your lower back, Mid-back, Upper back, Your shoulder, Neck, All the way to the top of your head. And I want you to imagine there is this almost like a highway that runs from the top of your head all the way to your tailbone. Think of your spine like a highway of your energy running up and down. And on the tip of our head connects to the celestial realm. That's where we get all our beautiful inspiration. And down to our tailbone, That's where we connect to this grounding Mother Earth energy. And whenever we are feeling a little bit anxious about something, It could be that some chakras or some energy stations along our spine might be a little bit blocked. So we are going to use our visualization to clear some of the blockages. So imagine there is a cord that is tucked right at your tailbone that you get to connect with this very strong earthy Mother Earth energy. So visualize this long almost electrical cable and your unwinding there from your tail letting it drop deep, Deep into the earth. And as I count down from five to one, I would like you to plug that into this core of the earth. Imagine there's a plug like electrical plug, Okay? Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Let's plug it in. And now you're connected to this Mother Earth energy. Do you feel anything different, Different sensations? Let's take a deep breath in and out three times to facilitate this movement. And what I want you to do is to imagine every time you take a breath in, You're getting the inspiration from this celestial realm. And as you breathe out, You're pushing away whatever you no longer need through the cord down to this Mother Earth core where all that you don't need is instantly being incinerated. Okay, Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Let's take another deep breath in and breath out. One more time, Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Ah, You might feel some of the blockages clearing out and you might feel more freer flow of the energy. And we'll just kind of let this energy move up and down through our body. While we gonna do some inner work to help ease our social anxiety. This social anxiety is something that hits closer to my heart as well because I definitely do have one. I need to work on it a lot to let go of some of the anxieties and fears that I have. And if you're tuning into this meditation, I'm sure you have some level of social anxiety. I think almost everyone has some form of anxiety around the big social event. So this is to help ease some of our fears and anxieties. And I know you have some kind of social event coming up. So I would like you to tune into that event. And instead of try to use our logic to explain how we should and shouldn't feel, We're gonna create this very safe place to totally honor the way we feel. If we are anxious, Stressed, Heavy, Uncomfortable, You feel like you want to run away from it all, They're all welcome here. So imagine you're holding this big container about the size of a small pool or pond. And this is this safe space where all your emotions can move. Without any judgment, Without any shame. And I want you to think about this upcoming social gathering that you're about to have. And without going into the details of that specific event or what you think it might happen, I want you to focus on your feelings. How do you feel? Do you feel heavy? Do you feel stressed? Do you feel anxious? Nervous? Whatever it is, Let it come to the surface. And as you allow these feelings to come to the surface, I want you to pay attention to where you feel it in your body. Maybe you feel it in your heart, Or your head. Maybe you feel it in your gut, Or your whole entire body. Maybe it feels just heavy. There's no right or wrong answer. I want you to really pay attention to how you feel. And there's nothing right or wrong about this. Your emotion is there trying to express something to you. So let it express itself. You don't have to do anything with these emotions. And I know it's uncomfortable, But this is a safe space for you. And you're containing all your emotions in this container. And you're just looking at it from outside of the container. So you are not the emotions. Emotions are just the energy moving through your body. And you're being the witness to all your emotions and all your feelings. And this gives us a little separation from our emotions. Because our emotions can get a little bit overwhelming. And when you feel a little bit too much, We're going to take a deep breath in and out to just calm our nervous system. Let's take a deep breath in. And breath out. Ah. Let's do it one more time. Take a deep breath in. And breath out. I want you to check and see if your emotion feels exactly the same as before. Sometimes when you allow the emotion to surface and we facilitate its movement through a deep breath in and out, The emotion can move. Move to a different stage or move to a different location. And both can sometimes happen. And in this case, You may feel your emotions maybe slightly soft or it morphed into something different. What started out as anxiety changed into maybe a little bit of sadness. If you were just feeling heavy, You may feel a little bit lighter. But feeling of uncertainty is starting to crowd your system. Whatever it is, I want you to witness everything that is going on in your body and in your emotions. All is welcome here. There's no right or wrong way to feel this. Everything's okay. And we all are holding this very safe space. None of these emotions can truly harm you. It's just an energy moving through our body. The sensation we feel are only the proof that the energy is indeed moving through our body and it is ready to move out of our body. So let's not stifle that movement or run away from it. We are here. Just holding space, Allowing all our emotions to do what it wants to do. Everything's okay. Let's take a deep breath in and out three times again. Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. Let's take a deep breath in and a big breath out. I want you to look at that emotion again. I want you to stop and think. Start looking into your childhood. And I know a lot of our social anxiety stems from our childhood. We probably had very uncomfortable social interactions. It may have been you were just being you, Having fun and someone may have made a very unkind and not very nice comment about the way you were just being you. Or you may have been forced to attend some social occasions that you really, Really didn't enjoy. Whatever it is, Allow one of those experiences to come to surface. And again, We are not forcing anything. If you can't think of anything, That's okay too. And you might surprise yourself by thinking about what happened just six months ago. It may not be your childhood. And if that's the case, That's okay too. Because we are accessing our subconscious mind now. Allowing this one event that is ready to be healed today to surface. I'm going to give you some moment. Now that you have identified this one experience, I want you to play out what happened there in your head as vividly as possible. And I want you to just feel all the awkwardness and discomfort that you felt then. And imagine this past you who experienced this is back in your room or somewhere that's quiet and safe. And you're just standing right next to your inner child. Give a hug to your inner child. And can you say to your inner child that you love your inner child very much? Regardless of what you felt through this experience and how bad other people may have made you feel, You love your inner child just the same. There is no reason for you to dislike your inner child just because the interactions or an experience didn't pan out in a way that you thought it would. It's okay. It's okay. Tell your inner child that you love your inner child very much. Your inner child does not have to be like anyone or behave in any way for you to keep loving your inner child. And I know some of our past experiences can shape our perception about our experiences, Especially in a social setting. But know that each one of us are so uniquely you and amazing in your own way. And you are too amazing to not let other people see the uniqueness of you. So there's no shame in getting yourself out there. And so whatever the upcoming social event that you're going to have, Look at it as a mini adventure or experiment. Because you see, This universe is made up of infinite variation of different people and personalities out there. So while yes, There are some of those from your past who gave you really bad experiences, There are many, Many others out there too who are going to give you amazing, Incredible experiences as well. Just because you encountered some of those bad apples doesn't mean everyone is going to be like that. So I want you to imagine you're holding hand of your inner child from your past experience. And I want you to just listen for a little bit. I'm going to give you a little pep talk here. I love and accept you exactly the way you are. And no matter how badly someone may have treated you or how some of your experiences may have made you feel embarrassed or ashamed, That's not going to change how special and amazing you are. And because you want to let go of your judgment and accept yourself as exactly the way you are, Including all the past experiences you had, I want you to open up and accept others as they are. Some people are not going to be nice, But some others are going to be super nice. And the secret in letting go of some fears of social interaction is to understand that the best you can do is you being you. And if someone doesn't like you, That doesn't make you less. That just shows a preference and a chemistry of one person to the other. And if you learn to fully accept yourself, Let go of your judgment and allow yourself to be you. You will reflect that love and acceptance you have for yourself outward. Use this as an opportunity to find out the type of person you would like to get along. You might be surprised just as you wouldn't want other people to judge you. Don't judge other people even before you're attending that social event. Give them a chance and they will give you a chance. If for whatever the reason, This social interaction that you're going to have is not for you, That's okay too. The life is about knowing your preferences. So if this isn't for you, You don't have to do it again the next time. And I hope you have the courage to let go of your fear of social interaction. The strength and self-love for you to have that boundary if that is the case. Now, With your inner child in your hand, I want you to imagine how amazing this social event can be. Look for all the positives. Maybe you get to dress up. Maybe you get to see this friend that you haven't seen in a long time. Or if it's one of those events where you don't know anybody, Maybe you get to make new friends. Wouldn't that be exciting? We take things too seriously sometimes and we need to learn to lighten up and just lean into having fun. So what small ways can you make this social event a fun event? How can you make it into something that you will look forward to? What would make you feel comfortable? You're going to be okay. Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. And I want you to feel the cord that you attached earlier. From the core of Mother Earth. It's still recharging your body with all these grounding energy. Burning out all the fears that you're ready to let go of. Take a moment. Bring your awareness to your breath. And feel the sensation that you might feel along your tailbone. Maybe you feel a slight buzzing. For some of you, You might feel buzzing not just on your tailbone but along your spine. Or you might feel the area that you previously felt a little bit heavier. Becoming lighter. Let's take another deep breath in and out. Let's take a deep breath in. And breathe it out. Now I am going to count five to one. And when I say one, I would like you to unplug that cord from the Mother Earth core. Okay, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, And unplug. And the cord tuck itself away back into your tailbone. Everything's back the way it was. I want you to give a gentle hug to your inner child. And as you hug your inner child, Imagine this bubble of protection that covers over you and protecting you from any harmful vibration. And this is something that you get to activate at any time. We all have this. So before you go into this social event where you're feeling a little bit anxious about, Imagine yourself engaging that bubble on so that you don't have to worry about negative energy or some people not being nice or unkind to you because you're in this safe, Protective bubble. No matter what people do or say, It won't affect you. It will naturally deflect it because you know you're safe. You're loved. You are protected. All you need to be is to be you. How do you feel now? Do you feel unconditional love for yourself? Let's bring back this healing, Unconditional loving energy back into our physical realm. Slowly wiggle our toes and fingers. Rotate our wrists and ankles. Shake your head yes and no. And whenever you're ready, Slowly open your eyes. Welcome back. How do you feel now? I hope you feel a little bit lighter. Maybe your anxiety has lifted away for the moment. Remember this feeling. Remember this anchoring and grounding of your presence. And honor your uniqueness. And hold this very safe place for all your emotions. Everything's okay. You are safe. And whatever this social event that you are going to have, Soon you're going to be fine. If today's meditation helped you feel even slightly more at ease, Consider sharing it with someone who may also be navigating social anxiety. Sometimes the smallest moment of calm can make the biggest difference. Move gently, Trust your pace, And remember that you're allowed to take up space in the world just as you are. Thank you for joining me on this healing journey. I'm sending all my love and support. I love you all. Thank you for listening, And I'll see you next time.