Is it worse to try to control feelings of SA?

[DanielLewis]

Many of us try to control our feelings of social anxiety to lessen them or make them go away. For example, if we're in a social situation, we might tell ourselves things to relax us. Is it better to try to control them like this, or to let them ride out freely - to sort of just accept what you're feeling and to allow yourself to experience it? I've heard some people say this is better than trying to control them, which often just makes the feelings worse since many times you find you can't control them anyway.

 

[Sacrament]

Fighting anxiety means giving it the ability to be powerful, which can overwhelm you once you realize you're not being able to fully relax. One of the best solutions is to simply acknowledge the anxiety, try to rationally understand why you're feeling it, and then take deep breaths and focus on the task at hand (ie, focusing on others when you're having a conversation, instead of focusing on your anxiety). You can also jokingly and with a smile tell the person you're speaking to that you tend to feel anxious when talking to other people, adding something like 'so I'm sorry if from time to time I seem a little flustered'.

 

[Fey]

If it's stressing me out, it's something I try to address before it gets out of control. Otherwise I try not to stress about it.