Social anxiety is challenging to live with, isn’t it? I’ve heard social anxiety described as like living with a nasty voice in your head forever reminding you that you’re not good looking enough, not clever enough, not savvy enough, others will be judging you harshly… and so it goes on. Nonstop.

All of us deep down want friends in our lives. So how do you make friends if you feel safer curled up on the sofa, binge watching another Netflix series? After all, if you’re home alone you can’t be rejected by people you meet, can you?

If you do go out then, when you get home, there’s every chance you’ll be replaying the evening in your mind, word for word, analysing what was said and how others were judging you (and you always falling short of course!). Research published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology says that socially anxious people overestimate how bad their relationships are with colleagues and friends as opposed to how others view the same relationship.

A good way to start is to join a group of like-minded people. Meetup have a huge range to choose from and, when you have a common interest, it gives you something to talk about that you feel comfortable discussing. The other benefit of Meetup is that if you don’t like the group, you can just not go back.

If you’re struggling to get out at all then do call me for a chat. It’s time for you to live the life you deserve!