1. Take stock of oneself. Even if you’re the only one experiencing anxiety while you’re out in public, it’s easy to spiral out of control and get obsessed with everything that seems to be going wrong.
2. Practice speaking in front of an audience. To help those with mild-to-moderate social anxiety disorder (i.e., perhaps your worry isn’t producing panic attacks), practicing public speaking is a useful strategy.
3. Ask for assistance from your network of supporters. Admitting to the people in your life that you struggle with social anxiety and may benefit from assistance can be humiliating or demeaning.
4. Consider CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the various forms of psychotherapy that can help with social anxiety.
5. Introduce yourself to anxious circumstances gradually. What Dr. Potter refers to as “situational exposure” is advised.
6. Find the positive aspects of things and practice self-care. It’s quite normal if your social anxiety isn’t improving as quickly as you’d want.