Tiny Social Anxiety Hacks To Make Your Daily Life Easier and Less Stressful

If you suffer from social anxiety (or you’re just a very shy person), you’ve likely developed little ways to make your day a tad easier and less stressful, whether it’s at school, work, home, or just out walking in public.

We all get socially overwhelmed sometimes, and in those situations it can be helpful to have “tiny hacks” to help you get by without causing a scene or going into full-on panic mode.

Here’s a comprehensive list of these tiny social anxiety hacks so that people can use it as a resource to use when they feel too stressed or anxious during their everyday routine.

Many of these suggestions are common and obvious, while others are a bit more unique and creative. I decided to list everything I’ve discovered over the years (both from my personal life and stuff I’ve learned from others) so that nothing gets forgotten or overlooked.

While none of these are a cure-all for social anxiety, and they certainly don’t replace doing the “deep work” needed to improve yourself, they are useful recommendations that you can easily apply to your daily life when you need them.

Here’s a complete list of tiny social anxiety hacks. Hopefully you can find at least one or two that help you make your day just a tad easier to get through. (I plan to continue adding to this list as I discover more).

• Excuse yourself to restroom when you feel overwhelmed (give yourself a few minutes to re-energize)
• Take a moment to take 10 deep breaths before a social interaction to relax yourself (and learn other grounding exercises)
• Wear sunglasses out in public to help with eye contact (when appropriate)
• Brush your teeth before a big meeting or date (I feel more confident and “fresher” afterwards)
• Chew on gum (same “fresh” effects as above, also feels like something “to do” during a social interaction)
• Walk your dog or having your dog around when you go out (easy way to divert attention away from yourself during conversations) [Check out: Why a Pet Can Help With Social Anxiety and Loneliness]
• Do something kind or give a compliment to take the focus off of yourself and onto helping others
• Visualize an “energy connection” with people (I sometimes picture a blue aura being connected between me and other people, and it makes me feel more connected to them)
• Remind yourself not to take negative comments personally (“They are just having a bad day!”) [Check out: 7 Things to Remind Yourself When Dealing With Difficult People]
• Bring an extroverted friend with you to parties and social get-togethers (so they can do most of the talking for you)
• Wear headphones on the bus, train, plane, or while walking in public (so people don’t bother you)
• Recognize that people are often more focused on themselves than you (everyone is worried about being judged) [Check out: How Your Imaginary Audience Feeds Into Social Anxiety and Insecurity]
• Make a conscious effort to find out the eye color of everyone you speak to (to help with improving your eye contact)
• When you feel a rush of anxiety, try to reframe it as excitement or motivation [Check out: The Hidden Power of Anxiety]
• If you feel people are watching you, think of them as “paparazzi” who are only watching you because you’re so awesome
• If you take anxiety medication, be sure to bring them with you in-case you get unexpectedly overwhelmed
• Label your feelings in the moment to help yourself accept and “let go” of them [Labeling Negative Emotions Can Help You Overcome Them]
  

• Pretend no one is around you and do whatever you are doing as if you were completely by yourself
• Practice a quick 5 minute “self love” meditation before starting your day [Check out: Self-Love Meditation: Improve Feelings of Self-Worth in 5 Minutes]
  

• Look at your phone when walking by people in public (a way to seem busy or avoid eye contact)
• Read a book on the bus, train, or plane (another reason for people not to bother you)
• Remind yourself “this too shall pass” whenever you feel too anxious or overwhelmed
• Do a quick “power pose” before an important meeting or date (gives a quick boost of confidence) [Check out: Power Posing: Using Your Body to Improve Confidence and Reduce Stress]
• Say you have to make a private phone call outside to give yourself some alone time
• Repeat a positive affirmation to yourself 5 times inside your head before a social interaction (choose an affirmation that resonates with you and has an emotional impact) [Check out: 100+ Affirmations for Self Improvement]
• Bring a stress ball or fidget spinner around so you having something to do with your hands at school or work
• Visualize a social interaction going really positively before you go into it to prepare your mind for a good outcome [Check out: Imagining Positive Conversations Can Improve Trust and Cooperation]
• Take a moment to appreciate nature in your everyday environment to bring yourself in the present moment without worrying about people [Check out: Take a Moment to Appreciate Everyday Nature That is Right in Front of You]
• Actively schedule alone time throughout your day to re-energize yourself
• Come up with an “escape plan” (an excuse to leave) for a social situation if you feel it may become too overwhelming
• Play a version of the “Alphabet Game” to keep your mind occupied before you start over-thinking a social situation before you get into it [Check out: Play the Alphabet Game to Derail Negative Thoughts]

Keep in mind that these are all just suggestions, some of them will work for others and not necessarily work for you (and vice versa).

The point of compiling this list is to simply give you a wide-range of options of “tiny hacks” you could do throughout your day to make your life just a tad bit easier and less stressful. Some of these work best before you enter a social interaction, while others will make it easier for you during a social interaction.

Which of these do you already use throughout your daily life? Which ones do you think could be worth trying out?

I’m going to continue adding to this list as I discover more, so it might be a good idea to bookmark this page for future reference. Also feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to suggest some new ones!

While none of these things will magically cure your social anxiety, they can be helpful. Don’t underestimate the little things you can do to make your social anxiety more manageable!

Enter your email to stay updated on new articles in self improvement: