Why Using Medicine for Social Anxiety Isn’t Always Your Best Option (plus 5 proven strategies on how to regulate your nervous system naturally)
When you’d rather not join in on conversations during third period, scrolling Insta is your saving grace.
But even as you watch reel after reel, you notice your stomach getting tighter with each swipe.
You realize it’s from seeing your friend Ruby’s post. She’s flirting with her popular new boyfriend and doing yet another shopping haul.
It creates a jealous twinge that makes you wish you never opened the Insta app.
During lunch, you freeze up when you think of saying anything to the friends you’ve sat with for the last two years.
And when you do think of something to say – you over-analyze what just came out of your mouth.
For the next three hours, you vow to keep quiet.
You even keep a silent promise to yourself to hide in the bathroom with your PB&J for the rest of the week.
You constantly wonder who you even are anymore.
You think, “Is life really supposed to be this miserable?” When will I finally feel comfortable in my own skin?”
You have fleeting visions and scary thoughts of ending your life throughout the week – but you’re afraid to tell anyone.
After all, you’re not even sure what’s happening – you just know you’ve gotten to an unhealthy place.
We know exactly how you feel.
Social anxiety is more common than you think – and we can help.
Read on for the top five science-backed ways that leave your social anxiety in the dust.
And finally regulate your nervous system (without medicine) for a calmer, happier existence.
The fear of *fitting in* seems to take over everywhere you go. Image Credit: Pexels
What Are Social Anxiety Symptoms?
Where day-to-day functioning and *being you* seem like the hardest things on earth.
Worry about embarrassing yourself
Fear of being judged negatively
Extreme fear of interacting or talking with strangers
Fear of looking anxious to others
Fear of physical symptoms from embarrassment like blushing, sweating, trembling, or a shaky voice
Avoiding speaking to people out of fear or embarrassment
Avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention
Having anxiety over the anticipation of an activity or event
Intense fear or anxiety during social situations
Over-analyzing your performance and finding flaws in your interactions after social situations
Expecting the worst possible outcome from a negative experience or social situation
When social media makes you feel worse about yourself, it’s time to make a change. Image Credit: Pexels
8 social media tips to implement right now to protect yourself.
…from lowered self-esteem, feeling less-than, and dealing with the insecurity that comes from social comparison.
Nothing is as it seems on social media. Your friend Ruby? She might be flirting with her new boyfriend on Insta – but what’s going on at home is a completely different story.
Her mom and dad have been fighting for months. And because of the chaos that’s ensuing between her parents, her grades are dwindling. At this point, she’s not even sure she’ll be able to get into college.
But that *twinge of jealousy* you feel in the pit of your stomach – every time you see another happy-go-lucky shopping haul – is very real.
Social media has become a way of life for most young people - that’s why it’s important to implement boundaries to keep yourself safe. Image Credit: Pexels
Here are our tried-and-true tricks that create more balance on your favorite platforms:
▶ Pay attention to how you feel. If you feel a tightness in your stomach or your stress level increases on certain platforms – or following certain accounts – it’s time to set some real boundaries.
▶ Unfollow or *mute* accounts that make you feel worse. Instead, follow people and pages that make you smile, promote self-care, and inspire real-life connections.
▶ Set scrolling time limits. Pay attention to how much time you’re spending on social media. Use apps to help you track or block usage after a certain amount of time. Less time scrolling = More time for real-life experiences that fill your cup.
▶ Take regular breaks to recharge. Whether it’s a few hours each day or a full day each week – taking time to disconnect from social media gives you more time to focus on feel-good activities.
▶ Put your phone in a different room. These days, our phones seem like they’re attached to us. That’s why putting your phone in your bedroom while you spend time with your family in the living room – can make a huge difference.
▶ Be intentional about spending time with friends and family offline. Make plans for face-to-face relationships to help minimize the pressure of online comparisons.
▶ Remember that what you see is likely untrue in many ways. It’s human nature to want to show your *best self* to the world via social media. That’s why it’s important to remind yourself: What you see isn’t a true reflection of reality.
▶ Come up with new boundaries. Decide whether you’ll use your phone during meals, before bed, or during school or work. This helps lessen the need to scroll – because you’ve already decided to be present in the here-and-now instead.
Taking medicine for social anxiety can help in the short-term, but your anxiety will stick around if you don’t address what’s underneath. Image Credit: Pexels
Why Using Medicine for Social Anxiety Isn’t Always Recommended
Finding the root cause is necessary to banish your social anxiety for good.
We know that popping a pill seems like the easiest way to go about any kind of anxiety. And it makes a lot of sense – probably because it takes less than 30 minutes to feel the effects.
But even though that tiny pill seems to be bringing down the angst in your nervous system now, your prescription isn’t teaching you coping strategies. And it’s not addressing the underlying triggers behind your inability to have casual conversations.
Here’s why relying solely on medicine for social anxiety isn’t a great idea:
▶ Get ready for side effects. Drowsiness, weight gain, headaches (and even more nausea) – come with your benzodiazepine or antidepressant prescription.
▶ You become dependent. The more you turn to your social anxiety medication to find relief, the more you can develop a reliance – and may have a hard time weaning yourself off your prescription.
▶ They only bring temporary relief. When the medicine wears off, your inability to talk to friends and over-thinking every conversation quickly returns.
▶ You can’t process your emotions in a healthy way. Medication has the ability to make some people feel numb, which dulls your life experiences – and prevents you from fully engaging with your emotions in a healthy way.
▶ Using them long-term can harm your health. Using anxiety medications for a prolonged period can lead to cognitive impairment or physical dependency.
Keep reading for a more holistic approach to social anxiety that will leave your over-analyzing and easy-to-embarrass self in the dust.
“Medication can be associated with serious adverse events, it doesn’t work at all for many people, and improvements in symptoms do not last after people stop taking the pills.” -Evan Mayo-Wilson, Researcher, University College London
Your nervous system plays the biggest role in the way you feel around others. Image Credit: Pexels
How Your Nervous System Directly Impacts Social Anxiety
Life sometimes creates a fight-or-flight response (that makes socializing feel scary).
In most cases, there’s an underlying cause for your social anxiety. And it starts with your nervous system.
When your nervous system becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, lack of sleep, and even nutrient deficiencies – your dysregulated state leads to everyday social interactions that feel scary and threatening.
Here are a few ways your nervous system becomes disrupted:
▶ Chronic stress can cause hyperarousal. Problems with friends and family issues can create worry and make it hard to feel calm in everyday social situations.
▶ Trauma can cause you to be overly reactive. Past or current emotional or physical trauma can create a nervous system that’s on high alert, always expecting the worst.
▶ Not getting enough sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, it disrupts your nervous system, making it harder to regulate your emotions and manage stress – which increases social anxiety.
▶ Lack of necessary nutrients. Without having a sufficient amount of needed nutrients like magnesium and B vitamins, this can affect your ability to function, and lead to more anxiety.
▶ Alcohol, caffeine, and drugs can overstimulate you. Each of these substances can affect your nervous system and heighten your anxiety.
Read on for proven ways to naturally regulate your nervous system and live the life you deserve.
To banish feelings of anxiety and exude more confidence, implement a few of the strategies below. Image Credit: Pexels
5 Proven Ways: How to Regulate Your Nervous System Naturally
To calm your body, infuse balance, and reclaim your confidence.
“Some of my clients had been on meds for years with no progress. They were exhausted and hopeless. Once they started neurofeedback, the changes I saw in them blew my mind. Everyone needs to know about this!”
-Lisa Cramer, LCPC, Owner, Mind Body Neurotherapy
Neurofeedback is a decades-old, science-backed brain retraining program that regulates your nervous system (without you having to do anything at all). Image Credit: Shutterstock
#1 Neurofeedback / Neurotherapy
What is neurofeedback?
👉 Training your brain to break free from unhealthy brain patterns.
“Training your brain” sounds complicated. But with neurotherapy, you simply sit in a comfortable chair as you watch a video game, your favorite YouTube influencer, or listen to sounds.
When your brain waves are in a healthy state, the screen you’re watching gets brighter – *rewarding* your brain and telling it to stay put in that particular frequency.
And over time, by repeating this exercise – your brain learns to produce healthier brain waves that create a relaxed, focused state.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I have become a firm believer in neurofeedback. It has truly saved my life.”
-Michael D.
Training your brain with neurotherapy can help you get back to doing what you love - and feeling good around friends again. Image Credit: Pexels
Does neurotherapy work to relieve social anxiety?
Social anxiety has specific brain wave patterns that continue to make you feel scared and anxious (from seemingly out of nowhere).
Neurotherapy guides your brain out of these unhealthy brain wave patterns – and encourages new alpha and theta brain waves to take over.
It’s recognized as a promising intervention that regulates exaggerated anxiety. Most people report more focus and less anxiety in just a few sessions.
“Parents are tired from seeing their kids in tears. They’ve tried everything. When I explain brain behavior and the way neurofeedback works to change brain patterns – they see that this treatment makes sense and it builds relief in them.”
-Lisa Cramer, LCPC, Owner, Mind Body Neurotherapy
Talking with a therapist can make all the difference when you’re struggling with social anxiety. Image Credit: Pexels
#2 Talk Therapy: Finally discover the underlying thoughts and patterns that trigger your social anxiety.
You’re wondering how to relieve anxiety fast. We totally get it. But by simply taking medication and putting a bandaid over what’s truly causing your social stressors – you won’t ever learn the coping skills to turn your ingrained beliefs around.
Talk therapy explores your past experiences, it challenges your negative beliefs, and teaches you how to cope – so you feel more empowered with every interaction.
Why Talk Therapy Works to Relieve Social Anxiety
The root cause of your social anxiety is this: The ingrained belief system that’s so hard to let go of. With talk therapy, we focus on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Most of us aren’t even aware ourselves what those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are – until we’re asked specific questions by our talk therapist that challenge how we’ve been moving through life.
“New research suggests that cognitive behavioral [talk] therapy (CBT) is more effective [than medication] and, unlike medication, can have lasting effects long after treatment has stopped.”
-Evan Mayo-Wilson, Researcher, University College London
Deep breathing can make you feel better in a matter of minutes. Image Credit: Pexels
#3 Deep Breathing: Instantly calm your body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
With social anxiety, you need a proven method that intentionally slows down your breath – so your body knows it’s safe.
By being intentional with techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, and the 4-7-8 method – you can regulate your nervous system within minutes.
Practicing these techniques regularly increases oxygen flow to your brain and promotes relaxation in ways your body loves.
How To Do Box Breathing When You’re Experiencing Social Anxiety
▶ Find a quiet space
▶ Close your eyes
▶ Inhale slowly for four seconds
▶ Hold your breath for four seconds
▶ Exhale slowly for four seconds
▶ Repeat for increased calmness
Bringing yourself back to your breath and recognizing how you feel in the moment can work wonders for your anxiety. Image Credit: Pexels
#4: Mindfulness Meditation: Increase awareness of your thoughts and feelings by focusing on the present moment.
Here’s another study on social anxiety that focuses on mindfulness meditation as an essential and effective strategy to regulate your nervous system.
When you’re experiencing severe anxiety in a social situation, being ultra aware of your thoughts and feelings can actually rewire your brain for instant emotional regulation.
Mindfulness meditation allows you to observe your anxiety – without letting it overwhelm you. And research shows that regular mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety by improving your brain’s ability to manage stress and emotional responses.
It decreases activity in the amygdala (the brain’s fear center) and strengthens the prefrontal cortex – which helps with rational thinking and decision-making.
How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation for Social Anxiety
▶ Sit quietly and focus on your breath
▶ Notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations that come up – but don’t judge, just observe.
▶ Whenever you notice your mind wandering, bring your focus back to your breath.
Limiting processed, fast food and aiming to eat from nature will nourish your body and brain. Image Credit: Pexels
#5: Nutrition & Supplements: Address deficiencies to achieve your best health.
Most of us are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals – and what we’re deficient in can affect how our brains function day-to-day.
Making sure you’re eating whole, nutrient-dense foods on a regular basis is absolutely essential if you want to banish social anxiety.
There are even certain vitamins and minerals that support your nervous system and calm your anxiety.
Sometimes it’s a matter of addressing your deficiencies to banish anxiety. Image Credit: Pexels
What Vitamins Help With Social Anxiety?
▶ Magnesium: Helps regulate neurotransmitters and calms your nervous system by blocking excitatory chemicals.
Foods rich in magnesium: Leafy greens (spinach, kale), nuts (almonds, cashews), seeds (pumpkin seeds), and whole grains.
▶ B Vitamins (especially B6 and B12): Essential for the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. A deficiency in B vitamins can lead to mood imbalances and anxiety.
Foods rich in B vitamins: Eggs, fish, poultry, leafy greens, and whole grains.
▶ Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Supports brain health and reduces inflammation – which helps lower your anxiety and stress levels.
Foods rich in omega-3s: Fatty fish (salmon, sardines), flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.
▶ Vitamin D3 + K2: A deficiency in this essential *sunshine* vitamin has been linked to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. If you’re not getting enough sunlight, supplementing is necessary and can support your anxiety.
Foods rich in vitamin D: Fatty fish, fortified foods (like milk and orange juice), and egg yolks.
▶ L-theanine: An amino acid that promotes relaxation without causing drowsiness. It increases alpha brain waves, which are associated with a calm, alert state.
How to take it: Green tea or L-theanine supplements can be taken to help with relaxation and anxiety reduction.
We’re Here to Help You Heal From Social Anxiety
Call our office today to retrain your brain, learn coping skills that work, and live the life you deserve. Image Credit: Pexels
Even if you can’t implement all of the above strategies – it’s worth trying one or two. You don’t have to live with a body and brain that’s riddled with anxiety (and torments you at every turn).
Reach out today, we’ve helped hundreds just like you. We want you to live your best life being your best self.
