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1 Enlist a confidante<br />
Share your thoughts and<br />
worries with a trusted<br />
member of your family or<br />
friends, someone you feel<br />
comfortable with. If an event<br />
gets too much, you’ll have<br />
support in place to spot the<br />
signs of your heightened<br />
anxiety or the trigger, and<br />
comfort you if needed. In<br />
sharing your worries, you can<br />
also manage your family’s<br />
expectations of you.<br />
According to charity<br />
MQ, anxiety has<br />
trebled in the UK<br />
since 2008<br />
2 Learn to say ‘no’<br />
Knowing your boundaries is<br />
important at Christmas, as<br />
increased social interaction<br />
and forced cheer can add<br />
pressure to portray the ‘perfect<br />
festive attitude’. But if a certain<br />
social event is bothering you,<br />
or there are too many events<br />
going on, politely decline.<br />
It’s perfectly acceptable not<br />
to attend something, but be<br />
mindful that you don’t fall<br />
into a cycle of not attending<br />
anything, feel guilty for<br />
missing out, and then remain<br />
disconnected all the time.<br />
Take small steps to push your<br />
boundaries, but be aware of<br />
your triggers.<br />
3 Challenge your thoughts<br />
On the flip side, learning to<br />
identify and challenge reallife<br />
examples of automatic<br />
negative thoughts associated<br />
with social environments,<br />
can go a long way in<br />
combatting social anxiety.<br />
Take a recent situation<br />
where you felt uncomfortable,<br />
and break it down into<br />
bite-size pieces. Identify the<br />
specific negative thoughts you<br />
had, and write them down.<br />
Try to challenge a negative<br />
thought and provide a<br />
plausible alternative. For<br />
example: “She was yawning<br />
throughout our conversation.<br />
That must mean I’m really<br />
boring.” Instead, practise<br />
replacing that thought<br />
with the focus on the other<br />
person: “She was yawning a<br />
lot at the event, perhaps she<br />
had a bad night’s sleep.”<br />
4 Avoid the comparison trap<br />
Christmas can be a<br />
particularly difficult time if<br />
you struggle with comparing<br />
yourself to others. Party<br />
dresses, presents, New Year<br />
plans, and even festive food,<br />
can add to a catalyst of low<br />
self-confidence and anxiety.<br />
It’s easier said than done,<br />
but be gentle with yourself. If<br />
you’re in the presence of other<br />
people (be it virtual or other<br />
means), you’ve already taken<br />
a big step forward, and that’s<br />
worth celebrating.<br />
48 | happiful.com
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