Meet Social Anxiety With Compassion

Welcome to your Daily Shine. It's Thursday, July 7th. This is your space to connect with yourself, your growth, and what you need to shine today. Joy here, thanks for showing up. Have you ever stepped away from a conversation and found yourself worrying, "Did I say something wrong?" or, "Do they think I'm awkward?" These little social anxieties are so human. And if you're talking to people virtually, it's easy to have some extra anxiety. Emails, group chats, phone dates, video calls, technology has made connection possible from a distance, but when we're talking through screens, we miss out on a lot of cues that tell us all is well. A smile, a change in tone, a hand gesture, a light touch on the shoulder. Some people refer to body language as a silent orchestra. It's constantly giving us intel on what people are thinking or feeling. In fact, 55% of how we express our emotions is non-verbal. With less body language, we're not getting as much information as we're used to, so naturally, our minds try to fill in the blanks with anxieties or insecurity, thoughts like, "Is everyone mad at me?" or, "Did they hate what I just said?" or, "Do they know I care about them?" They are tough feelings to carry. And if you felt that way recently, you're not alone. Your anxiety is telling you that you don't have as much information as you want, but that doesn't mean you have to assume the worst. Today, we'll do a centering exercise to calm our minds and help you reground yourself in the face of self-doubt. Let's get started. Find a position of rest and comfort. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. And take a deep breath in and out. Gently draw your attention to whatever part of your body is connected to the ground. If you are uneven, adjust so that you are balanced and stable. Imagine yourself rooting down to the ground, energy shooting down your spine into your seat, down your legs, into your feet, and connecting you to the earth. Now feel an opposing tension pulling you up through your crown, creating space in your spine, lengthening and lifting, until you feel strong and stable and energized. Continue to breathe here. (no audio) (no audio) Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm. Now bring your attention inward. Call to mind an interaction you've had with someone. If you feel able to go there, maybe you think of an interaction where afterward you felt self-doubt or insecurity. (no audio) Try to name the feeling that it created for you. And now imagine taking that feeling and placing it in front of you, like it's an object in a museum you're observing. Take it in. What shape is it? What color is it? What texture? Now see the feelings start to slowly fade in front of you, like a dimmer switch being turned down. Return to the interaction you had...