by Social anxiety and social media can go hand-in-hand especially while you’re trying to promote yourself or your business. So in this article, I’m going to give you some tips to help you manage social anxiety while on social media.
How you might be feeling
I know the feeling all too well. You have a million ideas you want to launch. You want to be on all social media platforms, at the same time. You want to help as many people as possible. Except there’s one thing holding you back…your social anxiety.
You fear being judged
That little voice in your head won’t let you post, write, or say anything, for fear of being judged. Because the moment you do something that’s not of the highest quality (because let’s face it, it’s not possible to be perfect), everyone will laugh and think you’re a joke.
You have imposter syndrome
I mean, who are YOU to sell people anything?! If you blast the market with your product/service, it might tear you down, and then you actually have to face the fact that you’re just not meant for it. Might as well not even try in the first place anyway, right?
If it feels like social anxiety and social media are forever locked in a battle, that’s because they haven’t learned how to play nice. It’s up to you to help them.
You listen to your social anxiety
Listen, social anxiety loves to talk to you. And the more you listen to it, the more it’s going to hang around.
I like to think of it as a separate entity that for some reason or another, loves my company. And silly me, I keep feeding it food (in the form of thoughts) whenever it pays a visit. See, the more I think about it, the more I feed it. Why would it ever leave?
If this is you, you need to first of all stop inviting it into your home (your mind), and then stop feeding it (thoughts). Ta-da.
Ok, granted it’s not that easy. We’ve all experienced that one visitor who won’t take a hint and leave already (says every introvert every single time).
How to stop social anxiety and social media
So, what do you do if social anxiety is so present in your life that you cannot move forward with your business?
It won’t let you create that YouTube channel. It won’t let you promote or boost that post. It won’t let you reach out to prospective clients. In essence, it’s holding yourself back from all the activities that are necessary for growth. For a business to thrive.
If this sounds like your dilemma, listen up. Social anxiety is NOT a fact of life.
You do not have to live with it, and your business doesn’t have to suffer because of it. There are ways to alleviate your social anxiety and move forward in the right direction, as long as you’re willing to do the following things.
Test the waters out first
Sometimes when I think of all the things I want to do, I get overwhelmed. I tend to focus on the big picture too much, instead of on the details that will eventually get me there.
For example, I have grand ideas of ads I want to publish but I’m terrified of the feedback, or of people signing up and then being disappointed with my product (imposter syndrome!).
So, if you’re also scared of promoting yourself, or creating videos for your business, first try something that’s more in your comfort zone but will expose you at the same time, such as guest posting. You’re putting your name out there but in a way that’s manageable.
When I guest post, such as now, I invite you to read my thoughts and hopefully you like how I think. If you do, you’re more inclined to go to my website, to follow me on social media, and to eventually buy something from me.
It helps because I’m not in your face. I’m not invading your feed or browsing time (yet!). Get accustomed to this type of spotlight first and then go from there.
Connect with someone in a similar position
Honestly, the biggest push I’ve gotten to get over my personal anxiety was having Gina (the Founder of this here website) as an accountability and feedback buddy. For example, I wanted to have my own YouTube channel for the longest time, and when I saw that she created one for herself, it gave me the courage to move forward.
We stay in touch on a daily basis and we share our fears, hopes, anxieties, and everything else under the business umbrella. I cannot stress how important it is to find someone that’s in a similar position and to connect with them. But even more than that, to be honest with each other no matter what.
I’m constantly on the lookout to have people in my corner because, at the end of the day, we’re all in it together.
I know I feel more at peace knowing that we all share the same struggles. It motivates me and makes me push myself no matter how self-conscious I am about something. Knowing that someone has my back and is willing to push me makes it easier for me to be brave.
Literally take action
Ha, this is not a joke. I realize that this is the one thing you’re not doing BECAUSE of social anxiety, but I’m here to tell you, do it ANYWAY.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter what you post or where. Have zero followers? Even better! There’s no one there to judge you when you’re that small. Taking this one actionable step will prove that nothing will happen to you if you post. None of the things you imagine will come to be. And the more you do this, the less you’ll care about people’s reactions.
Taking action is the #1 way to let go of social anxiety and to get the confidence you need. So, act blindly. Literally, don’t have a single thought about what you’re posting. Or what you’re writing when you’re contacting someone. Expose yourself in small quantities daily and they’ll compound significantly. Now, do it!
You’re in charge of your social anxiety destiny
This is definitely going to be an ongoing mental battle with yourself, and it will take time, but if you have these action items in mind, you’ll notice significant progress in a short amount of time.
Social anxiety and social media do not have to be on opposite ends of each other.
I cannot express how difficult it was to put my first video out there, even though I knew no one would watch it. And then it was just as hard to put out my second one, but I did. And now it’s starting to become a habit I don’t even think about.
Ultimately, you have to do whatever it takes to make your business succeed, no matter how uncomfortable you feel doing it (hey, nothing illegal ok?!).
Take the social anxiety challenge
If you’re up for it, and you’re ready to take your business to the next level, join my 21-day Social Anxiety Challenge starting April 1st. It has nothing to do with growing your business per-say, but it will give you a quick confidence boost. By challenging your comfort zone every day, you’ll notice that there’s nothing you can’t do.
It’s all in your head, and once you get the courage to move past a few things, you’ll move on to bigger things. And hopefully, you’ll soon be on your way to promoting yourself without a second thought. It’s all about the journey.
