Beat Social Anxiety and Come to an Event

Everyone that comes to my meetings knows that I want the best for everyone I meet. Here are some tips that helped me beat my social anxiety. They will allow you to attend an in-person Meetup or come on camera during one of my Zoom meetings. If you’ve listened to my interview with the CEO of Meetup on their podcast, you know I’ve had to overcome great social anxiety to get where I am today. I used to be a guy that didn’t like people and spent all my time behind a computer. Then I found a form of therapy called “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy”. It helped me learn to tolerate pain and be uncomfortable. It has made me very mentally tough and has allowed me to overcome my anxiety triggers. My mom recently passed. I was able to stay by her side until she took her last breath without flinching or turning away.

There is an introductory book called “The Happiness Trap” by Dr. Russ Harris. It will teach you how to make a quality, meaningful life.

Here are a few of the tools that I used:

Dr. Russ Harriss’s Book “The Happiness Trap”
https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Trap-2nd-Struggling-Living/dp/1472147170/

Video on ACT diffusion skills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpdVMs818AE

Dr. Russ Harris Drop Anchor meditations
https://www.actmindfully.com.au/free-stuff/free-audio/

Meditation on Tolerance of Distress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quK-Uc_Mclg

This takes a lot of practice, but your social anxiety will get better slowly. It will be easier to be around people. You will make many mistakes along the way. I make mistakes every day. I have led thousands of in-person events, and I still get nervous. The important part is to forgive yourself, get back up, and keep trying.

The best way to practice is by coming to one of my in-person or Zoom meetings. It is a safe place where you don’t need to worry about people judging you if you make mistakes.