Social Anxiety: How I Stopped Worrying About Others Staring at Me

In the past, my social anxiety used to be really bad, due to several years of having been cyberbullied. I would go to the mall or a store and think people were staring at me or talking negatively about me. I used to sometimes think some people were just so rude that they could not wait for a chance to harass people.

Luckily though, I had a counselor who worked with me to overcome these thoughts. One thing I remember him saying is that people honestly do not care enough to form any type of opinion about random other people. If you think about it, this makes sense. Yes, sometimes they might make eye contact with you, but they’re usually not doing it in a demeaning manner — it might just be that they are trying to be aware of their surroundings so they don’t bump into you or anything. Or, if you are buying something, they are just looking at you because they want to talk to you for sales reasons.

I personally do not form many opinions about strangers when I go shopping and usually I do not even talk much with them. Not that I’m trying to ignore them, it is just how it is. I know this might be hard for some people to believe at first, but it is a step toward not allowing yourself to be consumed with worry about what others think of you.

I hope this article has been beneficial for anyone dealing with anxiety and provided inspiration to you as well.

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Getty Images photo via AntonioGuillem