Do your palms get sweaty when your phone starts ringing and you realize you’ll have to answer it? Do you have to hype yourself up for 15 minutes before approaching an employee in a store to ask for help? Are you thrilled when your friends cancel plans last minute, and you get to spend an evening by yourself?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, first of all, you’re not alone. And second, you seem to have come to the right place! We took a trip to the Social Anxiety Memes Instagram account and gathered some of their most relatable posts below. So enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the ones that make you feel seen!

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Although this list is lighthearted, it’s important to remember that social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, can be a serious issue. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the behavioral and emotional symptoms of having social anxiety include constantly fearing situations where you may be judged, worrying about embarrassing yourself or having an intense fear of interacting with strangers.

It’s perfectly normal to feel shy or uncomfortable in some situations, especially if they’re new to you, but avoiding people or avoiding trying new things out of fear isn’t necessarily healthy. Individuals with social anxiety also often expect the worst possible outcome from any negative experience in a social situation.

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Social anxiety can even manifest in physical symptoms for some unlucky people. These might include blushing, accelerated heart rate, trembling, sweating, upset stomach or nausea, feeling out of breath, getting dizzy or lightheaded, muscle tension or feeling as though your mind has gone blank.

If you struggle with social anxiety, you’re probably familiar with a long list of experiences that feel much more challenging than they should be. For example, going to a party, making eye contact, going on a date, striking up a conversation, eating in front of other people or even using a public restroom might feel scary. But the good news is that there are a variety of ways in which you can treat this anxiety.  

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The National Institute of Mental Health notes that psychotherapy can often be helpful when combatting social anxiety disorder. Exposure therapy, for example, can help patients become more comfortable with social interactions over time. But medication can sometimes go a long way as well. Antidepressants, beta-blockers and anti-anxiety meds might be able to help individuals finally feel calm when faced with stressful situations. There is absolutely no shame in seeking help to get your anxiety under control.

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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, support groups might even be able to help those struggling with social anxiety. And while it might be difficult to find others who are willing to openly discuss their mental health issues, pages like Social Anxiety Memes can allow individuals to know that they’re not alone. In fact, there are plenty of other people who feel the same way! There’s no need to suffer in silence.

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Another underrated method of combatting social anxiety is using humor to cope. But the Social Anxiety Institute notes on their website that laughter really can be medicine when it comes to social phobia. They first explain that the endorphins we get flooded with when laughing can cancel out the adrenaline and cortisol that people with social anxiety are often feeling the effects of. This can help them stay cool, calm and collected and remind them that they’re not actually in any danger. 

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Of course, humor can bring about many social benefits as well. Laughter might make a person more comfortable expressing their true feelings, and it can quickly break the tension in any room. At the same time, humor brings people together and strengthens bonds, so laughing with others might make it much easier for socially anxious individuals to make friends.

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Because of all the benefits people with anxiety can experience from laughing, Dr. Richards at the Social Anxiety Institute says it should always be utilized in therapy groups. “I have the group stand up and begin to laugh,” he shared. “We don’t laugh at anything specifically; we just laugh. Laughter seems forced and difficult at first, but the more you become accustomed to laughing for longer lengths, the more you feel natural and the easier it is to reduce feelings of self-consciousness.” 

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We hope you’re enjoying your scroll through these memes about social anxiety, pandas. Keep upvoting the ones that you find particularly relatable, and let us know in the comments below if you’ve found any effective ways of managing your anxiety. Then, if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article featuring similar memes, we’ve got the perfect list to visit next right here!  

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