58 Affirmations for Social Anxiety In Every Situation

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Last Updated on July 6, 2023

Could you use some calming affirmations to make social situations feel a little less awful? Do you feel like you’re always stuck in a state of anxiety and fear, dreading any group event?

The feeling is terrible, and trust me, I know it well! That’s why I’ve come up with these affirmations for social anxiety so you can finally take the edge off and gain control over your fears, thoughts, and emotions during stressful social situations.

Whether the worst of your social anxiety is at work, at a party, or first thing in the morning, these affirmations can ease you through it all and build your social confidence.

The last thing we want is for social anxiety to consume us to the point of depression and loneliness. Let’s get one step closer to shifting your mindset away from social fear and instead toward the calm and control you deserve!

Table of Contents

How to Use Affirmations for Social Anxiety

Because affirmations can truly work to reframe your mindset, you can see real progress in your social anxiety if you practice them regularly.

Follow these steps to use affirmations for social anxiety effectively:

Identify your negative beliefs – every anxious thought traces back to a negative belief. Become aware of the negative thoughts and beliefs you’ve formed about social situations. Common beliefs include “everyone’s looking at me” and “my friends are secretly judging me.”
Counter each negative belief with a positive affirmation – choose affirmations from this list of social anxiety affirmations that resonate with you. If your negative belief is that your friends are judging you, an affirmation to counter it could be, “my friends like me just the way I am.”
Make it a daily habit – You should be setting aside time each day, or at least each week, to practice your affirmations so that they really stick. You can say them out loud or quietly to yourself, or even write them out in a journal. As long as you’re consistent, that’s what counts!

Shyness vs. Social Anxiety

Is it really social anxiety, or are you just shy? Shyness and social anxiety share some similarities, but social anxiety takes a far bigger toll on your mental health and can be debilitating.

Shyness looks like:

Feeling self-conscious, uncomfortable, or awkward in social situations, especially in unfamiliar settings
Being overly focused on how you’re being perceived by others
Being introverted and preferring to spend time alone
Opting for solo activities over group activities

Keep in mind that the discomfort associated with being shy is relatively mild in comparison to social anxiety. The key difference is that shyness does not significantly impair someone’s daily functioning the way social anxiety does.

Social anxiety looks like:

Severe fear and avoidance of social situations
Being preoccupied with the fear of being judged or embarrassed in public
Persistent avoidance of social situations, especially unfamiliar or group settings
Experiencing physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and nausea
An interference with daily life, impacting one’s relationships, education, career, and more
Can be a recognized mental disorder called social anxiety disorder (SAD)

58 Affirmations for Social Anxiety and Fear

Struggle with performance anxiety when facing anything in public? Need short positive affirmations for social anxiety you can whip out quickly? Want some morning affirmations for anxiety to quiet that early morning stress response?

Or maybe you wish you had calming affirmations to use at work, or to create a better social life? No matter your goal, you’ll find affirmations for all your social anxiety needs right here!

Short Positive Affirmations for Social Anxiety

I don’t have to change anything about myself to be accepted.
I walk into social situations with confidence.
Socializing comes easy to me.
I trust myself to handle social situations competently.
I am socially graceful.
I release my fear of social judgment.
I will not see the same strangers again, so why stress?
I do not need to seek approval from others.
My internal validation is worth more than external validation from others.
I attract positive, accepting, and loving people into my life.

Positive Affirmations For Performance Anxiety

I am fully prepared to do my best.
I trust my abilities.
If any unexpected challenges pop up, I feel at ease knowing I will handle them.
I go with the flow of the excitement and adrenaline, letting it fuel my energy.
I am proud of myself and my talents, sharing them with confidence.
My only priority is to express myself with authenticity.
My passion and hard work will shine through as I perform.
I am worthy of praise and recognition.
I release the need for perfectionism and focus more on enjoying the process.
I take deep breaths to signal to my body that I am not in danger.

Calming Affirmations

I feel calm, balanced, and centered.
I am a calm person.
I accept challenges rather than anticipating them with anxiety.
I will do a body scan, releasing tension starting from the top of my head down to my toes.
I am in a peaceful state.
I trust the process and allow the present moment to just be.
My worries will not consume me.
I deserve to feel inner peace, no matter what circumstances surround me.
I choose calming, soothing thoughts over stressful ones.
I am in control of the way I respond and react to stressful situations.

Struggling with anxious thoughts? Feel stuck in fight-or-flight? Just want to get better at managing life’s daily stressors? (Hey, you’re not alone!) This journal is for you.

By the end of this journal, you’ll…

Know your emotional triggers inside and out
Learn the exact process for successfully getting yourself out of negative thoughts
And squashing the behaviors that come with them!
All while you gain a firmer grip on your anxious emotions, coping mechanisms, and overall mental wellbeing.

GET THE anxiety JOURNAL

Morning Affirmations for Anxiety

I start my day with a fresh, deep breath of air that immediately calms my nervous system.
This morning, I choose peace and release anxiety.
Things will go just fine with the people I interact with today.
I welcome a day filled with positive opportunities for successful social interactions.
I am safe and protected without any threats.
I breathe in calming energy and breathe out anxious energy.
I feel a sense of gratitude about the day ahead, knowing that I can choose for it to be a good day.
I am stronger than my social anxiety.
I lean into what I can control and let go of what I cannot.
Past failures do not define me. Today is a new day.
I look forward to the little things that light up my day and put me at ease.

While affirmations are a useful piece of the puzzle for social anxiety, you’ll find the most benefit if you pair them with therapy. Talking to an online therapist can really help you out. I know it’s helped me tremendously with my social anxiety! I always recommend Online Therapy because it’s a comprehensive, effective online therapy toolkit at an affordable monthly cost. Get 20% off your first month at the link below!

FIND AN ONLINE THERAPIST

Affirmations for Anxiety at Work

I am competent at what I do.
Success is 100% within my reach.
I trust my abilities. They are just as good as my peers’.
My performance does not need to be perfect every day at work.
People at work are more focused on what they are doing than what I am doing.
A boss’s opinion of me does not dictate my worth or success.
I offer valuable contributions and bring a lot of good ideas to the table.
I am allowed to set healthy work-life boundaries.
My colleagues are there to support me.

Affirmations for Your Social Life

I deserve meaningful and committed relationships.
I attract only the best, most supportive people into my friend circle.
New social situations do not intimidate me. Instead, they are an opportunity to build my confidence and express myself.
I look at new social opportunities with an open mind and enthusiasm.
I deserve love and acceptance just as much as anyone else.
I am confident, comfortable, and feeling good about my next social event.
I am a good listener and offer empathy, kindness, and validation to the people in my life.
I allow myself to be vulnerable and unapologetically myself in social settings.

Do affirmations work for social anxiety?

Positive affirmations for social anxiety are one of many useful tools to help you manage it. They may not be the end-all-be-all, but when practiced regularly, they have been shown to retrain your brain to gravitate toward more positive thinking habits.

Affirmations can help you…

Overcome negative self-talk – social anxiety is fueled by the self-talk narratives we repeat to ourselves. Getting out of this negative loop is easier said than done, but shifting negative self-talk into positive can really help.
Cultivate self-confidence – When you fear the judgment of everyone around you, it only makes sense that your self-confidence will suffer. Rerouting your brain away from these fears by using affirmations will instill confidence in your ability to manage social anxiety.
Reinforce calmness – the goal is to ease the physical and emotional arousal that comes with social anxiety. Calming affirmations that encourage you to soothe your body and mind can ease you toward a sense of peace.

How do I tone down my social anxiety?

The road to managing social anxiety is no short journey. Along with these affirmations for social anxiety, you can try to tone things down by:

Educating yourself about social anxiety – through books, articles, research, and the experiences of others to remind yourself you’re not alone.
Exposure to social situations – even though it’s probably the laaast thing you want to do, exposure is for your best interest in the end. The more you put yourself out there (pushing yourself some, but not too much), the more opportunity you have to build your social skills. With greater social skills comes less social anxiety!
Checking in with a therapist – if your social anxiety has been bothering you at all, your best bet for getting a better handle on it is to seek therapy. Ask for a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders. The difference therapy can make in your life and your coping skills can be monumental!

You want to be sure you’re utilizing several coping tools in addition to affirmations for social anxiety. Most importantly, if your social anxiety is impacting your day-to-day life, I really want to stress the importance of therapy in particular and how much it’s helped me.

I admit therapy can be the most expensive of all the coping tools for social anxiety, but it’s also easily the most beneficial.

I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t seen a therapist for my own social anxiety! Just working through those negative core beliefs with a professional is invaluable.

To help make therapy more accessible, you should take advantage of Online Therapy’s promotion for 20% off your first month! They are one of the most trustworthy online platforms with qualified therapists who are specialized in social anxiety, so certainly check them out if you’ve been struggling ❤️

Good news: social anxiety only gets better with time and practice

Speaking from experience, social anxiety does get better. I can do so much more now than I would have ever imagined as a fearful 15-year-old. I used to be completely unable to even make a phone call, and I’m not exaggerating.

I’ve since held a job that required phone-heavy customer service, I’ve led meetings, I’ve negotiated raises, I was the one who approached my boyfriend first, and I’ve fought to advocate for myself in doctor’s appointments.

If anything, I hope that gives you hope that you can make serious progress with your social anxiety too! I still have my jitters about the things I just mentioned, don’t get me wrong, but I am finally able to do the dang things and trust that I can get through them.

Let these affirmations for social anxiety be your guide to a free, full, and rich social life where you can do all the dang things, too!