Facing the Fear of People
Today I learned about facing the fear of being around/facing people. Not the best wording so I apologize in advance as I'm currently tired but I still feel the need to post this to remind myself in the future too.
During the pandemic, I didn't get to socialize a lot with other people and I must admit that I lost the ability to interact comfortably with other people (except my families and a few of my good friends). I became socially anxious and I'm always tense and my heart would literally pound in anxiety whenever I meet new people (e.g coming up to the cashier, asking for help from a stranger, etc.). I'm not afraid but I'm severely anxious whenever I see people around/coming towards me and would get mini panic attacks.
I got an advice from my father; whenever you're anxious around people, think of them as someone like you (just a human). Sure they may appear more confident or perhaps more intimidating but remember that they are just humans like you, they eat, they breathe, and they also poop. They don't eat metals. And tbh that sounds funny but that helps calm my anxiety down at least a little.