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MeditationMeet Social Anxiety With Compassion

Meet Social Anxiety With Compassion

If you've ever felt anxious in social situations, you're not alone. Especially when connecting digitally, it can be hard to read tone and body language and feel assured that all is well. Today, show your social anxiety some compassion with Joy Ofodu.

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Better mental health starts with Headspace

Welcome to your Daily Shine. It's Thursday, July 7th. This is your space to connect with yourself, your growth, and what you need to shine today. Joy here, thanks for showing up. Have you ever stepped away from a conversation and found yourself worrying, "Did I say something wrong?" or, "Do they think I'm awkward?" These little social anxieties are so human. And if you're talking to people virtually, it's easy to have some extra anxiety. Emails, group chats, phone dates, video calls, technology has made connection possible from a distance, but when we're talking through screens, we miss out on a lot of cues that tell us all is well. A smile, a change in tone, a hand gesture, a light touch on the shoulder. Some people refer to body language as a silent orchestra. It's constantly giving us intel on what people are thinking or feeling. In fact, 55% of how we express our emotions is non-verbal. With less body language, we're not getting as much information as we're used to, so naturally, our minds try to fill in the blanks with anxieties or insecurity, thoughts like, "Is everyone mad at me?" or, "Did they hate what I just said?" or, "Do they know I care about them?" They are tough feelings to carry. And if you felt that way recently, you're not alone. Your anxiety is telling you that you don't have as much information as you want, but that doesn't mean you have to assume the worst. Today, we'll do a centering exercise to calm our minds and help you reground yourself in the face of self-doubt. Let's get started. Find a position of rest and comfort. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. And take a deep breath in and out. Gently draw your attention to whatever part of your body is connected to the ground. If you are uneven, adjust so that you are balanced and stable. Imagine yourself rooting down to the ground, energy shooting down your spine into your seat, down your legs, into your feet, and connecting you to the earth. Now feel an opposing tension pulling you up through your crown, creating space in your spine, lengthening and lifting, until you feel strong and stable and energized. Continue to breathe here. (no audio) (no audio) Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm. Now bring your attention inward. Call to mind an interaction you've had with someone. If you feel able to go there, maybe you think of an interaction where afterward you felt self-doubt or insecurity. (no audio) Try to name the feeling that it created for you. And now imagine taking that feeling and placing it in front of you, like it's an object in a museum you're observing. Take it in. What shape is it? What color is it? What texture? Now see the feelings start to slowly fade in front of you, like a dimmer switch being turned down. Return to the interaction you had...

Details

TypeMeditation
Duration10 min

About your teachers

  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

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  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

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  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

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  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

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  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

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