Overcoming Social Anxiety at the School Gates - Tips for Parents

Strategies for uncomfortable social situations

Social anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder that involves intense fear or anxiety of social situations. It is characterised by a fear of being judged by others or of embarrassing oneself in front of others. People with social anxiety may worry excessively about how they are perceived by others and may avoid social situations or interactions as a result.

Symptoms of social anxiety may include:

• Feelings of intense fear or anxiety in social situations
• Avoidance of social situations
• Difficulty making conversation or interacting with others
• Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or blushing

Being a mum of school aged kids, a common social anxiety I come across is that of social anxiety at the school gates. It is not uncommon for parents to feel socially anxious at school gates or in other social situations involving their children. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as fear of being judged by other parents or fear of not fitting in with a particular group.

With a new school year just a few weeks away, how many of you are dreading drop off/pick up time? If you are a parent who feels socially anxious at the school gates here are my top 3 tips to help you to reduce your anxiety and feel more comfortable in these situations:
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1. Identify your specific fears. Take some time to think about what is causing your anxiety in these situations. Are you worried about being judged? Are you feeling self-conscious about your parenting skills? Understanding your specific fears and identifying what is ‘under neath’ them can help you better address them.  NLP is a great healing modality to help you address unhelpful feelings in your body.
2. Practice relaxation techniques. Before you go to the school gates, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing (see my blog on loop breathing), progressive muscle relaxation (I have a recording of this you can listen to) or other techniques, such as EFT Tapping (I can teach you this) to help you feel more calm and centred.
3. Build your confidence. Consider setting small goals for yourself, you can start off small (saying hello to someone), I certainly wouldn’t recommend you go and join a school committee straight away, after all nobody climbs a mountain in one go. As you achieve small goals, your confidence will grow, which can help reduce your anxiety in social situations. In addition, Hypnotherapy is great for building confidence as visualisations and positive suggestions can be used to help you feel more at ease in social situations.
   
   

In essence, seek support, hypnotherapy would be a great help. If your social anxiety is severe and is interfering with your daily life, consider seeing a therapist who can help you to develop strategies to cope with your anxiety.