Dating for people who suffer from social anxiety can be challenging. This is mainly because people tend to misunderstand them, terming them as boring or shy.
However, such people can be very good company once they get over their anxiety.
Here are five simple dating tips for people with social anxiety.
1. Breath in... breath out
Sounds so obvious right. You'll be surprised at the kind of wonders breathing exercises do for you.
Try it sometime before going out on that date or meeting that new person and see how calm and relaxed you'll be thereafter.
2. Avoid environments that require too much social interactions.
When trying to meet new people, most will opt for concerts, parties or even church gatherings. This is a definite no for a person suffering from social anxiety.
Instead, opt for a cool cafe or a nice restaurant.
3. Tone down your expectations
When you decide to go out and meet people, there's obviously that person who'll catch your eye and you'd want to go over and talk to them.
Here's the thing though, don't expect them to be as happy to see you or as welcoming as you'd imagined in your head. Chances are they might even snob you. Be ready for any kind of response be it negative or positive.
4. Talk to your potential partner about your social anxiety
Once you begin falling for a person and the feeling is mutual, then you should make them aware of what you are dealing with.
Let them know what sits well with you and what doesn't before you dive in too deep.
5. Keep yourself busy after dates
This is especially necessary to avoid overthinking.
Keeping yourself busy means that you will not spend every minute checking your phone for their call or text.
If everything fails, you can try online dating. Sitting behind that screen and chatting away can't be so hard now, can it?