It tends to be particularly common when you are the focus of attention or are being evaluated by others.
There’s good news, though!
Instead, there are some strategies can help you become more outward-focused and less self-conscious.
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What Does It Mean to Be Self-Conscious?
This heightened awareness of the self can contribute to distress, discomfort, and anxiety.
Being self-conscious can make your anxiety symptoms worse.
Such feelings also make it harder to be aware of what is happening around you.
So, you are over-imagining everything by about half.
Signs of Being Self-Conscious
Feeling self-conscious can lead to a range of behaviors and emotions.
Some signs that you might be feeling self-conscious include:
Self-consciousness isn’t always negative, however.
Healthy self-consciousness can contribute to feelings of pride and accomplishment.
The primary self-conscious emotions include pride,empathy, shame, guilt, and embarrassment.
What Causes People to Feel Self-Conscious?
Emotionsrelated to self-consciousness begin to emerge during early childhood.
There are many reasons why people might feel self-conscious.
High levels of self-consciousness can contribute tosocial anxiety,isolation,loneliness, poor self-esteem, anddepression.
It may take some time, but these techniques can reduce your self-consciousness.
It is easier to be yourself and be spontaneous if you are not focused on editing yourself.
you’re gonna wanna learn to lose yourself to become who you really are.
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You over-scrutinize everything around you.
Because you’re analyzing everything, you could’t relax and enjoy the moment.
Feeling self-conscious makes it difficult to see social situations clearly.
Being aware of these drawbacks can help you better spot problems with your interpretations.
To make the switch, make a run at become curious about other people as an objective outside observer.
Watch what others do.
Listen to what they say and think openly about the situation.
Be objective as you observe the situation from an outside perspective.
Instead of focusing on your own feelings, shift your attention to focus on others.
If you have trouble, assign yourself a task of learning something about the person.
Reframe Your Negative Thoughts
Negative self-talkcan cause you to feel more self-conscious.
Reframinghow you think about yourself can help reduce these feelings of self-consciousness.
Do this for about five minutes and notice how you feel.
Then, switch and try noticing everyone else and how they appear.
If it seems appropriate, try talking to them.
Afterward, notice how you felt and what you took in.
As you gain practice, try switching perspectives while in conversation with someone and notice the differences.
People are not thinking about you or your actions in the same way as you do.
Reminding yourself of this simple fact can help you feel less self-conscious in social situations.
Change Your Perspective
When you are self-conscious, you likely become tense and say very little.
It is hard to think negative thoughts about yourself when you are positive, happy, and talking.
You’ll be remembered as charming and flattering, not socially awkward.
Practice Self-Acceptance
You’re more likely to feel self-conscious if you listen to your inner critic.
Social anxiety is a treatable disorder, and a comprehensivetreatment plancan help you enjoy a higher quality of life.
Bottom Line
Excessive self-consciousness can lead to feelings of social anxiety.
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Dahl M.Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness.
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Stein DJ.Social anxiety disorder and the psychobiology of self-consciousness.Front Hum Neurosci.
