If you don’t know how to stop overthinking social interactions, then you’ll always worry about how people perceive you.
Not to mention, changing your behavior just to be liked by others is very tiring.
Today, I want to share with you the exact same process that I’ve used to overcome my shyness and feel more confident talking to anybody.
What You'll Learn In This Post
1. Manage Your Expectations
Think back to the last time you did something embarrassing around people.
Unless it was very recent or something really bad happened, you probably can’t remember it, right?
If you’re wondering how to stop overthinking social interactions, you have to get good at managing your expectations.
From what I’ve noticed, most individuals who struggle socially think that all eyes are on them.
They assume that people just notice every single thing that they do.
But the reality is, everyone’s so concerned about themselves anyway.
They don’t have time to worry about you.
Believe it or not, nobody is paying as much attention to you as you might assume.
By having this perspective, you’ll care less about what others think.
That way, you don’t have to be so worried when you make a mistake in any situation.
2. Get Out Of Your Environment
If you want to know how to stop overthinking social interactions, you need to distract yourself.
Remove yourself from your current situation and do something different.
Personally, I like to go for a long bike ride, hit the gym, or call up a friend.
Whatever it is for you, I recommend you do something fun that you can immerse yourself in.
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By changing your environment, you give your brain a break from ruminating.
Doing so will help you calm down and feel less anxious.
Once you’re in a neutral state, you can evaluate whatever you’re thinking about in a more objective way.
By creating space for new ideas to come in, you’ll be able to look at your situation from a different angle.
And that’s a lot easier to do when you feel more relaxed and at ease.
3. Accept Who You Are
Most individuals who struggle socially are so afraid of rejection.
That’s why they stifle their personality and try way too hard to fit in.
Keep in mind that nobody likes people who are fake.
If you want to figure out how to stop overthinking social interactions, you have to embrace your quirks.
Don’t be afraid for others to see the real you.
Own whatever it is that you’re into because that’s what makes you who you are.
Remember, there are billions of people in the world.
You don’t need to try to get along with everybody.
Your goal should be to become the best version of yourself.
And then, find others who will like you for who you are.
4. Question Your Assumptions
Most people who suffer from social anxiety tend to exaggerate failure in their heads.
They always predict that something bad will happen when they try to put themselves out there.
Check out this video if you want to know how to be outgoing if you have social anxiety.
That’s why they play it safe and avoid taking any risks.
If that sounds like you and you keep doing that, imagine how lonely and frustrating your life is going to be?
You’ll consistently miss out on opportunities to connect with others and you’ll end up with a lot of regrets.
If you want to learn how to stop overthinking social interactions, always challenge your assumptions.
Question your disempowering thoughts and don’t just believe them right away.
Instead of always assuming the worst-case scenario, why not do the opposite?
That could happen too, you know?
By doing so, you’ll realize that nothing is ever as bad as you make it out to be.
As a result, you’ll feel less nervous when you talk to anybody.
5. Be Interested In Others
If you want to know how to stop overthinking social interactions, you need to shift your focus.
Take the attention away from yourself and put it on others instead.
Think about it.
How nice does it feel when the person you’re talking to is giving you their undivided attention?
It feels pretty awesome, right?
The next time you interact with someone, be present and really try to see where they’re coming from.
Actively listen by leaning forward to show interest.
Nod in agreement to validate whatever they’re sharing.
By doing this, you’ll make whoever you talk to feel important.
As a result, they’ll leave the interaction looking forward to seeing you again.
6. Think Of What’s Good about you
If you want to figure out how to stop overthinking social interactions, you can’t rely on others for validation.
It doesn’t matter how hard you try because not everybody will like you.
That’s why you need to be able to make yourself feel good on your own.
If you want to know how to raise your self-esteem, focus on your positive traits as much as you can.
Check out this video if you want to know how to be confident and become more extroverted.
Make an effort to think of what’s good about you.
In fact, this is one of the best confidence-building exercises that I know.
By doing this, you’ll start to care less about what people think and you’ll value your own opinion more.
You’ll see yourself as a high-value person and you won’t be as intimated talking to others.
When you feel good about who you are, you’ll show more of your personality in any situation.
7. Put Things Into Perspective
If you’re wondering how to stop ruminating, you need to be able to see the bigger picture.
For example, let’s say you made a joke and nobody laughed.
Unfortunately, for some people, that’s enough for them to never speak up again.
This is a situation that I see a lot with our clients in our social skills coaching program.
Most of them become shy and timid because of a few embarrassing events that happened to them in the past.
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Whenever you feel like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill, ask yourself, “Will this matter a year from now?”
I find that whenever I ask myself that question, it quickly snaps me out of overthinking.
I’m able to shift my attention to something that actually matters.
Suddenly, little things like not knowing what to say or having awkward silences in your conversations seem so irrelevant, doesn’t it?
By putting things into perspective, you’ll be less likely to beat yourself up mentally.
8. Write Things Down
Most people who experience a great deal of anxiety keep everything in their heads.
Personally, I find that it’s much easier to analyze what’s going on internally when I can see my thoughts on paper.
If you want to know how to stop overthinking social interactions, make it a habit of writing down your concerns.
By doing so, you can take a look at whatever is making you feel anxious more strategically.
That’s why journaling is very therapeutic.
When you free up your mind, you’ll be able to think better and explore potential solutions to your problem.
That way, you can create a specific game plan to improve your situation.
9. Stop Making Things About You
If you’re wondering how to stop overthinking social interactions, you have to be empathetic.
Instead of always making things about you, try to consider where others might be coming from.
The thing is, you just have no idea what’s going on in people’s lives.
You can’t know for sure what they’re thinking so avoid jumping to conclusions right away.
When you can see things from another person’s point of view, you’ll learn how to not take things personally.
You can also ask someone you trust for their opinion.
That way, you’ll expand your perspective which will help you understand your situation better.
But if you want to remove any of the guesswork, I recommend you work with a social skills coach.
That way, you’ll have someone who knows what they’re doing point you in the right direction.
You’ll get unbiased feedback and specific solutions to your problems.
You’ll have a proven plan to follow which will prevent you from making unnecessary mistakes.
As a result, you’ll experience less frustration and see results much faster.
The better your social skills are, the more opportunities you’ll create in every area of your life.
10. Disassociate From Your Thoughts
Most people who suffer from anxiety tend to identify with their thoughts too closely.
When you train your mind to slow down, you’ll be able to separate yourself from whatever it is you’re thinking about.
If you want to figure out how to stop overthinking social interactions, I highly encourage you to adopt a meditation practice.
Spend a few minutes each day to close your eyes and just focus on your breathing.
Empty your mind and whenever a thought comes up, just observe it without any judgment.
Imagine how you would pay attention to the vehicles on a busy road.
That’s exactly how you want to treat your thoughts.
Just watch them come and go without feeling the need to react to any of them.
By meditating regularly, you’ll be able to control the way you think instead of just letting your mind run on autopilot.
If you want to know how to relax around people, this is one of the best ways to do it.
11. Come Up With Things To Say
Most people who struggle socially lack awareness and experience interacting with others.
They literally just don’t know any better.
If you’re wondering how to stop overthinking social interactions, then you need to prepare ahead of time.
When you know what to say, you’ll figure out how to avoid awkward silences during your interactions.
This will free up your mind to just focus on whoever you’re talking to.
That being said, make an effort to put together some stories to discuss different areas of your life.
Come up with some interesting ways to talk about your work, your upbringing, places you’ve been to, events you’ve attended, and your interests.
You can also stay up-to-date with trending topics as well.
If you’re willing to, I recommend you record yourself telling these stories so you can improve your delivery.
That way, you’ll be able to observe your body language and hear your tonality.
This will help you make the necessary adjustments before you go out and socialize.
The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be interacting with anybody.
12. Have Interactions Regularly
In order to live a more fulfilling life, you need to develop your courage.
If you want to know how to stop overthinking social interactions, you have to confront your fears.
By exposing yourself to whatever it is that scares you, it becomes less intimidating.
Check out this podcast interview with Joe Ducard where he talks about how to level up your social life.
The key here is to start small by practicing in easier settings first.
Whatever you do, avoid activities that isolate you for too long.
Instead, make an effort to have interactions regularly throughout your day.
The more you do, the faster you’ll figure out how to be more socially confident.
For example, you can make small talk with the barista the next time you get your coffee.
Feel free to chat with the cashier at the grocery store.
You can strike up a conversation with your driver the next time you take an Uber.
By taking action consistently, you’ll gain lots of positive reference experiences.
You’ll prove to yourself that nothing bad ever happens when you interact with people.
Over time, you’ll become more socially adept and more outgoing as well.
As a result, you’ll build more quality relationships and create an active social life filled with like-minded individuals.
Conclusion
If you want to learn how to stop overthinking social interactions, I just shared with you my best tips.
Feel free to go through them again and implement them as much as you can.
And now, let’s turn it to you.
Which one of these tips are you going to implement first?
Are you going to get out of your environment or put things into perspective?
Send me a message on Instagram and let me know.