Social anxiety disorder affects over 7% of the American population. As you can imagine, it affects people experiencing it in different ways and at differing levels; some folks can experience social anxiety worse than others.
Getting married means you are at the center of attention, whether you want to be or not, and irrespective of how many people attend your wedding day.
You’re likely reading this article today because you have social anxiety to some degree and the last thing you want to happen is for it to spoil your big day.
The following explains some practical steps you can take to significantly reduce your social anxiety for your big day, making it a memorable event only for the right reasons:
Focus On Your Self-Care
Firstly, you should ensure that you’re focusing on your self-care. That means looking after your physical and mental well-being! Of course, there are many ways to achieve that goal, such as:
- Eating well – avoiding foods that contain a lot of fat, salt, and sugar;
- Drinking plenty of water each day – helps to keep your body fueled the right way;
- Avoid hanging around toxic people – individuals that make you feel sad or tend to gaslight you.
Other things you could do include looking at herbal alternatives such as natural supplements and other items. You could even buy Delta 9 products to help you stay focused on the task at hand – your wedding day – instead of worrying about lots of things.
Organize A Small Wedding
A traditional wedding partly involves inviting as many family members, friends, and acquaintances as possible. However, if you’ve got social anxiety disorder or just feel quite anxious around social gatherings, such a thought could be your idea of hell.
Let’s face it: you are in charge of your wedding, and it’s meant to be an occasion that makes you happy rather than filling you with anxiety and stress! With that in mind, it makes more sense to organize a small wedding.
Practice Coping Strategies
How well do you cope with anxiety-inducing social events? If the answer is “not very well” you need to look at ways of improving your coping strategies.
Sadly, not having a wedding isn’t an option if you’re determined to get married, so you need to consider strategies like breathing techniques or mindfulness meditation.
Focus On Your Spouse-To-Be
During the main event, it’s natural to have a million and one thoughts running through your mind, such as wondering if the order of service will run according to plan or whether the reception afterward will be a huge success.
But, you should ultimately focus on your spouse-to-be and how they make you happy rather than worrying if everyone else at your wedding is enjoying themselves.
Do Things At Your Pace
Lastly, don’t force yourself to get married in a short period of time. Instead, do things at a pace comfortable to you and your partner. If certain family members or friends don’t like that approach, well – that’s a “them” problem.