Today, we’re getting into a topic that’s especially important as the weather warms: the various ways that anxiety can manifest during the summer months. This June, we’re uncovering the sneaky ways summer social anxiety, along with obsessions and compulsions, tend to surface with the rise in temperature. It’s a conversation we need to have, ensuring that hopefully, the rest of our summer is as enjoyable as possible. Let’s get started.

Today I’m sharing:

• Why social anxiety can spike in the summer
• My personal battle with social anxiety
• How you may unintentionally be reinforcing your anxiety
• The predictable cycle anxiety follows
• Strategies for overcoming social anxiety

Social Anxiety Spike in Summer

When I think of summer, all I can think of is that my calendar is going to be fully booked. Summer often means an influx of social invitations, which can be overwhelming. My husband and I are both big homebodies. We love to stay home and we secretly love the winter for that reason. We feel this increased pressure in the summer to do all the things and be around all the people when in reality, he and I are both huge introverts. It might seem that I’m a little bit more outwardly extroverted, but that’s absolutely not true. I get my energy from recharging by myself, watching an episode of the office on repeat, and just veg out on the couch.

So summertime, with all these social activities and social events, can be really challenging for me sometimes. For those who feel prisoner to their anxious thoughts in social settings especially in the summer, know that you’re not alone. Summer social anxiety is incredibly common!

My Personal Battles with Social Anxiety

Not a lot of people know this but I was bullied pretty harshly all throughout school, and my last three years of high school were spent with me eating lunch in the bathroom. So coming out of high school especially, I had a lot of legitimate reasons to be anxious in social situations.

I didn’t really trust people. I felt like being around other people equaled catastrophe, judgment and embarrassment, and so I get it if you’ve been there, I get it. It’s not that I just have this professional experience helping people through summer social anxiety, but I’ve been there personally myself. With that said, even though it’s something that I still struggle with every once in a while, especially in new situations, it is definitely not something that dictates my life. The anxiety is not calling the shots.

Reinforcing Anxiety through Avoidance

Do you know that avoiding social situations is actually reinforcing anxiety and making it stronger over time? 

Yes. It’s actually a counterproductive strategy. So as much as you are trying to make your anxiety better in these social situations, you’re actually making it so much worse. Each time you skip a party or let your partner handle social obligations, you’re reinforcing the summer social anxiety rather than confronting it. Your brain gets the message that social interactions are dangerous, and therefore next time you are invited to a social event, your brain is on alert because that’s essentially the message that you gave it. Recognizing this cycle is the first step toward breaking it.

Understanding the Underlying Fears

Summer social anxiety (or anxiety in general) isn’t just about fearing large groups of people. It can be with anyone in any kind of social setting. It can be with people in your own house, It can be with people over the phone or even online.

Social anxiety can be a lot of different things for a lot of different people. It could be coming at you from a couple different angles, but the treatment and the way that you go about it is going to be determined by your fear. Understanding the specific fears that trigger your anxiety, like fear of embarrassment or judgment, is vital for targeted and effective intervention.

Anxiety Follows a Predictable Cycle

Regardless of what you’re struggle with, it typically starts first and foremost with this intrusive thought or this scary thought that comes in out of nowhere. We all have these anxiety provoking thoughts from time to time. Especially in new social situations. We are social beings, we are meant to be social with others, and so it’s normal and kind of expected for us to want to please other people.

Then, every once in a while it becomes disordered for people. Where it becomes potentially stressful or impairing or problematic is when that anxiety starts to paralyze you. Maybe you’re physically there, but mentally you’re just really stuck in your head replaying those conversations or avoiding those things.

Maybe you leave a conversation and then you have this intrusive thought that something that you said was offensive or embarrassing, and so you turn to a trusted person and you try to rehash the whole entire situation over with them just to make sure that you were on the right page or that you didn’t say anything crazy. At the time, it really feels like that is going to make everything feel better. You can’t possibly move forward with your night unless you know with 100% certainty that you’re okay and that you didn’t say anything embarrassing and that you’re all good, right?

Unfortunately, that is just so counterproductive because it just reinforces for next time that you’re not safe.

The OCD And Anxiety Blueprint

And while we are on this subject of summer social anxiety, I want to take a second to dive deeper into what my digital course, the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint is all about. It’s more than a course, it truly is a ticket to freedom on the other side of that awful, awful ocean that you feel like you’ve just been treading on forever. No more endless cycles of anxiety and scary thoughts holding you back. No more feeling like you’re tiptoeing around a real life haunted house.

With the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint, you are finally going to break free from the chains of your mind and be able to step into a life of clarity, freedom and confidence. This course isn’t just about managing your symptoms. I believe that we are not here to just get by. It’s about reclaiming your power, your joy, and your sense of self, and saying saying goodbye to the pain and frustration of living with OCD and anxiety. You’re going to learn how to prevent rituals, prevent mental compulsions, and prevent physical compulsions that are holding you back. You’re going to learn how to do the hard things, how to expose yourself to what used to be absolutely terrifying, and you’re going to emerge stronger, braver, and more resilient than you could have ever freaking imagined. Join me inside now!

Strategies for Overcoming Social Anxiety

When it comes to treatment, We really want to focus on two powerful methods: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These evidence-based strategies are designed not only to manage but to conquer the deep-rooted fears associated with social anxiety.

Exposure and Response Prevention 

In ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), the focus is on reducing and ultimately eliminating the safety behaviors you rely on to manage your anxiety. These behaviors, although they may seem helpful in the moment, are counterproductive in the long run as they reinforce the anxiety rather than alleviating it. The goal is to gradually build mental resilience by resisting these behaviors. Once you have started to gain confidence in handling your anxiety without these safety nets, you can begin to expose yourself to the feared social situations gradually.

This gradual exposure helps to extend the boundaries of your comfort zone. By consistently facing your fears without falling back on safety behaviors, you train your brain to cope with anxiety in a healthy and effective way, reducing the need for avoidance. Each step forward in this process not only lessens the anxiety but also strengthens your ability to engage in social interactions confidently and freely.

When it comes to ERP, I want you to think about your summer social anxiety. I want you to think about maybe some things that are coming up for you today (or within the next week), and start small. So whether it’s a brief social gathering or something else, I want you to gradually increase the duration and the complexity that you’re challenging yourself to be in these situations for. This method allows you to build confidence and resilience in social settings progressively.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) emphasizes the importance of accepting your anxious thoughts without judgment and viewing them with curiosity. This approach encourages you not to let these thoughts control your daily decisions. Being mindful is not just about throwing on some zen music and meditating. Instead, the key is to acknowledge these thoughts, recognize them as part of your mental landscape, and decide not to act on them out of fear. Allow yourself to be in the present moment without judgement.

This might look like noticing that yes, you do feel anxious noticing that yes, you do have some butterfly feelings in your chest right now. Yes, I do notice that my cheeks are getting red and I’m going to continue to do this thing anyways. So instead of, oh my gosh, what’s wrong with me? Oh my gosh, why is that happening? What does that mean? Are they judging me? That’s all for the future. We want you to just practice being in the present moment. So yes, I notice that my cheeks are getting red. Yes, I notice that I’m feeling anxious right now. Then, bringing it back to the present moment as much as possible. 

Then, take value-based actions. It’s so important to focus on engaging in social activities that align with your values and your goals rather than continuing to avoid discomfort. It’s going to be uncomfortable, but I want you to choose your hard. This work is hard, but living with summer social anxiety is hard too.

Empowerment to Take on Summer

If you need more about this, I want you to check out my digital course, the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint. As we continue this series, remember that you hold the keys to transform your anxiety into empowerment. You are so much stronger than you know. You have the power to overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

Keep doing all the hard things. Bye for now.

👏 Unlock your free 40-minute video on “5 Must-Know Strategies for Handling Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts”: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🧠 Start your transformation today with the Mental Compulsion Mini Course referenced in this episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/mental-compulsions⁠

💪 Ready to conquer OCD/anxiety? Explore The OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint – with or without a therapist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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