Dealing With Social Anxiety When You Have Professional Commitments

Just because you have social anxiety, doesn’t mean you don’t also care about your 
career. While the professional world can be more difficult when you have this type of 
anxiety, it is definitely possible to manage it and still advance in your career. Take a 
look at these tips for handling professional commitments even when you are dealing 
with social anxiety.

Find Co-Workers You Feel Comfortable With

When you have a professional commitment you can’t get out of, try to find co-workers 
you know and feel comfortable with. When you are going out to eat with your 
colleagues, sit next to your co-worker that you know and trust, and ride along to a work 
party with your friends from work. This can make it a little easier to socialize with others, 
as long as you stick to this person or small group of people. There is no reason you 
need to spend the entire time mingling with people you don’t know.

Be Realistic About What You Can Handle

While your career should be important to you, it is not always more important than your 
mental health. There will be some situations you can handle, others you can push 
through, and some that are just so miserable you can’t stomach them. Be realistic about 
what you can and can’t handle. If your boss asks you to speak at a conference, and you 
just don’t think you can do it without breaking down, offer to help with the conference in 
some other way. Find alternatives so that you can take care of yourself, without letting 
other people down.

Focus on the Work Tasks You Enjoy

There are probably some work tasks you enjoy, and some that make you fearful. Try to 
focus more on the things you enjoy doing, regardless of the situation you are in. If you 
need to attend an event with your co-workers, let your other colleagues handle the 
speaking parts, while you do things in the background like organizing supplies or 
helping work on the video slide show. This can work for any type of work commitment or 
function you have to participate in.

Try Breathing Exercises Before Work Events

Breathing exercises are great because they are easy to do without other people 
noticing, and can be done anywhere. Learn deep breathing, which can help you handle 
the most stressful of situations. Do you breathing before any work event.

