How to ease social anxiety this summer

ITV News

a day ago

The summer can be packed with more social events than usual: weddings, work do's, big get-togethers. But if you are not a socially confident person, this can play havoc on your stress levels. Dr Julie Smith is here with some great hacks to get you through with confidence, from reframing the fear to the hidden power of small talk.
New research from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2025) reveals that social anxiety now affects over half of all Brits (54%) and nearly three-quarters (72%) of young people aged 16 to 24. Nearly two in three people say it has impacted their personal and professional lives.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY?
1) Symptoms leading up to an event, aka anticipatory anxiety: this can present as…
Not being able to focus on anything else prior to an event.
Fretting for hours over what to wear and whether you will fit in.
Excessively planning conversations and talking points.
Generating excuses to cancel.
Physical symptoms such as feeling sick or nauseous when getting ready, or being unable to eat before.
2) Symptoms during an event:
Inward focus
Covert avoidance
Physical symptoms such as sweating, clammy hands, hypervigilance and a scattered mind.
3) Symptoms after an event:
Ruminating on conversations and tearing yourself apart for every 'mistake' you made and imagining that they all judged you.
WHY MIGHT SOCIAL ANXIETY BE MORE CHALLENGING IN THE SUMMER MONTHS?
Busy social calendar: The summer can be packed with more social events than usual. Weddings, work do's, big get-togethers. But if you are not a socially confident person, this can play havoc on your stress levels.
Longer days: Extended daylight hours can create pressure to be 'on', to be social, and can mean that social occasions go on longer.
Change in routine: For people with anxiety, there is safety in routine, and knowing what to expect in your day. In summer, with holidays, longer days, and slightly different working hours, changes in routine can heighten levels of stress.
THE HEAT AND HOT WEATHER CAN ALSO MAKE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS WORSE?
Physically 'feeling the heat': Many of us know the feeling of being 'hot and bothered' during the warmer summer months, but we might not realise that there are biological reasons for this. The heat actually generates symptoms that mimic anxiety, so you might feel like you are going to have a panic attack when it's actually just the weather affecting your body.
Increased temperatures cause higher cortisol levels and palpitations, nausea and fatigue. Humidity can cause symptoms of dizziness and dehydration.
Body Image: With warmer weather, more revealing clothing that usually makes up one's summer wardrobe can trigger self-consciousness and exacerbate body image concerns, especially when there is pressure to go to the beach and wear swimwear. Additionally, people can become anxious about sweating and other physical symptoms being visible, and 'looking frazzled'.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP EASE SUMMER ANXIETY?
Here are some of Dr Julie's favourite hacks to get you through summer social events with confidence:
1) PREPARE BUT DON'T OVER-PREPARE: You don't need a script or to plan out conversations, as often that will make anxiety worse if things don't go exactly as you planned. Instead prepare a general path to follow, and set small meaningful tasks.
For example, set yourself the task of finding out certain things about people you think you will see to connect, such as 'When I see Uncle Bob, I want to find out how his recent holiday was'. These small tasks can help you focus and stay present in conversation and stop you feeling overwhelmed.
2) BE THE 'WELCOMER': Focus on other people, rather than wait passively for someone to engage with you. We tend to go into a situation and wait for signs that someone is going to welcome us, which is a really passive approach.
As the statistics show, over half of people say they feel socially anxious sometimes. Almost everyone at any event will have some understanding of how you are feeling, or will have felt it themselves. So instead of waiting to be welcomed, be the welcomer. Aim to help others feel more at ease and liked.
3) APPRECIATE THE POWER OF SMALL TALK: People often dismiss the hidden power of small talk in gradually building trust and connection through shared experience. What seems to be meaningless chitchat can actually be essential to forming initial connections and helping us get to a place of feeling like we know the other person.
4) UNDERSTAND THE 'SPOTLIGHT' EFFECT: We all overestimate how much people are thinking about us and judging us - this is the spotlight effect. Everybody is doing it, everybody is overestimating the amount that other people are being critical of them. The only time people estimate that correctly is when they are onstage, literally in the spotlight.
5) REWARD YOURSELF FOR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS: Try rewarding yourself for every social interaction, whether it went well or not, because every time you interact with people you are tackling your anxiety head on. DON'T reward yourself with external/material things - it's about internal praise.
6) BE WILLING TO EXPERIENCE AWKWARDNESS AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE When we feel awkward, it is usually because we have become distracted from the conversation by worrying about how we are coming across to others, rather than focusing on what they are saying. Be willing to experience shyness and awkward moments.
7) REMAIN GROUNDED AND TAKE A BIT OF TIME OUT IF YOU NEED TO: It's okay to take a moment if you need to, if you find yourself starting to feel anxious and disconnecting from what is around you. Counter physical overwhelm by focusing on your breathing.
It is really important to care for your body and acknowledge when you are feeling physical symptoms that aren't actually to do with anxiety, but rather the heat. Make sure you are well-hydrated, and keep an eye on how the heat is affecting your body.