Mindfulness Meditation for Social Anxiety
Are you looking for a guided meditation script to help you manage social anxiety? I created a meditation script that you can use just for this purpose. Ideally, you will want to listen to an audio version of this script, so you may want to record yourself reading it before you practice the meditation.
Choose a Location
Before you begin your meditation practice, make sure to choose a quiet place and time free of distractions. It helps to have a specific area of your home dedicated to your meditation practice so that it signals to both you and everyone else in your house that when you are there, it is your quiet time. You can even decorate with calming accents to help set the mood for meditating.
Purchase Accessories
It also helps to have a few accessories to make it easier, such as a meditation timer and a meditation cushion. While these are not absolutely necessary, they can help to keep you seated in the proper way and not having to worry about when to stop.
Find Your Position
Sit so that your back is straight but comfortable (the cushion helps with this) and rest your hands on your lap. Cross your legs if you’re using a cushion or place your feet flat on the floor if you are sitting in a chair. Make sure your clothing is loose and not restrictive, and close your eyes while you meditate.
Time Your Meditation
Most people meditation between 20 and 40 minutes. The following script is a very short version of a meditation for social anxiety that will get you started. From here, you can move to longer guided meditations. Below is the script that you can either read as you go or record for yourself before you begin.
Guided Meditation Script
Slowly, notice your body becoming still. Begin to focus on your inhale and exhale, while you relax your shoulder, chest, and then stomach.
As you breathe in through your nose, allow the air to flow all the way down to your diaphragm. As you breathe out, notice yourself becoming calm. Repeat this breathing pattern as you feel the air gently flow through you.
Keep practicing untily you find a rhythm that feels comfortable and notice your stress and tension easing.
If you have anxious thoughts about the future, make note of them and then continue to focus on your breathing. Allow your thoughts to come and go without becoming attached to them.
Imagine yourself as an outside observer of your thoughts. Your mind creates thoughts, but you can notice them and let them go. You don’t need to pursue them or give them any weight. You don’t need to follow them or try to make sense of them.
Now, imagine that you are lying on a warm sand beach. You feel a cool breeze come in off the water and roll over you, helping you to feel relaxed.
As you start to feel more relaxed, notice how your thoughts also roll with the breeze. They flow through you and over you, so that you can easily let them go.
Now you hear the sound of the ocean waves in the background. The ebb and flow of the tide matches your breathing in and out. Again, you feel as though your thoughts are like the waves, coming and going. You feel very relaxed and calm as you continue to inhale and exhale, focusing on your breath.
Stay with this image and these sensations until you feel completely relaxed.
Now, I want you to imagine a situation that causes you a small amount of anxiety and fear, such as talking to a stranger. As you start to grow uncomfortable, try not to resist your thoughts and feelings. Welcome them and accept them. Notice them but allow them to flow through you. Wait until they eventually dissipate. And watch them float away.
Now, slowly count backward from 10 as you continue breathing in and out. When you feel ready, gradually bring yourself back into the present moment and open your eyes.
That’s all there is to it! Choose a spot, purchase some accessories, find your position, set your timer, and turn on your audio recording. Do you use guided meditation for social anxiety? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
A Guided Meditation Script for Social Anxiety
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