TED Talks About Social Anxiety

5 TED Talks on Anxiety That You Need to Watch

TED talks on anxiety are inspiring to listen to as they offer a short but informative look at a variety of topics related to anxiety. There actually aren’t really that many TED talks about social anxiety per se, so if you come across any I’d love to hear about them in the comments. However, I did manage to find some on related topics such as stage fright, stuttering, making conversation, and facing your fears.

There are many more TED talks on these topics, and others I did not include such as the one by Susan Cain, which you could also check out. I feel as though introversion and social anxiety are already confused often enough that I did not want to contribute to that intermingling.

One way I like to watch these types of TED talks on anxiety is to put them on while I exercise. It makes the time go by faster and helps you to multi-task if your time is at a premium.

5 TED Talks on Anxiety

How I Beat Stage Fright – Joe Kowan

In this TED talk, Folk singer Joe Kowan describes how he overcame stage fright by singing about his anxiety on stage. He always started his sets with the “Stage Fright” song, in which he makes fun of himself for his performance anxiety symptoms. He said that this gave the audience the chance to understand what he was going through, which in turn helped him to relax and sing his others songs without so much anxiety. Joe performs the “Stage Fright” song at the end of the segment, and it’s quite funny.

Why I Live in Mortal Dread of Public Speaking – Megan Washington

Australian singer Megan Washington describes her struggles with stuttering and how singing allows her the one outlet in which what she intends to express comes through clearly. She talks about how saying people’s names is one of the hardest things because she cannot switch to a different word at the last moment. Megan performs a lovely ballad while playing the piano at the end of this talk.

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation – Celeste Headlee

Celeste Headlee tackles this topic with some unique ways of how to have better conversations, including not comparing your own circumstances to those of others and asking open-ended questions in the same way that an interviewer would do. These 10 points are helpful if you’re struggling with how to make conversations because of social anxiety.

Why You Should Talk to Strangers – Kio Stark

In this TED talk, Kio Stark discusses how talking to strangers can be a good thing, rather than something to be avoided or feared, as so many people with social anxiety do. She has some tips on how to go about striking up conversations and explains why sometimes strangers understand us better than our own family and friends.

What I Learned From 100 Days of Rejection – Jia Jiang

This TED talk is uplifting if you’ve ever feared rejection or feel as though you’ve had to give up on your dreams because of your social anxiety. Jia Jiang talks about his journey of trying to be rejected to improve himself, and how he learned that often rejection had little to do with him and more to do with the other person. He also gained an appreciation for staying the course in the face of rejection and finding ways to turn a “No” into a “Yes.”

TED Talks About Social Anxiety

I would love for there to be a TED talk strictly about social anxiety, preferably from someone who has lived with the problem themselves. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the problem, it has stayed out of the limelight.

How can you help more people learn about social anxiety? Share this article or tell others how you are feeling. As much as that might feel hard, imagine how you might help someone else out there who has been feeling the same way as you but hasn’t had the courage to tell anyone.

Related Articles about Social Anxiety

• The Best Topics for Small Talk
• How to Manage Eye Contact Anxiety
• Learn About the Four Types of Social Anxiety

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TED Talks About Social Anxiety