How To Turn Social Anxiety Into Emotional Intelligence

Holding adeptly with regularly occurring social situations isn’t an art everyone can master, a skill that requires a conscious understanding of people and their emotions, an attunement to others’ feelings, and being respectful to them, detecting from someone’s verbal behaviors of what they are going through. The ability masters an individual to be socially aware of people and efficiently handle situations. Being sensitive to others’ emotions, respectful, and thoughtful of their existence around you is an asset that makes you an emotionally safe person in situations but simultaneously causes emerging surges of internal anxiety. Because of sensing some uncomfortable emotions, or when hearty attachments in interpersonal relationships cause severity, feelings of depression and anxiety arise. 

 

However, identification is the key. Knowing the root causes bit by bit and the external sources causing uneasiness can be more helpful, leading to a more robust journey by making an emotionally intelligent person. Once understanding the reasons for social anxiety, people may best use it to their advantage. For instance, time to think and reflect on yourself and your abilities, a strong identification of your emotional strengths, and figuring out ways to utilize them perfectly where needed will help you begin with creating a balance in maintaining firm boundaries with people in groups, being warm and friendly but refraining from opening up too quickly to people or letting them like you earlier, keeping yourself in constant check and influencing people-pleasing temptations will save you from any uncomfortable emotion – a journey to turn your anxiety into intelligence. 

 

Follow our comprehensive guide to explore the world of hidden abilities, social awareness, and emotional intelligence, copying effectively with social situations, and eliminating anxiety in social circumstances. However, before going into the details, let’s begin by understanding the terms social anxiety and emotional intelligence and their relation. 

 

What Are The Terms Social Anxiety And Emotional Intelligence?

 

Social anxiety or social phobia is a certain mental condition or individuals’ extreme self-consciousness, causing them to feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations, talking to new people, participating in debates, or even eating before others. Being shy or hesitant is often natural, but socially anxious people go far beyond, feel it difficult to meet new people, and adjust to unfamiliar social circumstances just because of the fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected. Moreover, it is the one’s mind and body’s fear response to something they sense is dangerous when not in reality. 

 

The level of social anxiety isn’t experienced similarly by all as it is caused by the rush of certain chemicals in the body that make people either fight with the situation by simply ignoring the nervousness or part their ways by feeling that something dangerous might come out. 

However, anxiety disorder is a specific mental condition that influences people’s daily life activities and results from various factors like stress, trauma, genetics, or brain chemistry. You may have heard of anxious people going through some physical symptoms such as trembling, sweating, and digestive issues, but you should study other specific factors, such as anxiety related to teeth grinding among individuals, to understand how chronic the effects of stress are. 

 

On the other hand, emotional intelligence has been referred to by experts as the strong ability to cope with emotionally stressful situations by using all your self-consciousness and the consciousness of others’ emotions. It helps individuals achieve academic success, assess or regulate their own emotions, and use them to their best advantage, such as empathizing with others, communicating effectively, and overcoming challenges. Moreover, emotionally intelligent people are strong at building positive relationships, achieving success at school, and achieving personal and career goals. 

 

The Symptoms Of Social Anxiety And Emotional Intelligence:

 

Social Anxiety	Emotional Intelligence
Self-Isolation  Feelings of embarrassment  Low self-esteem or self-confidence Nausea Trembling or pounding heart Fear of judgment or criticism  Difficulty in eye-contacting  Avoidance of gatherings, social activities, and conversations in groups  Difficulty conducting normal activities just because of the fear of others’ noticing	Self-acceptance and self-confidence The familiarity with personal strengths and limitations  The ability to assess others’ feelings  A strong sense of curiosity about other people Showing sensitivity to others’ feelings Feelings of empathy and concern for others Accepting own mistakes  Ability to let go of mistakes  Ability to manage emotions in difficult situations

 

Are Socially Anxious People Emotionally Intelligent? The Relation Between Social Anxiety And Emotional Intelligence

 

Despite the differences in their attributes and behaviors, socially anxious and emotionally intelligent people have something in common: “a deep self-awareness” and excessive self-consciousness, the root cause of social anxiety, that lets them identify their emotions and others around them. On the other hand, emotionally intelligent people know how to manage their self-consciousness and empathy perfectly when needed. According to the research, the relationship between social anxiety and emotional intelligence is inverse. Moreover, the researchers in the field have highlighted the abilities of socially anxious individuals as they are more efficient at picking up behavioral cues because of their strong empathy towards others and constant reflection to consider others’ feelings. Other benefits of social anxiety encompass that it lets people evaluate details and social cues about what is happening around the world. At the same time, the ability causes anxiety at times, hesitation, and the reason to withdraw circumstances. However, the path is widely opened up to emotional intelligence when identifying the reason or when socially anxious people want to overcome feelings of fear and uncomfort. Youper believes that socially anxious people can cultivate emotional intelligence by diving deeper into their thoughts and emotions and developing a more emotional “granularity” (the ability to distinguish between the shades of one’s emotions). After all, factors such as meeting new people, networking, socializing, job interviewing, or other many things triggering anxiety are highlighted as skills possessed by emotionally intelligent people. 

 

The Path To Turning: How Can Social Anxiety Be Overcome?

 

Anxiety is advantageous, but not much; creating a balance is a must to become more socially aware and emotionally strong enough to handle relationships efficiently and situations easily. Here are some tips to help you better your potential by internalizing the emotions that trigger discomfort and letting you live in constant danger and suffering. 

 

• Recognizing the triggers that make you feel intimidated and anxious is a crucial first step to managing your reactions. 
• Taking opportunities to speak publicly, practicing in front of a mirror, or being with a small friend group will help you gradually feel comfortable facing people. 
• Shifting concentration from yourself to others, showing interest, and responding will help overcome social anxiety. 
• Keep on practicing calming breathing exercises.
• Challenge your negative thought patterns by questioning your perceptions, whether based on facts or your personal opinion. 
• Try regular relaxation techniques such as visualization and progressive muscle relaxation to help you calm social anxiety. 
• Work on yourself, self-esteem, and confidence while celebrating little achievements, set some achievable goals for yourself and add self-compassion. 
• Start thinking “how to think”. Try mindfulness practices like thinking about your thoughts, whether they are valuable or useless. 
• Write a journal about your worries on a daily basis, analyze the factors/emotions that cause anxiety, and figure out how best to overcome them. 
• Converse with people on anxiety matters and find what they share and how they overcame their anxiety and discomfort. 
• Avoid settling for your personal narratives, whether positive or negative, by believing in change and keeping “hope.” 
• Accept anxiety as an instinct emerging in humans that will help you accept your potential to overcome it. 

 

Lower Social Anxiety, Higher Emotional Intelligence

 

Knowledge and abilities are essential to emotional intelligence, the key to fighting your inner anxieties and stress. Once you notice your triggers and can express feelings, such abilities will help you reduce the anxiety and uncomfort you experience in situations, directing your skills to the right place to be utilized. Moreover, you can learn and improve these abilities by constantly practicing the activities mentioned. Once you understand and identify the triggers, you will open ways to higher emotional intelligence, making strong relationships, and handling social situations properly. 

 

For example, John is a dedicated team member at a certain office. He often feels a surge of anxiety and self-doubt when interacting with colleagues who excelled in areas in which he felt himself less competent. One day, during a team project, a colleague named Alex displayed extraordinary problem-solving skills that outshone John’s abilities. Rather than acknowledging his feelings of inadequacy, John decided to confront his social anxiety and turn it into an opportunity for personal and professional growth. 

 

However, the turning point occurs when, instead of jealousy and letting the anxiety fester, John identifies his emotions and the underlying fear of being overshadowed. He chooses an aggressive approach by initiating a conversation with Alex after the meeting. Rather than projecting negatively, John expresses admiration for Alex’s skills and tries to discuss how he can improve his problem-solving abilities. 

 

Examples Of Social Skills In Emotional Intelligence

 

In order to turn your social anxiety into emotional intelligence, working out on improving social skills emotional intelligence is beyond fruitful. Here are some of the fundamentals that will help you ease stress and learn how does anxiety apply to emotional intelligence: 

 

Open up yourself and share your experiences:

Try opening up avenues for conversation. Start discussing things, share your opinions, even on small events that you enjoy in daily life, and make it easier for yourself to converse with people about new and old activities you try. 

 

Explore and enjoy new things

 

It is about crossing the limits of your comfort zone. Go out of it and explore what the new world and experiences pour into your personality, such as meeting new people, initiating a charity, joining a club, or trying new hobbies. 

 

Embrace new opportunities

 

Set achievable goals for yourself. Don’t avoid hanging out with people; it will teach you a lot and increase your confidence in your ability to fight unanticipated events. 

 

Surround yourself with positive people

 

You may deny it, but the people you regularly hang out with have an extreme influence on your thinking and actions. Try surrounding yourself with positive people who have a growth mindset and believe in you. Interacting with these people will help you recognize your value and be supportive even in your toughest days. 

 

Join a supporting group.

 

You can connect with experts proposing efficient mental health services to improve social skills and awareness effectively. These partners are experts in psychiatry and can help you understand your triggers to create a balance between your anxiety and social skills. 

 

Conclusion 

 

The intense level of sensitivity and understanding of non-verbal behavioral cues is a sign of intense intelligence among individuals, but at the same time, it triggers the terms of anxiety in individuals while facing certain social circumstances. However, realizing the sources of anxiety leads the same people to the next level of intelligence and makes them bright enough to handle their emotions and the emotions of others to their best advantage. The transformation is the outcome of specific strategies and regular practices; however, keeping aside your ego is the primary step to start the journey to accept your weakness and figure out how to become more emotionally intense and intelligent. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay