I’ve continually said that lasting freedom from unnecessary anxieties and social fears lies in developing a practice of letting go of unhelpful thoughts.
That’s foundational.
Sometimes, however, it helps to have more superficial ‘hacks’ in the toolbox, which we can use to loosen up as needed.
Here are some fun ones:
Imagine people as hairless chimps.
Or some variation on other people as less than frightening.
It’s a funny vision and one that’s not far from the truth.
How we see things has an immediate impact on our experience of others.
If we view people as dangerous sources of stress and judgement, we’ll feel the reality of those thoughts.
If we see that people are really harmless — as worried and flawed as you are — there’s a lot less to be concerned about.