Social Anxiety 101

You received a text invite and it sounded like fun. You decided to go all in. You washed, prepped and dressed yourself feeling fine. You centered yourself in a good attitude and your pre-game. You arrived. It was overflowing with people you don't know and have no interest in getting to know. Yuck! That party sucked.

vs

You didn't want to go. You didn't care all that much. You went because you had nothing better to do. You showed up late. Very late. You couldn't believe how packed the place was. It was wall to wall people and a blast. That party was killer.

What is a difference between your parties?

You and your expectations. Your expectations can gut you. You know firsthand that your expectations of people, events, situations, interactions and relationships can set you up for disappointment if you are not aware of them or that you can change them.

So what's an open hearted person to do?

Get quiet and become still so that you can connect with your answers inside. Turn off your electronics. Dedicate alone time to you. Breathe. Get in touch with your inner wisdom. With practice and persistence you will become more self aware. When you become self aware, decide to do the deep self work and deal with your expectations.  

Calibrate your expectations. Decide if you want to raise or lower them. (remember your expectations are not the same as your standards, um-no) Decide how to fine tune your expectations of other people and yourself. You can't control other people. You can consciously choose for yourself.

High expectations can lead to disappointment more often than not. When you reduce and release your expectations, life opens up. Give yourself some space and make room for happy accidents and serendipity. Then it's Party on.