{"id":118280,"date":"2020-03-05T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=118280"},"modified":"2023-03-11T19:02:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-11T19:02:38","slug":"mindfulness-social-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety &#8211; Does it Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_118283\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118283\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-118283\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"social anxiety and mindfulness\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg 499w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-118283\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rverc\/46063579135\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Regan Vercruysse<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s3\">In today\u2019s <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s4\"><strong>modern world social anxiety is on the rise<\/strong>, driven by a reduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-dont-belong.htm\">sense of belonging<\/a> and a rise in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/quiz-stressed-or-depressed\">stress<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/anxiety-vs-depression.htm\">anxiety and depression<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/signs-of-anxiety-disorder.htm\">Anxiety disorders<\/a> are becoming a common <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-mental-health.htm\">mental health issue<\/a>, with the charity <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anxietyuk.org.uk\/get-help\/about-anxiety-and-anxiety-disorders\/\">Anxiety UK <\/a>reporting that one in 10 of us are likely to have one at some point in our lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Could<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-techniques.htm\"> mindfulness<\/a>, a mental health intervention gaining popularity, be a possible answer?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">What is Social Anxiety? <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Having fears and insecurities around socialising is not abnormal.<\/strong> Most of us experience this at some point, such as when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/university-and-depression-survival-guide-students.htm\">starting at a new school<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/dealing-with-difficult-people-at-work.htm\">workplace<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #333399;\">But if it is a constant issue for you, which affects your daily life and ability to cope, you might have social anxiety. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Social anxiety can have many symptoms, both<\/strong> physical, mental and emotional. This can look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">fear of scrutiny by others<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">avoidance of social situations <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">difficulty with eye-contact<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">flushing, hand tremors, nausea<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">self-imposed isolation<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">a reduced number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-feel-so-alone.htm\">friendships<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/healthy-relationships-is-it-one.htm\">intimate relationships<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Read more in our article,<\/strong> \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-social-anxiety-disorder.htm\">What is Social Anxiety Disorder<\/a>?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Why do I have social anxiety?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>To understand why mindfulness and social anxiety are such a perfect fit,<\/strong> it can help to understand why you have social anxiety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Social cognition, or our \u2018social mind\u2019, involves how we take in, analyse, and use<\/strong> information from our interactions with others. We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-take-a-decision.htm\">make decisions<\/a>, such as on how others perceive us, and \u2018store\u2019 these decisions as \u2018truths\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_118284\" style=\"width: 309px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118284\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-118284\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5709992169_daef43d44f-1-299x400.jpg\" alt=\"social anxiety and mindfulness\" width=\"299\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5709992169_daef43d44f-1-299x400.jpg 299w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5709992169_daef43d44f-1.jpg 373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/juliejordanscott\/5709992169\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Julie Jordan Scott<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Of course our social mind is useful and even crucial.<\/strong> If we don\u2019t have a sense of how others perceive us, or care about it, then we can be socially difficult, or even with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-antisocial-personality-disorder.htm\">social conduct disorder<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #333399;\">But if we had difficult experiences in the past, especially in childhood, and our brain stored certain ideas about how we are perceived? We can have strong <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/feeling-of-fear.htm\">fear<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\">shame<\/a> the isn\u2019t helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>For example, if Alex was teased by his big family for being the<\/strong> \u2018baby\u2019 who is \u2018shy and never has anything to say\u2019? He can believe he is out of place and a poor addition to social gatherings, even when as an adult he is highly educated and not shy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Do you have negative thoughts?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Back in our cave man days, it aided our survival to always be<\/strong> searching for signs of a predator in the jungle. Always searching for danger was a good thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Enter the &#8216;negativity bias&#8217;. The idea is that evolution has<\/strong> caused negative information, comments or events to be stored and remembered better than positive events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>As explained in <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18444702\/\">an abstract by psychologist Dr. Amrisha\u00a0<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s5\">Vaish et al,<b> \u201c<\/b>W<\/span><span class=\"s3\">e dwell on something negative, even if something positive is equally or more present.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #800080;\">This cognitive bias adds to being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-can-i-be-less-sensitive.htm\">hyper-sensitive<\/a>, and perceiving signals of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-handle-rejection.htm\">rejection<\/a> or lack of care and acceptance in situations where these are actually not present.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Social phobia and low self-esteem<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>It is also very common for people with social anxiety to experience frequent thoughts and feelings of<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/low-self-worth.htm\">unworthiness<\/a>, inadequacy and self-judgment. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #333399;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/negative-thoughts.htm\">Low self-esteem<\/a> affects your ability to remain present and centred while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/be-yourself-around-others.htm\">interacting with others<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Social anxiety and mindfulness<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_118285\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/6174344321_a6b3b6aa69-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118285\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-118285\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/6174344321_a6b3b6aa69-1-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"social anxiety and meditation\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/6174344321_a6b3b6aa69-1-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/6174344321_a6b3b6aa69-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/6174344321_a6b3b6aa69-1-180x120.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-118285\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nkashirin\/6174344321\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Nickolai Kashirin<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Mindfulness, as explained by Jon Kabat-Zinn<\/strong> (known for introducing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-techniques.htm\">mindfulness to the modern world<\/a> and psychology), is, \u201cThe awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/present-moment-secret-better-mood.htm\">the present moment<\/a> and non-judgmentally\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Through the practice, you explore, investigate and develop<\/strong> <a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy.htm\">acceptance<\/a> and curiosity towards the thoughts, feelings and body-sensations that make up your moment-to-moment experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>You learn to develop a kind and<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-compassion.htm\">compassionate attention<\/a> towards the unconscious deep-seated fears that prevent you from getting close to others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Mindfulness also helps you notice the good things around you and not just the negative.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #666699;\">A <a style=\"color: #666699;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5992451\/\">pilot study<\/a> looking at the effects of <a style=\"color: #666699;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy.htm\">mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)<\/a>, a talk therapy that integrates mindfulness into its approach, found that it did help social anxiety, mostly because it raised the participants <a style=\"color: #666699;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/benefits-of-positive-thinking.htm\">ability to see positives<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">[Ready to try mindfulness? Try our free and easy &#8216;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #333399; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/mindfulness-help-guide.htm\">Guide to Mindfulness<\/a><\/span>&#8216; now.]<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">How to use mindfulness to help social anxiety <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">So how does one overcome social anxiety with the use of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/mindfulness-help-guide.htm\"> a mindfulness practice<\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #993366;\">1. Accept that it is a process. <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Where you are right now when it comes to socialising and anxiety is not static. It can definitely be changed and moulded over time. Don\u2019t believe thoughts such as \u201cthis is just who I am\u201d which may be running through your head.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #993366;\">2. Tune into your desire for change and connection. <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Keep your highest aspiration and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-set-goals-that-work.htm\"> goals<\/a> in mind \u2013 such as wanting to have more meaningful, loving and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/connecting-with-people.htm\">supportive connections<\/a> in your life. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #993366;\">3. Start small and work upwards. <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Trying to do big 40-minute mindfulness sits right off the bat will just lead to frustration. <\/strong>\u00a0Try ten minutes a day, then raise it 15, and then 20. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>And this is true for your social exposure, too. Take challenging but manageable steps,<\/strong> bit by bit putting yourself into experiences which feel outside of your current comfort zone.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #993366;\">4. Keep a mindfulness journal. <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>Track and write down exactly how you felt and what you were thinking<\/strong> before, during and after your meditations. This will help you gain more insight into the process and journey you\u2019re going through.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"><strong>You can also use your mindfulness <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-use-a-self-help-journal.htm\">journal<\/a> to record your<\/strong> achievements with your social anxiety. Seeing the small steps keeps us moving forward. Did you have an easier conversation with a colleague? Manage to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-deal-with-difficult-boss.htm\"> look your difficult boss in the eye<\/a>? <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\" style=\"color: #993366;\">5. Find a therapist, mentor or coach to work with.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Working with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/finding-the-right-therapist.htm\">skilled therapist<\/a> or mentor who is experienced in mindfulness-based approaches such as MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-london.htm\">MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy)<\/a> can be a tremendous help. He or she can help you see the blind spots in your perception and help you develop your practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Ready to try mindfulness to help your social anxiety? We connect you with highly experienced, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-london.htm\"><span style=\"color: #666699;\">London-based MB<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #666699;\">CT therapists<\/span>. Or use our <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\"><span style=\"color: #666699;\">online booking site<\/span><\/a> to <span style=\"color: #666699;\"><a style=\"color: #666699;\" href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\">find a registered therapist<\/a><\/span> in your area of the UK.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Still have a question about mindfulness and social anxiety? Post below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s modern world social anxiety is on the rise, driven by a reduced sense of belonging and a rise in stress, anxiety and depression. Anxiety disorders are becoming a common mental health issue, with the charity Anxiety UK reporting that one in 10 of us are likely to have one at some point in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[196,162],"class_list":["post-118280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anxiety-and-stress","tag-mindfulness","tag-social-anxiety","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapylondon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-05T11:00:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-11T19:02:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"499\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sheri Jacobson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/drsherijacobson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HarleyTherapy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sheri Jacobson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm\",\"name\":\"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-05T11:00:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-11T19:02:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg\",\"width\":499,\"height\":333,\"caption\":\"By: Regan Vercruysse\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety &#8211; Does it Work?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"description\":\"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\",\"alternateName\":\"Harley Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/images\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/harleytherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HarleyTherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/harley-therapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/HarleyTherapyCoUk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/harleytherapy\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.trustpilot.com\\\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.reviews.co.uk\\\/company-reviews\\\/store\\\/harleytherapy-co-uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.crunchbase.com\\\/organization\\\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work?","og_description":"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward","og_url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm","og_site_name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapylondon","article_published_time":"2020-03-05T11:00:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-11T19:02:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":499,"height":333,"url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sheri Jacobson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/drsherijacobson","twitter_site":"@HarleyTherapy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sheri Jacobson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm","name":"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety - Does it Work? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg","datePublished":"2020-03-05T11:00:58+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-11T19:02:38+00:00","description":"Could mindfulness help your social anxiety? What is social anxiety, why you have it, and why a mindfulness meditation practice could be the way forward","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg","width":499,"height":333,"caption":"By: Regan Vercruysse"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/mindfulness-social-anxiety.htm#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mindfulness and Social Anxiety &#8211; Does it Work?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization","name":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling","alternateName":"Harley Therapy","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/images\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","https:\/\/x.com\/HarleyTherapy","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/harley-therapy","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/HarleyTherapyCoUk","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harleytherapy\/","https:\/\/uk.trustpilot.com\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk","https:\/\/www.reviews.co.uk\/company-reviews\/store\/harleytherapy-co-uk","https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling"]}]}},"modified_by":"Kirsty Thomas","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg",499,333,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-400x267.jpg",400,267,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg",499,333,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg",499,333,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg",499,333,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01.jpg",499,333,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"featured":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"related":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-180x120.jpg",180,120,true],"widgetthumb":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-50x50.jpg",50,50,true],"slider":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/46063579135_0e1147cb01-499x200.jpg",499,200,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Sheri Jacobson","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"In today\u2019s modern world social anxiety is on the rise, driven by a reduced sense of belonging and a rise in stress, anxiety and depression. Anxiety disorders are becoming a common mental health issue, with the charity Anxiety UK reporting that one in 10 of us are likely to have one at some point in&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118280"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140228,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118280\/revisions\/140228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}