Dating anxiety is quite a difficult problem. The good news is that you and others who have the same problem can team up to help one another. Here are some ways a support group might help you get over your dating anxiety.
1. Sharing Wisdom
At the support group, it is likely that you will find people who are more experienced than you, or have had a different set of experiences than you. You might swap stories about what sorts of treatments work, and how triggers for your dating anxiety might be avoided. It is true that you might find advice from other sources, but “insider” information should not be underestimated.
Of course, if the problem is very bad, it might really be indicative of deeper issues, and you might need to seek professional help. Perhaps others in your support group can refer you to an affordable, competent professional.
2. You Are Not Alone
Part of the reason people do not treat anxiety problems is out of a misguided sense of shame or embarrassment. Once you meet or communicate with others who have same problem as yours, your dating anxiety is likely to seem less strange.
3. The Drive to Improve
Ostensibly, a support group is about, well, support. However, this does not preclude a sense of competition developing between members. This is by no means a bad thing (so long as the competition remains friendly, of course). If you notice that some people in your support group are succeeding in addressing their dating anxiety, you will feel the drive to do the same. Furthermore, if a person who starts out with worse problems than yours manages to make big steps, you will feel inspired to do better, too.
4. Online Support Groups
Some people’s social dating anxiety is connected to anxiety in other social situations, and they might find support group meetings to be too stressful. This is where online forums come in handy. Furthermore, such forums are very convenient, since previous content is recorded for perusal, and you do not have to worry about schedules or travel time.
