Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Crowds
More people have a fear of crowds than you'd realize just by looking around.
This phobia affects a lot of the population at one time or another, so you're not alone if you're faced with a sudden dread when you find yourself in a crowd.
You could be part of the crowd - maybe someone in an audience or commuting - or you could be standing or performing in front of the crowd.
It doesn't much matter which it is, these techniques for overcoming your fear of crowds will help you get over your phobia.
1.
Start by deep breathing This works in lots of situations as it helps the oxygen flow in your blood.
It also helps because you have to slow your breathing down - very few people can take fast deep breaths, they normally have to take longer to breathe deeper.
2.
Make eye contact Strangers often don't like making eye contact so it may take you a few attempts to do this one.
Which is good because it will help prove to you that other people in the crowd are equally unwilling to make any kind of contact, even a distant one such as eye contact.
It's probably also best not to grin like a maniac when you try this approach otherwise you run the risk that the person whose eyes you're connecting with may think that you are a nutter.
3.
Be friendly Again, this one needs to be used with caution.
Saying "hello" to random strangers doesn't always work.
Our modern society has made us more detached from this kind of thing.
But if the opportunity presents itself, you can go for this.
If you find a friendly face in the often faceless crowd then you may even be able to strike up a conversation - older people are often glad that someone has noticed them so they can be a good place to practice this skill.
With this technique or the one before it, you'll probably find that once you're focusing on just one person then the crowd melts into the background, along with your fear of it.
4.
Pick your times This is more of an avoidance technique although you can also use it to increase your exposure to crowded places.
If you have the luxury of being able to choose the time that you venture out and the places you go, you should be able to find times when they are less busy and therefore less crowded.
5.
Get help Help can take many different forms.
It could be confiding in a close friend and enlisting their help.
This can work well so long as your friends are truly on your side (and they wouldn't be true friends if they weren't).
It could be enlisting the help of a paid therapist if your condition is sufficiently advanced.
Or you could go down the self help route, using various relaxation techniques and maybe something like hypnosis which has a high success rate in this kind of problem.
This phobia affects a lot of the population at one time or another, so you're not alone if you're faced with a sudden dread when you find yourself in a crowd.
You could be part of the crowd - maybe someone in an audience or commuting - or you could be standing or performing in front of the crowd.
It doesn't much matter which it is, these techniques for overcoming your fear of crowds will help you get over your phobia.
1.
Start by deep breathing This works in lots of situations as it helps the oxygen flow in your blood.
It also helps because you have to slow your breathing down - very few people can take fast deep breaths, they normally have to take longer to breathe deeper.
2.
Make eye contact Strangers often don't like making eye contact so it may take you a few attempts to do this one.
Which is good because it will help prove to you that other people in the crowd are equally unwilling to make any kind of contact, even a distant one such as eye contact.
It's probably also best not to grin like a maniac when you try this approach otherwise you run the risk that the person whose eyes you're connecting with may think that you are a nutter.
3.
Be friendly Again, this one needs to be used with caution.
Saying "hello" to random strangers doesn't always work.
Our modern society has made us more detached from this kind of thing.
But if the opportunity presents itself, you can go for this.
If you find a friendly face in the often faceless crowd then you may even be able to strike up a conversation - older people are often glad that someone has noticed them so they can be a good place to practice this skill.
With this technique or the one before it, you'll probably find that once you're focusing on just one person then the crowd melts into the background, along with your fear of it.
4.
Pick your times This is more of an avoidance technique although you can also use it to increase your exposure to crowded places.
If you have the luxury of being able to choose the time that you venture out and the places you go, you should be able to find times when they are less busy and therefore less crowded.
5.
Get help Help can take many different forms.
It could be confiding in a close friend and enlisting their help.
This can work well so long as your friends are truly on your side (and they wouldn't be true friends if they weren't).
It could be enlisting the help of a paid therapist if your condition is sufficiently advanced.
Or you could go down the self help route, using various relaxation techniques and maybe something like hypnosis which has a high success rate in this kind of problem.