21 Social Anxiety Quotes

Social Anxiety Quotes

1. Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese Poet, Writer, & Philosopher

“All by myself, I can think of all kinds of clever remarks, quick comebacks to what no one said, and flashes of witty sociability with nobody. But all of this vanishes when I face someone in the flesh: I lose my intelligence, I can no longer speak, and after half an hour I just feel tired. Talking to people makes me feel like sleeping. Only my ghostly and imaginary friends, only the conversations I have in my dreams, are genuinely real and substantial.”

2. Albert Camus, French Philosopher, Author, & Journalist

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”

3. Shauna Niequist, American Author & Blogger

“I’ve spent most of my life and most of my friendships holding my breath and hoping that when people get close enough they won’t leave, and fearing that it’s a matter of time before they figure me out and go.”

Social Anxiety Quotes From Therapists & Life Coaches

Mental health professionals not only understand social anxiety, but they also help clients cope with and, in time, heal from it. While life coaches do not have the mental health training therapists use to help people deal with social anxiety, we included a great quote from a coach that captures how therapists often approach social anxiety with clients. Check out these quotes to understand social anxiety from those who help people through it.

4. Grayson Wallen, MA, LPC

“Healing from social anxiety will take time but can also move a lot faster than you would expect. Therapy helps socially anxious people understand themselves and relate to others in ways that are meaningful and healing. Most of our worst wounds happen in relationships as well as our deepest healing.”

5. Nick Furnari, MA, PhD(c)

“People with social anxiety generally fear being ridiculed or judged harshly. Therefore it’s important to focus on why these automatic assumptions are there in the first place. Often, those with social anxiety fear ridicule from others because they judge themselves so harshly. They expect others to judge them how they judge themselves. Therapeutic work for social anxiety must be geared toward understanding and dismantling the harsh self-criticisms of the individual with social anxiety.”

6. Katy Morin, Social Anxiety Coach

“Knowing what caused your social anxiety is an important first step in healing from social anxiety and having empowering relationships with those around you.”

Encouraging Quotes About Social Anxiety Recovery

The isolation that can come from struggling with social anxiety leads many to feel hopeless in overcoming it. Uplifting quotes from people who have worked against and overcome social anxiety can be a significant step in changing one’s belief that they can, in time, overcome the disorder. The powerful inspirational quotes can add the extra encouragement someone needs to try another day.

7. Jen Wilde, Author

“You are not weak. People like us, we’re brave. We’re the ones who get up and face our worst fears every day. We keep fighting.”

8. Francesca Zappia, American Author & Artist

“I learned years ago that it’s okay to do this. To seek out small spaces for me, to stop and imagine myself alone. People are too much sometimes. Friends, acquaintances, enemies, strangers. It doesn’t matter; they all crowd. Even if they’re all the way across the room, they crowd. I take a moment of silence and think: I am here. I am okay.”

9. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor & Stoic Philosopher

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my perceptions- not outside.”

10. Boyd K. Packer

“To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.”

11. Fred Rogers

“Some days, doing ‘the best we can’ may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn’t perfect—on any front—and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.”

12. Grayson Wallen, MA, LPC

“Being socially anxious is like being in a perpetual state of anticipation of how things could go wrong or how you will be blamed for the wrong. People who have social anxiety have it for some reason even though from the outside looking in, it feels abstract or unreasonable.”

Quotes for Coping With Social Anxiety

During social situations, it can be challenging to remember to breathe and anchor yourself. This can make social anxiety symptoms feel unbearable. These quotes capture ideas and methods for coping with social anxiety in the moment. When you’re overwhelmed, keeping one of these quotes in an easy-to-reach place might help you manage.

13. Nick Furnari, MA, PhD(c)

“I am not interested in my work in helping people cope. I am interested in helping people realize that their ways of “coping” are what contributes to their suffering. Dismantling social anxiety is not difficult when you make the choice to begin treating yourself with the kindness you so readily give to others.”

14. Russ Harris

“Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of an emotional storm: the anchor won’t make the storm go away, but it will hold you steady until it passes.”

15. Aparna Nancherla

“One way to handle social anxiety is to pretend you are a ghost and people are staring at you because they have a gift they never asked for.”

16. Karen Salmansohn

“Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure out everything all at once. Breathe. You’re strong. You got this. Take it day by day.”

17. William S. Burroughs

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.”

Social Anxiety Quotes From Famous People

It’s easy to feel like social anxiety doesn’t happen to famous people. After all, they are constantly in the spotlight, going from performing in front of millions to red carpet events,  speaking engagements, interviews, and so much more, so it’s hard to imagine they, too, can feel overwhelmed by social situations. These quotes showcase social anxiety through the eyes of a famous football player, the mother of modern dance, a best-selling novelist, and a renowned actress.

18. Ricky Williams, Former NFL Player

“After I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, I felt immense relief because it meant that there was a name for my suffering. I wasn’t crazy or weird, like I thought for so many years.”

19. Martha Graham, American Dancer & Choreographer

“What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.”

20. Paulo Coelho, Author of The Alchemist

“Anxiety was born at the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it— just as we have learned to live with storms.”

21. Amanda Seyfried, Actress

“It’s sad, actually, because my anxiety keeps me from enjoying things as much as I should in this age.”

Consider Therapy for Social Anxiety

If you or someone you know is dealing with social anxiety, there is help and hope for recovery. There are evidenced-based methods that have been proven to help reduce anxiety symptoms, like CBT for anxiety. Still, the first step in finding the right approach for you is to find a therapist near you using an online therapist directory. You don’t have to deal with social anxiety alone, and the sooner you begin your healing journey, the better you will feel in time.