According to studies, fifteen million people in the United States suffer from social anxiety disorder. Still, some of them find relief from their phobia of social situations by practicing martial arts.
Regardless of the style—Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, or any other—these programs can help martial artists learn how to manage their social anxiety.
Discover how martial arts can help people who are experiencing social anxiety in the sections below.
Martial Arts Are Stress- and Anxiety-Relieving
Two advantages of martial arts training include reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Your body releases endorphins when you practice martial arts, especially the more demanding ones.
Endorphins, which are similar to natural painkillers, assist in relieving stress, which is associated with anxiety. Exercise will therefore make you feel less worried overall, especially in social circumstances where anxiety can be very high.
Even elite athletes like Alyse “Lil’ Savage” Anderson, who participated in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix, acknowledge that even the most commonplace duties can cause them social anxiety. But Anderson has surely handled it well, thanks to her martial arts expertise.
Build Confidence through Martial Arts
Martial arts are fantastic for boosting confidence, as anyone who practices them for any length of time learns. This is significant because anyone who struggles with social anxiety might benefit from having confidence.
From simple social encounters like introducing yourself to a stranger to standing on stage and giving a speech, confidence can help you face any event life throws at you.
It could seem difficult to complete these chores when you’re trying to overcome social anxiety. However, after a few months of martial arts practice, your self-confidence begins to rise.
Social Anxiety and Learning Martial Arts
If you choose to practice martial arts to aid in overcoming your social phobia, there are things you can do to lessen the fear of walking into a gym for the first time. You can take private sessions in the gym until you feel at ease with the instructors and setting. You can then gradually make the switch to group classes.
You can forego personalized instruction and dive right into a class. However, if the class has too many students for your taste, you can enroll in one that typically attracts fewer individuals, such as a martial arts class that meets in the morning or at lunch.
You can also go to the gym with a friend who does martial arts will help you feel less anxious because you will already know at least one person there.
Children’s Social Anxiety and Martial Arts
Your son or daughter can also gain from martial arts training if they are struggling with social anxiety. Since martial arts also enhance children’s emotional health and well-being, they benefit children’s physical fitness. Children can develop confidence by studying a discipline, just like adults.
Conclusion
Consider letting your kids take up martial arts if they struggle with social anxiety. They’ll have the chance to learn social skills that will assist them for the rest of their lives, in addition to maybe becoming lifelong martial artists, which is a benefit in and of itself.
Experience the many benefits of martial arts at Pride Martial Arts Academy! We choose to mentor, inspire, and coach people who have decided to use mixed martial arts as a vehicle for a positive life change.
Our mission is to be the premier mixed martial arts safety center in Western New York, offering realistic and modern self-defense training in an affordable, clean, and safe environment. Call us now to learn more!
