If Networking Makes You Anxious, Try This

Create prompts for what you’d like to discuss or share at the networking event, including questions you’d feel comfortable asking.

This can help reduce your anxiety quite a bit because you already know what you will say. Stand in front of a mirror and practice saying your script aloud. Pay attention to what you look like.

A lack of vitamin D or magnesium tend to make you feel more anxious.

Eating vitamin D and magnesium-rich foods a few days in advance can be helpful to buffer the stress.

Grab some fortified milk, yogurt, and Brazil nuts before an event. They contain selenium which helps manage anxiety, depression, and tiredness.

Ensure to eat before networking to prevent showing up with a growling stomach. Also avoid sampling cuisine you've never had before, incase it doesn't agree with you.

When you enter the room, remind yourself that you're more than your job title. You may feel less constricted around what to discuss.

• Talk about hobbies. “What would you be up to if you weren’t at this thing?”; “Did you figure out today’s Wordle?”
• Be an advocate. When you’re feeling anxious, tell yourself that you’re not here for yourself. Try reframing the event. For example, you are here to make connections that benefit someone you know or to learn more about (x). When we help other people, it makes us feel empowered and more in control of the situation.

Try to identify events that feel like they’d be less stressful for you. For example, events focused on a particular person or group remove you from the centre of attention.

• Be an audience member. If the thought of a ballroom of strangers is overwhelming, consider attending a lecture or panel discussion.
• Find your people. It could mean standing on the periphery, where introverts are more likely to stand.
• Embrace the 10-minute rule.  Tell yourself, ‘I’m going to talk to this person for 10 minutes.’