A great meal doesn’t automatically mean eating with friends — there are some hidden benefits to eating alone. For one, it forces you to get comfortable with yourself very quickly, as you will not have your normal friends around you to buffer any anxiety symptoms that flare up from the experience. In addition, eating alone can also encourage you to seek out the company of a stranger, thus developing a new friendship or even something more. The sky really is the limit here, which means you have plenty of options when it comes to eating alone. If you’re watching your budget (and who isn’t these days?), you may wish to go with a fast food or other budget option that won’t cost too much. The venue you ultimately select will not affect the Anxiety Challenge at all.
First, regardless of the venue you ultimately select, comfort is the real key to making the challenge work. You will most likely already feel nervous just by eating alone in public — don’t make it even harder on yourself by choosing a place you won’t be able to relax at.
Next, you will want to order your meal and then take stock of the room around you. When you really take a look at the people around you, ask yourself this: how many people are really that focused on you? It is likely that you might draw the attention of one or two people as you begin eating since you’re by yourself but the majority of people you will observe are far too busy with their own conversations to pay much attention to what you’re doing.
Finally, take a deep breath and enjoy your meal when it comes. As you realize that the people around you really aren’t paying you that much attention, you will feel truly comfortable in your own skin in public. This may take time, but you can consider this challenge mastered once you can truly look back on the experience and say you would do it again!