Are you invited to a lot of holiday parties this year? If so, you may be one of the many folks who are plagued with the feeling of anxiety and panic at the thought of socializing with others. While this disorder is very common among people these days, it does not mean that you will have to hide inside the house all this holiday season while everyone else has a good time.

By following some simple tips this year, you will be able to get the most enjoyment out of the Christmas party tradition.

When you are at those parties, just being yourself will go a long way to help you ease the anxietyand panic that you may feel in social situations. Looking people in the eye and being generally friendlygoes a long way still.

Joining in on the conversations going on around you is a huge step to eliminatingsocial anxiety at parties. Even if this is a bit scary to you, it is important to resist the urge toavoid social gatherings just because you get a little nervous.

And don't worry about doing all of the talking and being the center of attention either. It is still perfectly OK to talk once in a while and do some listening to what others are saying in our society, so be interested in what's going on around you.

You will very quickly find that people really love talking about themselves which will likely leave you without much room to get a word in anyway.

In addition, it may help you out to mingle amont the other party goers instead of talking to one group of people throughout the night. While not everybody may be as interesting as others, variety is the spice of life so getting some party variety will help to make your forget that you were anxious in the first place.

It's important to remember that others also have anxiety and fears in social situations as well. Not every single person is the perfect picture of confidence and they may feel some anxiety and panic as well at the thought of engaging with others.

If you do start to feel anxious and like you may not be able to cope, try to excuse yourself for a few minutes to gain your composure. It may be tempting to use your anxious mood an an excuse to leave early, but try to avoid this as it will only make your inner anxiety and panic disorder in social situations stronger.

Holiday parties can be a lot of fun and a great way to spend time with people in a more relaxed way than normal. There is no good reason to get over-stressed and anxious at the thought of conversing with people, so hit those holiday parties with a positive attitude and enjoy being yourself this holiday season.