Today I can happily say I am social anxiety free (clap! clap!).
In this article I will be sharing with you 3 tips that helped me deal with social anxiety in the beginning stages of my treatment.
For the majority of my life I have been extremely quiet, I even had trouble just saying "HI" to people.
As I grew older I even began going out of my way avoid social situations all together.
I always thought I was just shy, that was until I turned 23 and realized that it was much more than that.
That's when I learned about social anxiety disorder.
The definition summed up my life.
Social anxiety is anxiety (emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension, or worry) about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people.
I knew that I was tired of dealing with social anxiety and there had to be a way to cure it.
I didn't have much money at the time, so hiring a therapist was out of the question.
I searched the internet, read books, and eventually found a method that has helped me completely cure my social anxiety.
If you think about it, a person who has spent the majority of their life with SA hasn't really had the opportunity to develop socially due to limited social encounters.
Therefore, small things like holding a conversation or making small talk are monumental tasks.
I knew if I wanted to completely overcome my social anxiety I had to start off with the small things.
There were 3 important baby steps that helped me with dealing with social anxiety at the beginning of my journey.
1.
How to say "HI" to Without the Fear - Learn to live in that moment.
Allow your brain to focus to where your feet are planted.
If you take the focus off of what you look like and how you sound to others, chances are you'll start to let go of your anxiety and allow yourself to enjoy the moment.
Even if only for that moment.
2.
Feel, Think, Done - With a little practice you can easily start a conversation by asking how they feel, what they think about a particular topic, or what they have done or would do about a particular topic.
When you make the conversation about the other person it takes the focus off of you.
When a person is focused on themselves that's when the anxiety kicks in - wondering if you're blushing, sweating, or trembling.
3.
What's Similar? - Does the person have hair like one of your parents or do they smile like a friend of yours.
Before starting a conversation with someone, look for similar characteristics that remind you of a relative or close friend.
By focusing on similarities you may be able to convince yourself that you are comfortable with a complete stranger.
Even if only for that moment.
In this article I will be sharing with you 3 tips that helped me deal with social anxiety in the beginning stages of my treatment.
For the majority of my life I have been extremely quiet, I even had trouble just saying "HI" to people.
As I grew older I even began going out of my way avoid social situations all together.
I always thought I was just shy, that was until I turned 23 and realized that it was much more than that.
That's when I learned about social anxiety disorder.
The definition summed up my life.
Social anxiety is anxiety (emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension, or worry) about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people.
I knew that I was tired of dealing with social anxiety and there had to be a way to cure it.
I didn't have much money at the time, so hiring a therapist was out of the question.
I searched the internet, read books, and eventually found a method that has helped me completely cure my social anxiety.
If you think about it, a person who has spent the majority of their life with SA hasn't really had the opportunity to develop socially due to limited social encounters.
Therefore, small things like holding a conversation or making small talk are monumental tasks.
I knew if I wanted to completely overcome my social anxiety I had to start off with the small things.
There were 3 important baby steps that helped me with dealing with social anxiety at the beginning of my journey.
1.
How to say "HI" to Without the Fear - Learn to live in that moment.
Allow your brain to focus to where your feet are planted.
If you take the focus off of what you look like and how you sound to others, chances are you'll start to let go of your anxiety and allow yourself to enjoy the moment.
Even if only for that moment.
2.
Feel, Think, Done - With a little practice you can easily start a conversation by asking how they feel, what they think about a particular topic, or what they have done or would do about a particular topic.
When you make the conversation about the other person it takes the focus off of you.
When a person is focused on themselves that's when the anxiety kicks in - wondering if you're blushing, sweating, or trembling.
3.
What's Similar? - Does the person have hair like one of your parents or do they smile like a friend of yours.
Before starting a conversation with someone, look for similar characteristics that remind you of a relative or close friend.
By focusing on similarities you may be able to convince yourself that you are comfortable with a complete stranger.
Even if only for that moment.
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