How to Conquer Social Anxiety

Habit – -an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary” (http://dictionary.reference.com/). If you have some bad habits, you may not even realize how unhealthy they really are, because you’re so much used to doing those things that you don’t even give it a second thought. Some of these unhealthy habits may be directly associated with your social anxiety, depression and your overall mental and emotional health. You’ve probably heard a phrase -healthy body – healthy mind”, so why don’t we keep our body healthy if we want to rid ourselves of social anxiety once and for all? The reason may be our bad habits, the way our brain has learned to behave in a certain way over a long period of time. I’d like to share some of the unhealthy habits I used to have at the peak of my social anxiety:
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One of the most damaging misconceptions a person with social anxiety disorder is prone to hold onto is the concept that they cannot be saved. The reason that myth is held so firmly by those who are so unfortunate as to have this debilitating phobia is that the most dominant feeling you have when you are in the midst of a panic attack or suffering the effects of social anxiety is helplessness. But when anybody who is suffering with a disability or an illness gives up like that, doctors as well as family and friends have an uphill battle to try and help you.
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Like many psychological disorders such as bipolar syndrome and severe phobias, social anxiety disorder is a problem that you may have to learn to live with. While therapy and skilled psychological treatment can virtually eliminate the symptoms of the problem, these solutions can take a great deal of time and patience. In order to help someone who is suffering with the ugly consequences of social anxiety disorders, one step that can be a big help is to empower the patient with the ability to cope with the process so that the one who is enduring social anxiety can muster the patience to step through the therapy on the road to total recovery.
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Heres something you can try on your own. The first time I did this, I was amazed at the difference it made.

Pick a day when you are feeling good. This is important because, if you have things on your mind, or you have just endured some negative experience, this wont work. Fortunately, everyone eventually has a day where they feel just a little better than normal. Im convinced that this has a lot to do with our body and brain chemistry. (more…)

Society operates according to its own rules when it comes to social interaction. Regardless of how we would like things to function, we, nevertheless, must tailor our approach according to a protocol that has been thousands of years in the making.

And what if we dont conform? Well, Ive personally tried the rebel approach and did my own thing while ignoring the rules. The result was a very lonely, anxious, depressed existence.
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Social anxiety disorder has been a problem for me since early childhood, but its only recently that Ive discovered it is the result of bad programming and bad habits. I apologize to anyone that thinks Im over-simplifying matters. As always, Im relating my discussion to my own personal experiences.

Ill talk about bad programming first.
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Social anxiety disorder had won the first round, but I was back to try again. This seemingly insignificant achievement made me proud. In previous years, I would have found a way to get out of there and avoid any further punishment. I would have gone into a full-blown depression for a week or so, running the events through my head hundreds of times - beating myself up for being so weak and pathetic.

However, today was not that day. I felt a surge of confidence simply because I was now able to recover from a negative encounter. I felt a little more mature and capable. Its hard to describe in words, really. (more…)

Have you ever had days where you feel completely uninspired? When even the simplest of tasks seems overwhelming, and any effort to make a difference and accomplish something (anything) is lost in a sea of indifference, mediocrity, and hopelessness.

I would venture to guess that just about everyone (SA or not) gets a little down in the dumps every now and then. However, I always felt that because of my social anxiety, I suffered through more of these episodes than the average person. I suppose its the sensitivity aspect of SA and the fact that I feel I have had more negative experiences than the average person. (more…)

My long-term goal is to overcome social anxiety disorder and start living a normal life.

Well¦Duh!

Ok, an overly simplified, but true, statement. Its just too bad that getting there wasnt as simple.

The fact of the matter is that I may never reach that ideal stage - well, at least not without some kind of personality transplant. Its always good to have high hopes and even higher goals, but does that automatically make one a failure unless those goals are reached?

My all-or-nothing mindset says yes, however, Ive learned that it is possible to achieve success without absolutely owning that ultimate goal. Ive learned to accept small achievements and I can see my life improving in ways that I couldnt have imagined.

So, until I can say that Ive beaten this thing, Ill relish my accomplishments along the way. As they say, getting there is half the fun.

Here are 10 things I do to improve my quality of life while I exist (somewhat) harmoniously with social anxiety disorder: (more…)

Social anxiety disorder, for me, is a force to be reckoned with. It has dominated my life for 30+ years, and although Ive managed to develop ways to start living a somewhat normal life, I fear that it will always be there to some extent. (more…)