Archive for the ‘Going live’ Category

Social anxiety disorder loses its grip - a little

Social anxiety disorder has been a problem for me since early childhood, but it’s only recently that I’ve discovered it is the result of bad programming and bad habits. I apologize to anyone that thinks I’m over-simplifying matters. As always, I’m relating my discussion to my own personal experiences.
I’ll talk about bad programming first.

The company Christmas party - the end

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 company Christmas party - even more

Walking through the noisy, crowded living room (beer in hand), trying to appear normal, I felt like such a loser. Everyone - and I mean, everyone - seemed to be talking and laughing with someone else. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was so frustrated at that point, I felt tears welling up in [...]

The company Christmas party - still more

As we entered the living/family room, my boss offered us a drink. He then looked at me and said the strangest thing:
“Relax Drew, we’re all friends here. You’re going to have a great time.”
Sort of an odd thing to say, but he does know how quiet I am most of the time. Maybe he saw [...]

The company Christmas party - more

Yeah, a sense of belonging can go a long way.
I couldn’t believe how much it changed things. After all these years of facing society alone, I finally had someone in my corner. Of course, my co-workers didn’t have a clue. I’m sure they would have considered that awful strange.
Nevertheless, there I was, standing in the [...]

The company Christmas party

Our company Christmas party took place a few weeks ago. I estimate that there were about 80-100 people there. Fortunately, my boss has a huge house so, although there was a large number in attendance, it wasn’t crowded and you still had room to walk around.
The restaurant employs 14 people, including me, so you can [...]

10 things I do to improve my quality of life

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. It’s just too bad that getting there wasn’t as simple.
The fact of the matter is that I may never reach that “ideal” stage – well, at least not without some kind of [...]

A more subtle approach

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

10 mistakes I made in the past

My last two entries are typical of the problems I encountered while trying to get along with people (groups) back then. Now, I’d be lying if I said that I have improved a great deal since; however, the gains I have made feel permanent.
What changed? Well, for one, my approach. After having zero success with [...]

Hiding behind a false image

Understanding likeability and the law of attraction is important; however, simply “getting” the concept is only a fraction of what it takes to make real change. Implementing strategies will be easier said than done.
I have a good idea of how I would like to be perceived by society, but I’m failing miserably when it [...]