Archive for the ‘Metaphorically speaking...’ Category

My next move?

If social anxiety disorder could have been conquered by gradually increasing exposures, implementing coping techniques, and building on previous experiences, then I believe I would have overcome my condition much sooner. I would have simply followed the directions, and presto – a new me.

The 6-step social anxiety cycle

Now that I had peeled back the layers and uncovered the source of my social anxiety and poor self-esteem, I had to determine the best way to interrupt the negative cycle that had developed over the years. Attacking it head-on seemed pointless – it was too powerful and had way too much momentum.

Self-esteem and the belief system

I have been writing about my social anxiety for a while now. I’ve talked about the different layers involved and how it seems that there is no end to it – just one level after the other.
I decided that confidence and self-esteem would be one entire section of my new foundation. Then I discovered that [...]

A comfortable rut

I was comfortable in my routine – a little too comfortable, actually. The problem was that I also felt like there was something horribly wrong with me. My brain/subconscious was completely comfortable in the rut that it had been in for years. It was a familiar rut and the brain had all the various auto-responses [...]

Interpreting society

I was determined to get to the root causes of my social anxiety. However, just when I thought I had broken things down to the most basic level, I would discover a few more under that. Where would it end?

Social anxiety and self-esteem

Building self-esteem is no small task. In my case, I had nothing to work with. My self-confidence was non-existent. If it was ever there at all, it had been slowly eroded over decades. Each negative experience taking a small amount away until there was nothing left.

Starting with self-esteem

My task seemed insurmountable. Why couldn’t I just accept myself as I was, and continue on with life? Well, because life had backed me into a corner and was waiting for me to make the next move. Yeah, I could have carried on as things were, but it wouldn’t have been much of an existence. [...]

A clean slate

As mentioned in my previous posts, I have tried to “kick” the SA habit many times. Unfortunately, it was always short lived. I always attributed that to lack of motivation on my part, but that wasn’t really the case. I would start out with enthusiasm and high hopes, but with each attempt to make some [...]