How to control social anxiety?
This is a question for which the answer has been sought by many, the world over. Unfortunately, for some, they will fear social interaction but not realise they suffer from a social anxiety disorder. Nor, more importantly, realise that it can in fact be cured.
Social anxiety is not rare. Indeed, according the US National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), social anxiety is the most common social anxiety disorder.
It has a very far reaching impact on sufferers. Social situations are viewed with abject dread (many preferring to remain cocooned in their little shell). And public speaking, should the need arise, is an absolute nightmare, in which nerves become grossly over exaggerated, as do reflexes.
It’s a condition that has a number of symptoms. Sufferers not only dread any social event but they dread even the thought of having to attend one in the future. Symptoms include excessive trembling, a rapid heartbeat, profuse sweating, and constant blushing. But it’s the fear that gets sufferers most.
This article sets out some basic tips but there is also a wealth of additional ‘how to’ information at the links further below.
Learn the art of relaxation
Your mental state goes into overdrive very quickly and you need to learn how to establish a mindset to slow it down. Aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, etc., are all great mind state enhancers which will enable the condition you need to establish before you can exercise some form of control. But this is only the first step, amongst a number of other steps you need to enrol.
Get enough sleep
You make things ten times worse when you’re body and mental state is already tired but you continue to remain awake. When you’re mind is tired, but does not get sleep, you cultivate fertile ground for negative feelings which culminate in anxious thoughts.
Re-program your brain
It’s very important you embark on a self help program in which you adjust your brain to change the way it perceives events currently.
Just as there is a negative way to view every aspect of life so, equally, there is a positive way to do exactly the same thing.
You’re actually just the same as everyone else. You have the same brain and you have the same switching functionality. Only difference being your negative switch is turned on, and your positive switch turned off. It’s very simple, get your switching turned the other way (just like positive people have it set).
Keep doing what you’re doing
Trying to hide isn’t going to solve your problem. You need to face up to your dilemma. But just confronting the events which make you so uncomfortable is probably going to make you feel worse. But, if you learn how to re-program your switching first, you will be able to do anything you want.
It may be hard to appreciate right now but, by continuing to be socially inept, means that a great source of life’s enjoyment is unavailable to you and you’re missing out. The daft thing is, it’s easy to resolve, and you can start resolving it right away.
If you have a severe anxiety disorder you can seek professional help. Trouble is, many will just prescribe an antidepressant. You don’t really want this as it only suppresses the feeling for a while, has uncomfortable side effects, and is something on which you could become dependent. In other words, it leads to other problems (which will only add to your anxious state).
Another common traditional treatment is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which attempts to understand your psychological make-up when reacting to uncomfortable events. This enables the doctor to help train you to see outcomes differently and more constructively. It can be a very useful technique. But it doesn’t work for everybody.
However, thanks to tons of great research, over the past three decades, there are now many self-help programs which come with expert instruction and in which you can engage, by yourself, quietly in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
And the other great thing is, once you know which of these novel approached works best, the results can be rapid and astounding. For more information, click on the links below.
Douglas Barker is renowned for delivering comprehensive key fact sheets in the area of life enhancement. This includes specialist advice at the How to Control Anxiety site, where you will also find crucial aids on social anxiety at the Control Anxiety page.
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