I have taken one tiny baby step towards curing my social anxiety. Yesterday was a turning point for me....all along I thought I was improving as a person and being more sociable, but being in a reunion with some of my old high school friends made me realize I haven't actually changed at all....my anxiety was just as high as ever, my conversational skills just as poor. My so called "improvement"? That was nothing more than avoiding potentially challenging situations. I learned to simply talk to "safe" people, or talk to people about "safe" topics like school, and only say "safe" words, that are designed to appease and not offend. I was doing this completely subconsciously-- all the while I thought I was being free-spirited.
So I said, no more....I'm going to do whatever it takes to get rid of my anxiety, even if it means i'll be uncomfortable at first. I found an eBook called The Shyness and Social Anxiety System by Sean Cooper. It made me realize that its not enough to just put yourself out there. You have to truly face your fears, watch your anxiety instead of trying to suppress it, ignore it, or run from it. Even if you fail, facing your fears is the first step. Talking to people with this new mindset, I realize that a lot of the things I say to people are not a reflection of who I am, but rather designed to protect myself from judgment. Nobody will ever like you if you aren't honest about who you are. I tried things today, that invoked that sense of anxiety and uncertainty...and guess what, they are not that bad at all, once you see it through. I said things I wouldn't normally say, and guess what, life goes on! I'm still alive right?
Anyways just a little bit of inspiration, I hope I have helped someone out there
So I said, no more....I'm going to do whatever it takes to get rid of my anxiety, even if it means i'll be uncomfortable at first. I found an eBook called The Shyness and Social Anxiety System by Sean Cooper. It made me realize that its not enough to just put yourself out there. You have to truly face your fears, watch your anxiety instead of trying to suppress it, ignore it, or run from it. Even if you fail, facing your fears is the first step. Talking to people with this new mindset, I realize that a lot of the things I say to people are not a reflection of who I am, but rather designed to protect myself from judgment. Nobody will ever like you if you aren't honest about who you are. I tried things today, that invoked that sense of anxiety and uncertainty...and guess what, they are not that bad at all, once you see it through. I said things I wouldn't normally say, and guess what, life goes on! I'm still alive right?
Anyways just a little bit of inspiration, I hope I have helped someone out there