[ShyRyder]

Hey can you guys give me a hand in doing an exercise to get control of my SA. In “overcoming anxiety for dummies” the exercise requires that you construct a tower consisting of all fears relating to socializing. The idea is only through exposure can you come to grip with your fears. I’m trying to come up with a tower that I can do on a daily basis. Any suggestion or comments will help

Speaking in front of a class or large group. Anxiety:95

Speaking in front of group at party. Anxiety:90

Talking to a stranger at the mall. Anxiety:85

Walking around the mall saying hi. Anxiety:75

Talking to a stranger on street, bus stop, or shop. Anxiety:65

Having a conversation to a stranger on the phone. Anxiety:55

 

[michaelg]

What about observant anxiety--writing, eating, peeing?

 

[Lost_in_the_Ivy]

A few that I thought of...

1) Talking to authority figures (teachers/professors, bosses, etc.)

2) Extending an invitation to a friend or acquaintance to join you in an activity

3) The big one...initiating conversation with the opposite sex, and

4) Asking someone out on a date

 

[bk]

I did a list like this for therapy, I came up with ~40 things. I haven't worked on doing many of them yet :stu

 

[Jolese]

I used this type of technique in therapy several years back and found it to be very effective. For me, whenever I got stuck on a step, which happened often, my challenge was to break it down into a smaller step so that it didn't feel impossible. I was able to do things that on the outset didn't even seem imaginable, and my anxiety level dropped, so I definately say it works.

I hope all goes well in your efforts and if you get a chance to write about your experiences, I would be interested to hear how things went. Good luck.