Social Anxiety Disorder, also called social phobia, is a condition characterized by severe fear and discomfort in the real or perceived presence of other people.
The anxiety can be caused by a specific social situation, like meeting strangers or being in the center of attention. It can also be generalized, or what psychologists call “free floating anxiety”. In the latter kind of social anxiety, the negative feelings have no exact focus, but it comes along during social situations.
Knowing more about this illness, and arming yourself with the basic relaxation techniques, are basic ways to overcome social anxiety.
Here are a few more:
Practice desensitization.
Desensitization means gradually and systematically exposing yourself to what you fear the most, so that you can learn to manage it. For instance, if meeting new people is what scares you the most, you can learn how to manage it by breaking the object of your fear into bite-sized pieces.
Begin by learning how to be in the same room with strangers for the first time, then just how to say hello, and only when you’re ready do you practice small talk. You may also desensitize yourself by talking to just one stranger a day, two the next day, gradually increasing the number until you don’t notice your symptoms anymore. Starting with online interactions before moving to face-to-face ones may also be helpful for individuals with social anxiety disorder.
The great thing about desensitization is that it allows you to control your pace. You can take as long as you’d like to get out of your comfort zone; no one is forcing you to make immediate changes. It also allows you to regularly have small victories, which is great in sustaining hope and motivation.
Manage your health and wellness.
Many people do not see the link between physical health and anxiety. This is especially true for social anxiety disorder which many presume to be simply a matter of simply interacting with other people.
The fact is, anxiety reactions are also a physical phenomenon. And improving our health can help a lot in managing our anxiety problems.
Here are some things that can help:
Steer clear of foods that are known to induce or exacerbate anxiety symptoms. These include caffeine-laden drinks like coffee, soda and tea. It also covers other stimulants like alcohol and nicotine.
It is also advisable to get enough sleep. An alert and energetic mind and body gives you more resources in dealing with an anxiety attack if it does come. People who do not get a full 8 hour sleep are more prone to experience anxiety symptoms.
Steer clear of activities that encourage social isolation.
The fact is, the best way to learn how to handle a social anxiety attack is to go out and interact! You can do is in a slow, gradual and safe way, but make sure you do it. We need to interact with others to survive and achieve a fulfilled life, and so there is really no avoiding other people.
For this to happen, junk coping styles that just promote social isolation and keep you from learning any social skills. This includes the excessive use of TV, computers, and video games. Being a homebody 24-7 is also not conducive to overcoming social anxiety. Indeed, the less more you tend to keep to your self, the more intimidating the object of your fears become.
Shock your system out of its fear!
One of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to approach it with sense of humor. Do something insane that would knock you off your comfort zone, or would just be plain fun for you.
For instance, if you want to master the art of meeting people, but feel anxious about self-presentation, why not go around town in clothes you wouldn’t normally wear? Perhaps you can even make up a new identity and introduce yourself as someone else! A bizarre exercise like this does no harm, and may even jolt you out of the restrictions of your fears!
Alan Pearce has put together a complimentary report on how to recognise, cope with and overcome Social Anxiety Disorder that will help you become a more positive and confident person. To download it instantly visit www.social-anxiety-secrets.com
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