Social anxiety is a horrific and life consuming state to be in. It can often feel that there is no way to change the thoughts of distress, humiliation, and fear. Fortunately there is a way, quite a few of them in fact. When confronting your social anxiety disorder you may seek professional advice from a doctor. It’s common to be prescribed medication such as antidepressants or similar. However, these only mask the symptoms and won’t help you in overcoming social anxiety .
There are countless methods to utilise when dealing with a stressful situation.However, learning to breathe through the stress is one of the most straightforward. The correct breathing can play a massive role in reducing those stress levels you feel when you find yourself encountering some form of social anxiety.
To begin the process of overcoming social anxiety it is first necessary to understand what it means, for the disorder is often misunderstood. Many people are shy, tentative and apprehensive when presented with social situations, and may have difficulty opening up. They hesitate to become involved in personal relationships, often fearing ridicule or scrutiny.
The key to overcoming social anxiety is not to highlight the environment of fear. This could be counterproductive to your treatment and may worsen the condition. A therapist that employs a ‘shock’ approach and tells you that you have to face your fears will lead you nowhere. Overcoming social anxiety requires repetitive cognitive behavioral therapy that approaches the problem in a painless way. The therapy should be supplemented by group support and constant exposure to social situations.
In most people who suffer from SAD, the social experiences that they have had in their past life play an important role. Social anxiety patients might have suffered from uneasy situations with their peers or at school. Submissive methods might have been used in their behavior modification such as using corporal punishment to train them or using comparison or humiliation techniques by their parents or teachers.
The most difficult part of the process of overcoming social anxiety disorder (and shyness) is retraining your mental habits and going against your natural inclinations. With effort and practice, you can do this.
It’s not easy overcoming social anxiety, but doing so will improve your life significantly. Many of you will probably cringe at the ideas that are presented below. If you’re serious about improving, then you have little alternative than to take the plunge, the sooner the better.