It’s not easy to live with Social Anxiety disorder but there are simple steps you can take to make life easier. Learning to control your emotions and thoughts is not easy but it is possible to gain a considerable amount of control in little time. Small improvements can be made to gradually change the way you feel and react in situations.
Start by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones in social situations. Avoid talking to yourself in a negative manner. Using the power of visualizations, practice being a pillar of confidence everyday. Gradually these positive behaviors will begin to emerge with enough practice.
Often for the sufferer, social anxiety symptoms can be triggered with just the mere thought of an embarrassing social experience. This is because the nervous system cannot tell the difference between a vividly imagined experience and a real one. This can be used with positive effect. With each incident that triggers anxiety, vividly imagine everything going smoothly beforehand.
Every person has experienced an embarrassing moment that they’d rather forget. Don’t replay bad experiences in your head over and over again. We tend to blow bad experiences out of proportion and avoid similar situations in the future. Making mistakes is part of life so don’t take bad experiences get the better of you.
If you can’t stop thinking about something, use distractions; go for a run, exercise, watch a movie or take a bath. You can also try and replay situations in a positive way and change the memory in your mind. Add bright colors, make things silly and funny, and see yourself redoing everything with confidence.
Make little changes to the way you act such as your posture or increasing the loudness of your voice. Think of a person that is self-assured and confident and try to be like them. How do they stand, talk and move? What makes them appear confident? Practice these new behaviors everyday and gradually introduce them into your social life.
Stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine should be avoided as they will only worsen social anxiety symptoms. Herbal drinks such as chamomile are non-caffeinated and relaxing. Give yourself time to relax when you get home; watch comedies, take a bath or listen to some soothing music.
Following these simple steps can help you overcome social anxiety. Behavioral and emotional changes take time, so be persistent. In addition there are advanced techniques you can follow to fast-track changes. Get more answers at my blog on social anxiety.
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