6 Habits to Improve Your Mood and Reduce Your Social Anxiety

It’s believed that, in most cases, social anxiety is driven by mindset, rather than a chemical imbalance. It tends to go hand in hand with negative thinking, and interpreting situations as being much worse than they really are. As such, it’s a good idea to work on improving your mental processes if you want to overcome social anxiety for good.

Abraham Lincoln once said that “most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” So if you are already feeling depressed, settling for feeling down won’t fix the problem. Why not choose to be happy instead? You won’t lose a single thing if you chose to smile.

I know this is easier said than done, but learning how to maintain a happy state of mind is key to being able to overcome social anxiety for good through correcting the negative thoughts that drive it. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one way, and there are many other healthy habits you can adopt that will improve your mood and reduce your social anxiety as a result.

Here are six habits for improving the way you think, feel and behave in social situations:

1. Waking up early

Early risers are generally happier and healthier than those who prefer the night life, this is according to a study by the researchers from the University of Toronto. “Society’s expectations are far more organized around a morning-type person’s schedule.” says Renee Biss, a graduate student research at the University of Toronto.

I always consider myself as an early riser. I love the fresh atmosphere in the morning, I notice that I am more enthusiastic to face the day whenever I wake up early. I accomplish more and everything seems to be easy. I don’t like to rush myself to office or scramble myself to catch a meeting.

2. Daily Exercise

Maintaining a moderate exercise everyday will not only help you sleep better, keep your heart healthy and keep your body in shape but also helps to lighten up your mood the entire day. When you are physically active you will have a sense of accomplishment in attaining your fitness goals and most likely inspired to accomplish more during the day.

According to a study conducted at Penn State, people who are more physically active have also shown greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm than people who are less active physically. “David Conroy, a professor of kinesiology also suggest that it is more effective to set short term goals in exercising to stay motivated, to be able to keep up with the program that they started.

3. Make a habit of Disengaging yourself

Giving yourself a time to regain your strength back after a long day of exhaustion at work is important to be equally happy when you return home at night. There are times that stress gets you and people who are often stressed out during the day have difficulty sleeping at night. It’s because they did not give themselves a time to disengage themselves from their stressors.

The book entitled “The Power of Full Engagement” by Loehr and Schwarz talked about how to disengage yourself periodically and seek renewal to fully achieve happiness and prosperity in life.

4. Help Others

A survey conducted by Do Good Live Well Survey in 2010 has found out that most of those who volunteered have shown a positive impact on their lives. Most of the volunteer feel that their participation made them physically healthier, lowered their stress levels and improved their sense of well-being.

I can speak from my own experience that unbelievable feeling of happiness whenever I participate with the feeding program of my church. It increases my satisfaction for a moment, it gives me a sense of meaning and purpose.

5. Learn new skills

A key to happiness is when you don’t lack enthusiasm to tackle each day with eagerness and excitement. Maintaining that level of enthusiasm is hard, but by learning some new stuff and a new skill perhaps will give you a new goal to fill.

6. Have multiple ways to “WIN” each day

Challenging yourself to achieve your short term goals would give you a complete boost on your ego and would feel accomplished at the end of the day. Of course there are always blunders that would make it more difficult for you. But instead of feeling disappointed and giving up, why not challenge yourself to win them over.

Overcoming social anxiety disorder comes from adopting healthy ways of thinking and making small changes that raise your self esteem.  It can be a long process,but through adopting habits, like those listed above, you can learn how to improve your mood and reduce your social anxiety for good.

N.B. Remember, if social anxiety disorder is adversely affecting your life and making you feel depressed then you should always consult a medical professional, like a doctor or psychologist for professional advice. The severity of social anxiety can vary tremendously between individuals and what helps some people overcome it might not be as effective for others.

Originally posted 2014-10-22 21:48:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Is Agoraphobia the Same as Social Anxiety Disorder?

I remember when my social anxiety was at its peak going outside could seem daunting. The solitude and security of home was far more preferable to running the gauntlet of (perceived) threats and negative stares from going outdoors. But staying insider forever isn’t an option for most people, unless you’re a reclusive millionaire that can hide in their luxury apartment without having to go to work. For this reason, social anxiety can often be confused with agoraphobia, when the two conditions are actually different branches of the anxiety disorders tree.

What is agoraphobia?

As you probably already know, social phobia is a fear of social situations and the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings they can trigger. The most up-to-date research believes this is due to our bodies perceiving threats inaccurately and then triggering our ‘fight or flight’ mode. The result is that our heart rate increases, we become more aware of our surroundings and we feel anxious in anticipation of an imminent threat. It’s also believed that social anxiety disorder commonly develops during childhood, as a result of negative social experiences that cause the formation of an inaccurate belief system on the threat posed by other people.

Agoraphobia, on the other hand, isn’t a fear of people but rather a fear of having a panic attack in an open space without the ability to escape. It can be triggered whenever people with agoraphobia feel as though they are in a situation they can’t control, and no longer feel the security of their home surroundings. Like social anxiety, when sufferers are outside of their comfort zone then their ‘fight of flight’ mode is triggered, leading to a sense of panic, anxiety and fear of perceived threats (which don’t actually exist).

Agoraphobia is believed to develop as a result of genetics, life experiences and individual temperament, which cause people to reach a heightened sense of anxiety and a fear of having a panic attack in public spaces. Unlike social anxiety, people with agoraphobia can function perfectly normally around other people in their own home, where they feel safe. They can chat, laugh and feel relaxed around strangers. It’s only when they step out of the door that their threat impulses kick in and they start to panic and feel afraid.

While the conditions differ, treatment is the same 

Social anxiety and agoraphobia both fall underneath the umbrella term of anxiety disorders. While the triggers are different the symptoms and treatment are the same. Both social phobia and agoraphobia can be treated through changing the subconscious belief system that drives them. Both conditions can have a wide range of severities, and as such the treatment required needs to be tailored for the individual.

As always, the first step is to visit your doctor (or in severe cases they should be able to come to your home) for a diagnosis and professional advice on the best course of action. This could include cognitive behavioural therapy, to address the negative and inaccurate thoughts driving the anxiety disorder, medication to dampen the symptoms and other types of therapy, such as gradual exposure or group therapy.

The key takeaway from this post is that both agoraphobia and social anxiety are treatable conditions. They are both well researched conditions with a diagnosis and a cure. As such, you don’t have to live with them forever. The first step is reaching out and asking for help and then finding the path that will enable you to challenge your inaccurate, uncomfortable thoughts and rewire your brain to attend social events and to go out in public without fear.

Originally posted 2013-05-21 10:45:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Top 10 Natural Social Anxiety Disorder Remedies

There are some people who immediately turned to prescription drugs to have a quick fix with their social anxiety. However the problem with prescriptions is that they often have a lot of side effects and can cause additional issues which include dependency and additional stress. Natural cures and remedies for social anxiety have been around long before prescription drugs were even discovered. So before deciding to go for any prescription medicines, why not try some home remedies or treatments for reducing your social anxietyfirst.y

Natural treatments have different effects for some people just like prescription medicines but they have lesser or no side effects at all to your body. These natural social anxiety treatments have been here for thousand of years and their effectiveness are proven quiet well through generations.

So, if you are anxious, worried, upset and your heart is beating fast you may try out these simple remedy treatments at home:

1. Cold Showers
Nothing is more soothing and comforting than a cold shower. So if your anxiety increases having a cold shower always helps to renew your body’s natural temperature and level of blood flow. What I like about this is it offers an immediate relief to calm and relax your senses.

2. Rhodiola

A recent open-label study has supported the use of rhodiola for treating anxiety. Rhodiola is known as “golden root” or “arctic root” that has long been used as a traditional medicine to promote good health, strength, endurance and physical and mental performance.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the most common natural social anxiety disorder remedies you can find in your kitchen is Apple cider vinegar. It contains a number of vitamins and minerals that help restore the natural balance of the body. Apple cider vinegar is best taken before meals because they help break down proteins into amino acids. These amino acids are also instrumental for the creation of serotonin, which is one of our “feel-good” neurotransmitters.

Serotonin elevates mood and helps us to feel relaxed, both of which are extremely important in fighting off symptoms of anxiety and depression.

4. Teas

Teas work great in helping your body process stress, relax and heal from depletion that can occur as a result of long-term stressors. There are a variety of teas that contain components which help aid in the reduction of tension and calm your body, mind and soul, making it one of the best natural social anxiety remedies. Chamomile, cloves, lavender, orange blossoms and thyme are just some of the most popular teas that you can use to help control your anxiety.

5. Childhood Flashbacks

A good way to relieve your social anxiety is by distressing yourself. Some people have calmed their anxiety by transporting themselves back in time and reminiscing happy childhood memories, back when things were much simpler and less stressful. Smelling familiar scents are found to be effective in reducing panic attacks and anxiety. A Research Foundation in Chicago suggests using baby powder, which has been found to work for just about every individual.

6. Vitamin Supplements

A low diet or mineral and vitamin deficiency can lower mood which is a big factor especially if you have social anxiety problems. You can boost your intake of vitamins by reaching for supplements like calcium, magnesium, and B-complex.

7. Avoid refined Sugars and Carbohydrates

You should look out for your diet, learn about the foods to eat or avoid in order reducing your anxiety. Choose food that are low in sugar and plenty of healthy whole grains.

8. Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have tons of side effects to your body and one of them is anxiety and depression. It is suggested to lessen your use of artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Nutrisweet, and Equal.

9. Hydrotherapy

As the name suggest this therapy uses water as a method to relieve you of some of the discomfort that anxiety brings, and is a great natural social anxiety remedy.

10. Warm Bath

Nothing is more relaxing than a warm bath to comfort your senses and relieve the tension caused by social phobia. Next time if you have anxiety attacks try plunging deep into your favorite novel to relieve some of the tension-filled symptoms associated with anxiety. A warm bath is also great if you’re suffering from insomnia as well.

Originally posted 2015-01-05 05:26:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Coping with Criticism if You Suffer from Socially Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is rooted in the chronic fear of being negatively judged or insulted. If you’re suffering from the low self esteem that partners social phobia then criticism always seems spiteful and upsetting because it triggers your self punishing, painful thoughts.

However, there shouldn’t be any reason for you to live in chronic fear of barbed comments if you can teach yourself how to respond objectively, and even be able to disarm insults like a master swordsman when they occur.

The isolation brought upon by social anxiety is normally partnered by depression and low self esteem. When you’re feeling rotten and worthless your thought patterns and emotions are shrouded in gloom by the black clouds that follow you around. This means that whenever anybody says anything degrading you’re likely to exaggerate its significance, take it to heart and incorrectly think it means you’re a worthless person.

How cognitive behavioural therapy can help

Thinking negatively and exaggerating the significance of the things people say is a thinking error brought upon by your depression, which prevents you from interpreting what people say in a realistic, objective manner.

Cognitive behavioural therapy teaches you how to identify the negative beliefs and thinking errors that make you get upset whenever you’re criticised. You can then learn to recognise unhelpful thinking errors when they occur and replace them with more positive, realistic thoughts.

This obviously sounds a lot easier said than done, and it can take many months to start changing the way you automatically think and feel. However, it has been clinically proven that it can be done, and CBT provides you with a goal orientated framework for overcoming your social anxiety a step at a time.

Once you’re able to assess the things people say more objectively you’ll then be able to apply a more logical approach to criticism and not take it so personally.

Learn how to interpret comments objectively

If there is an element of truth to someone’s comments then you should use it as an opportunity to learn about your mistakes and how you can correct your behaviour. You’re only human after all and will always make mistakes from time to time. And because you’re human you also constantly developing, so criticism can sometimes give you a few pointers to show you how to grow as a person.

On the other hand, if after assessing criticism objectively you think somebody is just being rude or insulting then their comments shouldn’t have the power to upset you. Why should you feel hurt or devalued because of somebody else’s mistake in judgement?

Remember that it’s not the things people say that can make you feel upset – it’s how you interpret them.

How to handle insults

In Dr David D. Burns’ ‘Feeling Good’ (a global bestseller which has shifted over three million copies) he teaches an ’empathy and disarming’ technique for responding to insults without hurling them back or running home to hide under your bed covers.

Firstly, you have to emphasise with your attacker – objectively assess why they are attacking you. What is the basis for their barbed comments?

By listening and asking for clarification on why they are being insulting, you can calm them down by letting them know that you are listening and can prevent the situation escalating into full scale warfare.

Using empathy is an opportunity to understand if there is any basis to the insults, or if the attacker is just being offensive.

The next stage is to use the ‘disarming technique’ to defuse the situation without losing your temper or losing face. Simply find a way to agree with an aspect of what your attacker is saying, whether you believe it or not, and that way you can disarm their barbed thrusts with the skill of musketeer:

Attacker: ‘You’re a loser.”

You: “Well, I certainly make mistakes sometimes and I’m not the greatest sportsman. There’s certainly areas in which I could improve, but doesn’t everybody.”

Attacker: “You’re a skinny, stupid waster with nothing to offer anybody.”

You: “Yes I could certainly do with putting on some weight, I’m not going to be the world’s next Einstein and I could certainly apply myself better. But I have skills in other areas, just as everybody does, and I have lots to offer the people around me.”

By agreeing, if only partially, with their line of attack you simply take the air out of their sails and divert them from the collision course you’d be heading for if you were to fight fire with fire.

You feel the way that you think, so learn to change your negative thoughts

Being able to identify your positive attributes, rather than kick yourself over your weaknesses, is another skill taught by cognitive behavioural therapy, and is useful in being able to respond objectively to criticism and not take what people say to heart.

The key is to be able to react based on facts, rather than let disagreements deteriorate into name calling or a humiliating retreat.

With practice in learning how to respond in a more realistic, objective manner, you’ll find that the risk of criticism will no longer seem so terrifying, and your social anxiety will recede as a result.

Photo courtesy of Nika

Originally posted 2008-04-21 15:23:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Stanford Study finds the ‘Fear Center’ in Children that May Contribute to Social Anxiety as they Grow Up

Living in fear and excessive self consciousness is no way to live. Especially if you are just a kid. It’s hard to go through life and achieve your dreams if you were always anxious and calculated in every decision you make. Children are like delicate flowers that can easily be swayed and blown away by the force of nature. They tend to grow into their fears and not outgrow out of them.

Anxiety is a common mental health problem affecting many children and adolescents today. But the good thing is, it is a treatable condition. A new study from the Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine says that kids with anxieties, like social anxiety, have larger amygdale or what’s better known as “fear center” – a set of neurons located deeply in the brain’s medial temporal lobe. They have conducted the research involving 76 children among the ages of seven and nine years old, a period where the researchers can accurately identify the anxiety levels of the children.

But some agencies and organizations are skeptical about the cause and effect of the new study. However, this is good news for parents who have children who suffer from excessive fears and anxiety. The study may be a breakthrough for identifying in advance social anxiety disorder risks for children.

I for one have my own fair share of anxieties as a kid. I know people who have dealt with social anxieties growing up and most of them were saying that if only they have open up more to their parents as a child. They could have spared the burden of what social anxiety have cost their lives all throughout adolescence and adulthood. As parents, we should be the one responsible in giving our children the quality of life they deserve. We should be in more careful watch of our children’s behavior and how they respond to those around them. Identifying the symptoms of anxiety as early as possible and finding effective treatments is always the best way to give your children a full and happy life.

Originally posted 2014-07-10 22:02:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Can Botox Treat Social Anxiety and Depression? Or is it Just a Temporary Fix?

Botox is used to medically treat muscular conditions and cosmetically remove wrinkles by paralyzing the muscles. But the question is, how can it cure depression? Dr. Eric Finzi, a Maryland dermatologist, has suggested it could be used to treat depression. In his study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research,  Dr. Finzi observed a reported 52 percent reduction in depressed patients injected with Botox, compared to 15 percent in the ones who received the saline placebo. One of his patients who had undergone the Botox treatment revealed that the paralyzing effect of the Botox on her facial muscles enabled her to lightheartedly approach every problems she comes to face, making her feel less happy and unaffected with those people who surround her.

With smiling alone believed to improve happiness and reduce social anxiety, it could be that Botox also helps by numbing the muscles in the brows that create expressions of sadness, anger and fear. But making your outside expression seem joyful doesn’t really reflect what you feel deep inside. After a while the effects of the drugs subside and let you go back to your old self, as the paralyzing effect of the drugs on your face began to wear off and you start to feel the other half of your face.

Depression is a mixture of sad feelings that you feel inside you. Botox may help you cover up for your real emotions but it doesn’t erase those depressive feelings. That feeling of worthlessness will still remain and after four months when the Botox effect has all gone you are back to your old depressed self again. There is no short cut in treating depression.

Instead, deal with your depressing realistically; acknowledge the things that are failing you. Make a daily schedule of what you want to accomplish for the entire day. Exercise and eat healthily as regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to re focused in a more positive way, which also helps to reduce social anxiety .

Take responsibility and challenge those negative thoughts in your head. Depression is a mental state, if you can devise a way to shift your negative thoughts into something positive and life enriching  then there you can achieve a happy and fulfilling life ahead of you.

 

 

Originally posted 2014-07-17 11:03:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Getting Over Social Anxiety – 5 Healthy Habits

Are you tired of always worrying, feeling uneasy when trap in social situations and getting nauseous and agitated for no apparent reason at all? I know what it feels like to have social anxiety because I was living with all these excessive uneasiness ad apprehension all my life. Until I woke up one day and decided that I needed to find a way of getting over social anxiety for good. I needed to do something different to drive my life into a new direction, I wanted to try something exciting and challenging that I know I get scared of doing before. I hate that feeling of having no grip on everything that’s happening in my life.

I always set goals for myself but there are some things that hinder me from doing what I am suppose to do. There are so many “What If’s” in my head until I decided to set my mind to pursue them no matter how much it would cost me. That was the time that I realizes that not finding a way of getting over social anxiety was  holding me back from living a fulfilling life.

Getting over social anxiety is not easy, however if you follow these simple habits then maybe you’ll get a chance of taking control of your life?

Getting Over Social Anxiety Tip 1. Acknowledge your Social Anxiety

This is the first step and perhaps the most important step to overcoming anxiety. Do not pretend it’s not there, by acknowledging it you are opening yourself to an opportunity for treatment. Accept that you are suffering from anxiety and you need help. Share your anxious feelings with your loved ones, family, friends and relatives. You can also seek for a professional help to guide you on what you are going through.

Getting Over Social Anxiety Tip  2. Learn some simple steps on how to deal with your Anxiety Symptoms

After your acceptance, it is time to make an action plan on how to cope up with your anxiety. There are a lot of step by step processes online on how to manage your anxiety. The National Institute of Anxiety and Stress has also made a downloadable audio and workbook exercises that would help you on how to deal with anxiety symptoms quickly, using a simple three-step formula to stop intense anxiety and a guide on what you need to do when you are having a panic attack. These easy to follow steps can be found here: http://ift.tt/1NQcLbp

Getting Over Social Anxiety Tip 3. Use “Power” Language

Words is a powerful tool and when you use it the right way it cannot only change one person’s perspective but can be a big influence to those people around you. Most people who have anxiety disorder are fond of using negative words that can destroy their self confidence. They always see themselves as victim and a few negative words that can be heard from them include; can’t, always, never, and should.
Learn how to beat anxiety by changing these negative words into “power” language. Power language is words that boost your self-esteem and personal power. Instead of saying “I can’t control my anxiety” you can change it to power language and it will become like “I can control my anxiety, and I’m learning skills to conquer it.” Practice this daily and you will be amazed how it can change your life for the better.

Getting Over Social Anxiety Tip 4. Tone your Inner Power Daily

Just like what the popular adage say, “Practice makes perfect” Practicing a healthy life strategy everyday would eventually increase your capability to overpower your anxiety. Start doing today what you couldn’t do yesterday, make this a habit and it will eventually become automatic. This is how you create lasting freedom from anxiety.

Getting Over Social Anxiety Tip 5. Finally get into a realization that “Now” is the perfect time to start feeling better.

Don’t wait another day to start a change in your life. The thing is, if you always postpone change would never happen. Don’t make excuses, if you can’t tackle your anxiety right now then when? There is no such thing as a “perfect time” you will end up waiting a lifetime for changes to happen.

Originally posted 2014-11-29 12:39:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder. Does it work?

In treating Social Anxiety Disorders, research shows that therapy is the most effective option. It is because therapy in Anxiety Disorders does treat the root symptoms of the problem rather than papering over the cracks when relying on anti-anxiety medication alone. Various studies have proven that one of the best therapies for treating social anxiety disorder is through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a combination of various methods, strategies and techniques that has proven its effectiveness in the past. They used this approach to help people successfully overcome their particular emotional problems. CBT aims to address the negative patterns and distortions on the way we look at the world and ourselves.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has two main components:

Cognitive Therapy
It evaluates how our negative thoughts, or cognitions, contribute to anxiety. This basically means that it is our thoughts and not our outer environment affects the way we feel. It is our own perception of how things would eventually turn out that makes us either excited, neutral, happy, sad or anxious even the event has not yet taken place.
Behavioral Therapy
It examines how you behave and react in situations that trigger anxiety. This is however the opposite of cognitive therapy. In this scenario the event has already happened and your behavior is measured on how you react to the incident that took place. For example if you have done an embarrassing thing to the party that you attended, did you left with anger, were you sad, embarrassed or did you just took it lightly and shrugged it off as if nothing happened?
As a person who have been dealing with social anxiety disorder for a long time. I admit to have this sort of negative perceptions whenever I am anticipating a social gathering. There was a time that I was invited to my high school reunion. I was happy at first thought of seeing my high school classmates again after 10 years. But I eventually chicken out because of insecurity and I felt I haven’t accomplished that much compared to them. What if nobody would care to talk or what if someone remember my embarrassing moments in high school. I just couldn’t stand all those negative thoughts, so I did not show up at the end.

Improvement from cognitive behavioural therapy requires practice, patience and persistence

Cognitive restructuring or learning to think rationally is an essential component of cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder. However you cannot automatically shut off those negative thoughts in your head once you decide to turn it off. It doesn’t work that way, it requires a step by step process to achieve a rational and realistic thinking.

According to Thomas A. Richards, Ph.d., Psychologist at The Social Anxiety Institute, both the cognitive and behavioral therapy must be thorough and comprehensive for the successful treatment of social anxiety. Of course it would not be accomplished if not coupled with persistence, consistency and motivation, says Richards.

Originally posted 2014-12-15 06:26:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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YouTube Videos on Social Anxiety Disorder

Vladimir has recently overtaken the Shy and Quiet blog if you’d like to read a personal account on getting to grips with overcoming social anxiety. He’s also bravely posted some videos onto YouTube, which you might  find helpful, in which he discusses the causes of his problem and his determination to overcome them.

Whilst on YouTube I also stumbled upon this video featuring a former sufferer who has managed to overcome his social anxiety by realising why certain situations made him feel uncomfortable and then learning what he needed to do to overcome his social phobia.

I hope you find the videos useful, and you might also like to read some of the comments underneath to remind yourself that you’re not alone and that social anxiety is more common than you might think.

Originally posted 2009-02-07 19:55:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Top 5 Best Meditation Apps for Reducing Social Anxiety

From A-list celebrities to yoga mommies to top executives, all sort of people now use mediation to reduce their stress and anxiety. Meditation has ancient traditions, believed to have been first practiced by the Buddhist monks in Thailand as a path toward enlightenment and Nirvana. It helps to clear the mind and recognise troubling thoughts as merely passing traffic or leaves in the wind. For this reason, mindfulness meditation is highly recommended therapy for people who are suffering from social anxiety disorder, just like me.

It’s become easier than ever to try meditation with lots of new meditation apps you can download onto your smartphone or tablet, so you can help relax your mind and work towards reducing your social anxiety in a spare 10 minutes during the day.

If you’ve never tried it before, here’s my list of the top 5 best meditation apps that I personally recommend for reducing social anxiety disorder:

1. Relax Melodies

This app is great you’re suffering from a bout of insomnia. It lets you customize your own sleep soundtrack and save it for future use. The images, scenery of nature and breathtaking landscapes that the app provides will help you calm your brain and drift you off into slumber. The soothing sounds from the Relax Melodies app will gently lull you to sleep. Best to listen with good headphones or speakers, no interruption whatsoever from your surroundings and it would just take 10 minutes where your mind turns into meditative state.

2. Buddhist Meditation Trainer

The app is designed to serve as your daily reminder and to help you remain accountable to your meditation practice. It is definitely great if you want a moment of peace and take a few minutes of time out from your busy day. This app is your personal trainer for relaxing and enlightening meditation. It features 10 levels of enlightenment with deeper quotes to meditate on in every level.

3. Simply Being

The app is a meditation guide that will help you to stay on your present state, pushing those unwanted thoughts out of your mind through a calming voice from the app which will guide through your meditation session and help you find calm more quickly. You can select from 5 up to 20 minutes of meditation time. Simply Being App is simple, effective and quick to start. This is really helpful for those suffering wild mild panic attacks at night.

4. The Mindfulness App

Like Simply Being, this meditation apps is a straightforward and simple guided meditation sessions which can span from 3 to 30 minutes. Combined with modern technology and the ancient wisdom of mindfulness to get in contact of ourselves. Rather than letting your smartphones as a source of interruption or disruption in our lives. The mindfulness app converts your phone into an oasis of presents and tranquility.

5. Breathe2Relax

This is like a portable stress management device which caters detailed information on the effects of stress on the body as well as instructions and practice exercises. This is a great tool for professionals who are under a lot of stress at work and slow things down. If you are having a bad day at work, school or wherever let the Breathe2Relax app guide you through breathing sessions. You will find a better mood after a few minutes of simply following its instructions.

So if you’ve never tried mediation to reduce your social anxiety, I highly recommend downloading one of these to 5 best meditation apps and giving it a go. There are also lots of meditation videos on YouTube with soothing music, like this one…

Originally posted 2014-09-10 23:03:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Anxiety And Depression Across The UK [Infographic]

Anxiety is a complex and annoying mental condition that many people the world over suffer with, especially those in the UK. What with low unemployment rates and Christmas fast approaching it’s not a surprise that
more people than ever have had experience with it in some form. It can be hard for those around them too as a number of individuals don’t know the ins and outs that well.

The people at Klearminds have come up with a handy infographic detailing who suffers from it, what triggers it and how to cope with it as well as a bunch of interesting stats and facts. For instance, were you aware that two in every five workers experience anxiety? Why not have a look to see what you can learn:

Created by KlearMinds

Originally posted 2014-11-23 10:52:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Review Shyness and Social Anxiety System

 

The Shyness and Social Anxiety System is a social phobia support program created by Sean Cooper, an ex-sufferer of social anxiety and shyness. Comprising of three eBooks and a private member’s support group, Sean’s system provides a guide to the latest thinking on what causes social anxiety and the techniques he developed to overcome it and live a more fulfilling life.

There’s no shortage of books and websites that already cover the principles of what causes social anxiety and how it can be treated. And most of them are, quite frankly, cheaper than Sean’s $29 system. So is the investment worth it? Does it offer anything new that can knock aside the social phobia barrier that’s blocking your enjoyment of life? Or does it cover the same advice you can easily find elsewhere for less money?

What does the Shyness and Social Anxiety System cover?

The main 113 page eBook in the Shyness and Social Anxiety System takes a pragmatic approach to overcoming social phobia. Rather than dwell on the past and allow excuses for avoiding human interaction, it focuses on practical steps you can take to improve your social skills and life.

The first section discusses why social anxiety (in most instances) is a ‘learned behaviour’ driven by an extreme fear of people’s disapproval. While genetics and childhood environment can play a part, Sean focuses on how it isn’t  a condition you’re automatically born with or a physical problem that can only be numbed/treated with medication. As it’s a condition that’s learned, Sean explains how it can be unlearned.

How does Sean’s system help you to overcome social anxiety?

The cornerstone of overcoming social anxiety (in both my own and Sean’s opinion) is raising self esteem and changing your mindset. I remember that when I discovered that it was negative, inaccurate thoughts that were driving my social phobia it was like someone switching on the light. It gave me a vision of a way out of feeling isolated and uncomfortable all the time.

Hiding away at home and avoiding people isn’t the answer. Instead Sean’s answer is to embrace the fear that drives social anxiety, rather than run away from them. I know this sounds daunting, but Sean explains it really is the only long-term way – unless you want to spend your life on medication and the numbness that goes with it.

However, Sean doesn’t simply push you out the door and wish you the best. He outlines the techniques he used to respond to the uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms of social anxiety, such as muscle relaxation, acceptance of the problem and allowing yourself the flexibility to make mistakes.

The third part of the book focuses on how to correct what, most likely, is driving your social anxiety in the first place: an inaccurate value system and a low sense of self worth. Sean studies in-depth the reasons why your value system might be out of sync, such as basing your value system on comparisons with other people and why social anxiety, for many people, is driven by a feeling that you’re hiding a big secret which will cause people to reject you.

Does it cover anything new?

If you’ve already been reading up on social anxiety, been seeing a therapist or taken a cognitive behavioral therapy course then a lot of these principles probably sound familiar. And that’s not really surprising because we’re not walking around blindly grasping for explanations on what causes social anxiety. It affects millions of people around the world; it has been well researched and studied by clinical behavioral psychologists. We know why it happens and how to treat it.

However, what Sean’s book does do is offer a down practical advice on overcoming it. He writes in a friendly conversational tone that’s motivating and gets across the feeling that he’s there with you encouraging you to take the steps to deal with it. His approach of facing the fear and rewiring your brain, rather than relying on short-term coping strategies, is also a more ballsy and (in my opinion) effective approach then you might find elsewhere.

In addition, Sean goes beyond simply explaining how to feel more comfortable in social situations. He goes on to explain the steps you need to take to become more spontaneous and to speak without thinking (rather than mentally having to clear everything before you say it). This goes beyond the advice I’ve found elsewhere and can take you to a more advanced level of recovery.

What about the bonus eBooks?

In addition to the core eBook, you also get ‘What to Say Next’ and ‘Social Circle from Scratch’.

‘What to Say Next’  provides guidance on how to get better at what everyone with social anxiety struggles with: conversation. Sean explains how you can grow your conversational muscles through his ‘conversation thread technique’  which trains you to know how to respond to the things people say. The aim is that it enables you to become more immersed in subjects and conversation becomes natural as a result.

The ‘Social Circle from Scratch’ eBook outlines the tactics and techniques Sean developed for growing his social network. If you’ve been suffering from social anxiety for a long time then you might find yourself isolated and stuck at home wondering whether you’ll ever be able to enjoy the active life everyone else seems to lead. Sean explains how it can be done, through techniques such as getting on people’s social radar, ways of meeting people and how to strike up conversations.

Sean also drives home the importance of taking action. Staying at home feeling miserable is not going to help you. Taking steps, no matter how small, towards being more socially active is the only way.

I found both of the bonus eBooks to be very informative. They both covered principles I hadn’t read elsewhere and offer real, practical advice on the steps to take if you want to overcome your social anxiety and live a more fulfilling life.

So is the Shyness and Social Anxiety System worth the money?

I think deciding whether the Shyness and Social Anxiety System is worth buying really depends on where you are in your recovery. If you’ve already read some books on social anxiety (e.g. Feeling Good by Dr David Burns or Overcoming Social Anxiety by Gillian Butler) then many of the principles in the first half of the main eBook wont be anything new. However, Sean’s focus on facing the fear is an approach I’d recommend over the coping techniques covered in other books. I also think his conversational, easy to read style and the eBooks’ relatively short length will be more appealing to someone who’s just started on their road to  recovery and would like to understand the condition and what to do about it within an afternoon’s reading.

As always, if you’re suffering from severe social anxiety, and struggle to even get out of the house, then you should get professional help, whether it’s a doctor or a therapist. But in more moderate cases where you’re struggling with social interaction, suffer from the physical nervousness or want to stop feeling that you’re ‘being watched’ all the time then Sean’s system is certainly worth a look. $29 might sound like a lot, but if it saves you the time of piecing everything together yourself from around the internet, or the thought of reading a 300 page book sounds daunting, then Sean’s system is a good option. He also offers a 60 day money back guarantee, so if you’re not happy with the Shyness and Social Anxiety System then you can always get your money back.

Disclaimer – The links in this article are affiliate links. That means I earn commission for any sales of Sean’s system referred through this site. As an ex-sufferer, I hope you can trust in the fact that this is an honest review based on actually reading the books and judging how their information compares to my own experiences and research. But if you prefer, this is a non affiliated link to his website:  

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Originally posted 2013-01-13 17:48:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Feeling moody? Maybe it’s the weather

[photo courtesy James Jordan]

The brain is a complicated muscle, but one we’re learning more about all the time. Most people aren’t adversely affected by the changes in the weather as summer draws to a close, whilst some feel moody, drained and depressed with the arrival of cold winds and gray skies.

In the news recently the results of research was announced that identified a biological reason why two million people in the UK suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

Scientists from the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, conducted brain scans of 88 adults. They discovered that those who experienced low moods and depression in winter had a higher level of a specific protein than those who were unaffected by seasonal changes.

It’s believed that the identified protein soaks up serotonin (feel good chemical) in the brain, causing an adverse effect on people’s mood. It’s long been known that depression is accompanied by low serotonin levels, so the research further emphasises how important a healthy mind and body are for your sense of well being.

With anxiety being such a complicated and deep rooted issue I’d suggest that other factors are probably at play along with the higher levels of a certain protein. However, the fact that scientists are now able to identify some of the biological reasons why the brain behaves in a certain way emphasises the strides being made in understanding anxiety in all its forms.

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Originally posted 2008-09-02 16:26:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Creating Your Campaign For Overcoming Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is a difficult problem to overcome. But not impossible.

Once you’ve accepted that it’s inaccurate thoughts causing you to feel anxious you can start working on changing them. Because changing the way you think will change the way you feel.

My advice would be to look at it as a long term campaign you’ll need to engage, rather than hoping for a short term ‘miracle’ cure from medication.

Here’s my suggestion for steps your campaign to defeat social anxiety could take:

1. Read as much as you can about social anxiety disorder

Luckily, it’s no longer an unknown problem, and there are plenty of websites and books on the subject.

I can personally recommend these books:

Overcoming Social Anxiety – Gillian Butler

Feeling Good  – Dr David D. Burns

The Dummies Guide to Social Phobia  – Rob Wilson and Rhena Branch

2. Talk to your friends and family about it

Not easy I know, but confiding in someone else and explaining why you sometimes feel overly nervous will help release some of the pressure on yourself. They might also be able to help and will be more understanding when you start feeling anxious in social situations.

3. Take up new hobbies and be more active

Filling you life with new interests can give you more of a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and self confidence. Humans are inherently doers, and lying in bed all day hiding under the bedcovers will simply make you feel worse in the long run and prevents you overcoming your problem. If you don’t feel comfortable joining local sports teams or special interest clubs then take up a hobby you can work on at home, such as a new musical instrument, reading or teaching yourself how to cook delicious gourmet dishes.

4. Exercise

I can’t emphasise how effective regular exercise can be at relieving anxiety. I’d recommend jogging for half and hour everyday if you can manage it, otherwise just go for a stroll or exercise at home (press ups, situps etc). Getting in shape will boost your confidence, help you be more active and there’s truth in the old adage ‘a healthy body means a healthy mind’.

5. Gradually expose yourself to the situations that make you feel nervous

Although this can be a struggle, this is the strategy recommended by cognitive therapists for gradaully overcoming the inaccurate physical and mental symptoms of social anxiety. Write a list of the situations your afraid of. Put them in order from the least scary to the terrifying worst and then gradually try to work through them, exposing yourself for a little bit longer each time.

At the end of the day, you’ll need to find your own path to overcoming social anxiety. But always remember that you can learn to change the way you think. And changing the way you think will change the way you feel, and behave.

Originally posted 2009-03-25 18:16:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Should You Try Social Anxiety Medication? 5 Things to Consider

If you suffer from social anxiety then the lure of a magic pill that can make your fears and worries vanish is highly appealing. And social anxiety medication does actually exist.

There are a variety of medications that are available to cure anxiety disorders, including but not limited to traditional anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants and beta-blockers. But before taking any kind of medication, you must first consider the fact that medication cannot cure anxiety entirely or over the long-term.

Social anxiety medication is at it’s most beneficial when combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy to address the underlying thoughts driving social phobia. This is because social anxiety medication can offer temporary relief to the symptoms so that it’s easier to put the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy into practice when trying to overcome social anxiety disorder.

Side effects of social anxiety medication

Just like any other over the counter drugs, antidepressants and other social anxiety drugs have their own share of side effects. These drugs are not safe for everyone even when used with precautions. They can lead to complications when combined with other substances, especially when you are using them for a long period of time. That’s why it is important to weigh carefully the pros and cons before taking any social anxiety medication, which must only ever be taken after speaking to a doctor and getting a prescription.

If you think you are considering taking medication for social anxiety disorder then there are five things to think about:

1. Be patient. The effects of anxiety medications is gradual, it would take time until you can feel their full therapeutic effect. It can often takes time and patience to find the drugs that works best for you so you will have to work closely with your doctor to find the right dosage and evaluate its effectiveness.

2. Avoid Alcohol. Avoid dangerous drugs interaction, do not mix alcohol with any anxiety medications. The after effect is lethal, even in less toxic doses it can cause poor coordination and impaired thinking, increasing the risk of motor vehicle incidents and other injuries.

3. Monitor your medication response. Everyone has varying reactions to medications that’s why it is important to keep a record of your reaction to your anxiety medication, these includes the physical and emotional changes that you are experiencing after taking the medication. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery if you are taking benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax and et al., wait until you know how the drugs affect you. Always remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has weighed the benefit to you is greater that the risk of side effects.

4. Talk to your doctor. Be open and honest about side effects your anxiety drug is causing. Don’t be afraid to discuss problems or concerns. And while you should never stop your anxiety medication without talking to your doctor first, ultimately the decision is up to you. If you’re unhappy with how the pills make you feel, ask your doctor to help you taper off.

5. Continue Your Therapy. Medication can control the symptoms of anxiety, but it doesn’t treat the underlying problem. Therefore, it’s crucial to pursue therapy or some other form of anxiety treatment. Therapy can help you get to the root of your anxiety problem and develop better coping skills.

So before taking any kind of social anxiety medication, think carefully about these five points and then consult a doctor, psychologist or other medical professional for further advice.

Disclaimer

All advice on this site is merely advice. I am not a trained psychologist and you should always consult a doctor or other medical professional is social anxiety is adversely affecting your life and you have reached the stage where you are considering whether to take social anxiety medication.

Originally posted 2014-12-10 09:35:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Overcoming Social Anxiety Tips – 7 Ways to Say ‘No!’ to Negativity

Social anxiety can be a difficult chain to break out of. While direct causes can vary, typically it’s a negative way of thinking that can cause the sense of low self-esteem and lack of self confidence that drives it.

It was not so long ago that I realized how negativity hinders my own self-growth. I became so insecure, I even questioned my purpose; I was afraid to set goals because I was afraid to fail, and thus I lacked direction in life.

This was until I realized I need to do something to get my life back on track. I began to focus only on good ways of thinking and behaving to attract positive responses. I cleaned up my negative thoughts and instead instilled positive vibes towards myself. It was hard at first, but gradually I noticed the difference within myself. I learned that social anxiety, and life in general, becomes easier to live with if you shift your attitude into a positive light and make a habit of saying “No!” to negativity.

The following are some negativity reducing tips that will help you discard those negative feelings and thoughts that can drive social phobia, which will eventually lead to a fuller and brighter life ahead of you.

1. Set rational goals

They always say that “If you want to dream, dream big and if your dream does not scare you maybe it is not big enough”. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, but sometimes it is impossible to attain larger than life goals when the intimidate you. You have to break them down to pieces and set up some strategies on how to move up the ladder little by little. That way you will be more motivated to continue reaching your goal once you have found the satisfaction by attaining the smaller goals first.

2. Turn problems into challenges

As what Arizona-based entrepreneur mentor Ali Brown said “Motion beats meditation.” Sometimes we get overwhelmed at the problem at hand and would question our ability to perform the task. When it comes to a point like this, it is better to view any obstacles as a challenge, like a game that you need to win over.

Self limitation is the main reason why most of us fail to meet our goals in life. It is useless to rehash inspiring quotes and post motivational words on your social media accounts when you yourself are even afraid to take a leap of faith.

3. Reset your default answer

I remember the movie “Yes, Man” where a character named Carl Allen played by Jim Carrey goes to a motivational “Yes!” seminar and made a covenant to stop being a “No Man” and vows to answer “Yes!” to every opportunity, request or invitation that presents itself thereafter.

It made me realize a lot of things and had me thinking, what if I adapt the same attitude? I was astounded on what I discovered. It made me more optimistic, confident, self assured, friendly and sociable. Stop saying “No” every time, instead you can default to “I’m not sure; give me a minute,” suggested by Lynette Louise, a neurofeedback therapist. This will help you think of it a bit longer and find a good reason to say yes before you say no.

4. Display that award

Surround yourself of physical reminders of positivity, it may come as proof of your past achievements, like trophies, certificates of recognition, your university diploma, photos of your family and loved ones.

5. Put your hands up!

According to a study conducted in 2012, between people who do “Power Poses” (e.g. leaning back in a chair with hands behind head) vs people who do low-power poses (e.g. standing with arms hugging chest and ankles crossed) tend to be more confident. This is believed to be because power poses boost confidence and can increase testosterone level than the lower-pose. This study is also used as a reference when athletes lose their confidence, which is why yoga coach Dana Santas always instructs athletes to hold the “mountain Pose with Arms Up”.

6. Detox from bad news.

I sometimes wonder why the evening news is full of negative headlines. I personally do not encounter that many bad things in my everyday waking life. Colene Eridge, a life coach in Lexington, Ky. suggests taking a break from the negativity that you encounter in daily life, whether it’s from those gruesome evening headlines or your whining neighbor. It doesn’t mean that you are avoiding them, it’s just making a choice of encouraging positive vibes and discarding the negative ones.

7. Wake up on the right side of the bed.

Ask yourself three “morning questions” when you wake that will let you focus on the day ahead and clear your head all of the negative thoughts the night before.

Try asking yourself these questions:

• What am I excited about doing today?
• Who can I encourage or serve today? (Get the focus off yourself)
• What am I grateful for?

Just think about all the things that make you excited by just visualizing them. You will be surprise how this simple exercise can change your perspective for the entire day.

Negative thinking clouds your thoughts and makes situations seem a lot worse than they are, which is a classic cause/symptom of social anxiety disorder. So try following these 7 tips in your daily life to see if they can help reduce your social phobia for good.

Originally posted 2014-11-03 20:03:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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6 Ways to Overcome Social Anxiety Naturally

How is social anxiety affecting your life right now? Are there ways to overcome social anxiety naturally?

According to Dr. Justin Weeks, the assistant professor of Psychology and director of the Center for Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety at Ohio University, “Shyness and social anxiety disorder are all part of one continuum and it’s only a question of severity.”

This is certainly true. Social anxiety varies extensively in severity between different people. So how seriously is it impacting your life? Does it hinder you to reach your goals and live a fulfilling life?

If the answer is “Yes” then maybe you need to do something before its too late.

I regarded myself as a victim of social anxiety disorder and regretted every wrong decision I made in my high school and college days as a student. I was too worried to approach my teacher just to ask clarifications on my grades, I skip classes because my teacher asks me to speak in front of the class, which is my most dreadful thing to do back then. I always wish I have a life coach to motivate me and push me to face my fears and conquer my limits.

However, if you don’t have a life coach and are experiencing the same thing then you can try the following ways suggested by Weeks, to overcome your social anxiety naturally.

1. Try some self-help manual

Self-help manuals are aimed to supplement therapy sessions, but they are also good means for working things out on your own, said Weeks. One of the manual that he suggested is the “Managing Social Anxiety” workbook. which is proven to be effective on cognitive-behavioral therapy. The workbook contains all the tools necessary to help patients manage their anxiety and improve their quality of life.

2. Work with your therapist

When social anxiety is stopping you from doing things that can improve your quality of life and have not been successful in self-help then maybe it’s time to seek for a professional help. Find a therapist who is eligible to handle your case and specializes in anxiety disorders.

3. Practice deep breathing technique

Weeks suggest practicing deep breathing technique everyday until it became a habit. Deep breathing exercises are very beneficial before an anxiety-provoking social situation. Because the breath can be used to directly influence the stressful changes causing a direct stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

4. Create an exposure hierarchy

An exposure hierarchy is a list – akin to a ladder – where you write down situations that cause you anxiety, in order of severity. Then you perform the easiest behavior, and keep moving up the list.

To create your own hierarchy, list 10 anxiety-provoking situations, and rate them on a 100-point scale (zero being no anxiety; 100 being severe anxiety). Your list might start with asking a stranger for directions and end with joining Toastmasters.

Try visiting global.oup.com that can link you to various worksheets on coping with social anxiety, and includes “the fear and avoidance hierarchy.” (Look for “managing social anxiety: workbook.”)

5. Create objective goals

One of Weeks recommendation is to devise objective goals. In view of the fact that people tend to disqualify the positive when they feel anxious, when they might do well even great, but because of their anxious feelings, they see their performance as appalling.

Focus on achieving on your objective goals rather than the reactions that you are going to get from the people around you. It is a good technique to create these objective goals that set as a barometer for judging your progress. “You did what you wanted to in a situation. We can’t control what another person is going to do.” Said Weeks.

6. Keep a rational outlook

Dispute both bleak thoughts that undermine your performance and fuel your anxiety, and equally unrealistic thoughts that are irrationally positive, Weeks said. If you are giving a speech, you might initially think that you would do poorly. But if you have given speeches before this is not a rational or realistic perspective. You might say instead, “I’ve given speeches before. I’m prepared, and I’ll give it my best shot”.

As what Weeks said, if social anxiety is sabotaging your goals and stopping you from living the life you want seek help and try the above techniques and recommendations. Social anxiety is highly treatable, and there are many ways you can treat social anxiety naturally.

At the core, it takes a lot of patience, persistence and a determination to get better and grow in the process.

Originally posted 2015-01-16 06:29:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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New Computer Program Treats Reliance on Alcohol for Reducing Social Anxiety

 

A group of researchers at the University Of Cincinnati (UC) are now developing a computer program that can help people to develop some healthy mental habits to reduce their reliance on alcohol for treating social anxiety.  Joshua Magee, PhD, the research assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, says that the Attention Modification Program (AMP) is aimed to change what individuals with social anxiety and problem drinking focus their attention under normal circumstances. Magee added that, the way people pay attention to things in their environment is important for both causing and maintaining social anxiety and alcoholism. Both social anxiety and alcohol attention patterns are a part of a certain chain that can lead to complications.

In my own personal experience, as someone who had suffered social anxiety ever since I can remember, I always felt uncomfortable in social gatherings, I want to disappear or dig a hole to where I am standing and to be teleported to somewhere I can be alone. But when there are wines or any alcoholic drink I tend to purposely get myself extra drunk just to conceal or cloak my awkward shyness. This way, I don’t really think that much of any uncomfortable thoughts and appear extra confident. I tend to be over talkative and just blabber about anything without even analyzing my thoughts.

Shifting to alcohol when you are caught under awkward social situations is fine at first, but what happen when you make it a habit? According to Dr. Magee, the Attention Modification Program aims to be an effective method for reducing social anxiety and drinking that can translate out into community settings. It would give people an inexpensive way to reduce the symptoms that is less dependent on a doctor’s prescriptions and could be done at home.

 

 

 

Originally posted 2014-07-13 17:19:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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8 Ways to Combat Depression and Reduce Social Anxiety

While there are many possible causes, one thing many people with social anxiety have in common is that they also suffer from depression. It’s a double edged sword because the isolation from other people and lack of activity caused by social anxiety can make you feel depressed while feeling depressed can make you want to avoid contact with other people.

For this reason medication is commonly administered for both social anxiety and depression, but it’s not exactly cheap. More than 46 million people in the U.S. do not have insurance to cover their medications and the average monthly cost of antidepressants, which can range from $ 120 – $ 400 per month, depending on the dosage and the brand.

While you should always seek professional help if you suffer from depression or severe social anxiety, there are a number of ways you can reduce depression without spending a single dime.

1. Stop blaming yourself

This is perhaps the most basic and the most important thing in fighting depression. You should come to terms with yourself and accept the reality that depression can be a physical illness just like cancer, leukemia or diabetes. Stop blaming yourself and your inadequacy to control your situation, you can’t recover from depression if you continue the same mindset all throughout your therapy.

2. Talk About It

Don’t let yourself become isolated from your family, friends and love ones. Open up to someone you can trust who can provide you with emotional support and help you seek out treatment options. They may not relate to what you are experiencing right now but it would be a great opportunity for you to express how you are feeling.

3. Exercise Regularly

I know it’s hard even to lift a single finger when you feel depressed. But doing 30 minutes or more of intensive exercises has shown to improve the symptoms of social anxiety and depression. By doing a regular exercise everyday can make a difference to your energy levels and a good stimulation of endorphins, a kind of hormones that help you feel better about yourself.

4. Postpone major Decisions

Do not make life changing decisions when you are depressed. A lot of people have made this mistake and have put their jobs, relationships and life at risk. Negative thoughts rules all over your head when you are depressed and this often alters your judgment on almost everything, so it is better to delay any important decisions you want to take and wait until you are in the right state of mind.

5. Get back into nature

Research have shown that when you focus your attention outward rather on inward it helps ward off your negative thoughts and feelings and it can make you appreciate more on what’s around you. Having contact with pets, plants, parks and beautiful sceneries reduces stress and can boost your mood.

6. Keep a balanced diet

Aside from regular exercise, a balance and healthy diet is essential to a happy mood. A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and fish, is a good way to lower the risk of developing depression, according to a 2009 study in the Archives of General Psychology.

7. Avoid alcohol and drugs

Alcohol tends to be the easiest way to forget momentarily about problems, which is why many people undergoing depression or social anxiety turn to alcohol and drugs to relieve the symptoms. But you may have to steer away from alcohol and especially illegal drugs which can interfere with depression medications and alter your mood in a bad way.

8. Keep a healthy sleeping habit

Depression and insomnia are interrelated to one another. Depression is common among insomniacs and patients who are depressed often find it hard to sleep at night. Keep track of your bed time and maintain a regular sleeping habit.

There’s no quick fix to depression or social anxiety, unfortunately. Full recovery and gaining a happier, objective and healthier state of mind only comes from changing your thought processes and lifestyle in the long run. There’s no better time to start then the present, so consider following some of these tips to reduce your depression and social anxiety in the process.

Originally posted 2014-10-14 11:14:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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40 Steps that Will Help You Overcome Social Anxiety Disorder

40 Steps for Overcoming Social Anxiety

It’s proven – Changing the way you think will change the way you feel. This guide explains how you can change the negative thoughts driving social anxiety disorder so you can feel happier and more relaxed around other people, and  live a more fulfilling life free from fear.

Feeling nervous or self-conscious is normal. But when you suffer from social anxiety, also known as social phobia, these uncomfortable feelings can be extremely painful and  even crippling.

People with social anxiety worry that others will notice they are feeling nervous or uncomfortable and look down on them as a result. They feel as though they are the centre of attention the moment they walk into a room, and that people are talking about them in a negative way. Any time someone laughs, they will assume it is about them.

Social anxiety affects millions of people. Not just you

The fear of doing something embarrassing and being negatively judged affects millions of people around the world. Its severity can range from feeling uncomfortable talking in front of groups to avoiding social situations altogether. Social phobia can prevent people from forming close friendships or getting to know other people at all. It also holds people back from leaving the house, preferring the controlled environment and safety of their bedroom.

People with social anxiety will also replay events endlessly in their head. They’ll continuously beat themselves up about the smallest little mistake, making them even more worried about meeting the same people again.

If any of this sounds familiar, it may be that you are experiencing social anxiety. While you may feel down about it right now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Social anxiety is now a medically recognised and diagnosable condition. Social anxiety is also something that can be overcome with patience and persistence. It doesn’t have to be something you have to deal with for the rest of your life.

What is social anxiety disorder/social phobia and what causes it?

As its name suggests, social anxiety is the fear of social situations. It can cover many different scenarios, from walking around the shops to catching a bus to meeting new people or even talking in front of people you may consider your friends. In all cases, it’s driven by a subconscious fear of being viewed or judged negatively or doing something embarrassing.

My experience with social anxiety

I was always a painfully shy child. I’d rather have my head in a book than hang around with other kids due to my seeming inability to not say or do anything embarrassing. The only exception was playing football (or soccer, if you’re in the US). This was a rare time when I could run and shout freely without having to think of the right thing to say.

But the rest of the time, I dreaded break times at school and counted down the hours when I’d get a brief respite from the sense of discomfort and isolation I felt all day. Suffice to say, school weren’t my happiest years.

Unfortunately, my social awkwardness didn’t reduce as I grew older. It stayed with me into adulthood and followed me into the workplace like a hovering black cloud. People would comment on how I never said anything and walking around the office was like running a gauntlet of negative stares and handing out invitations to be negatively judged.

Eventually, it became clear that these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings would hold me back forever unless I found a way to replace them. If I wanted to be a functioning member of human society, something drastic had to change.

Medication alone was not the answer

So I went to see my doctor to share this deeply rooted problem, thinking there must be some chemical imbalance in my brain that made me feel this way. After listening to my rambling explanation of my behavioral struggles, he promptly put me on beta blockers to help ‘calm me down.’

Beta blockers are normally given to people with high blood pressure. While they did calm my nerves, they just made me feel like an unemotional robot all day. This wasn’t the answer I was looking for.

Thankfully, I was able to find out about social anxiety while researching my symptoms online. This was the light bulb switching on moment for me. After finding out about the specific condition of social anxiety, I set about finding solutions and developing a strategy for overcoming it.

With a diagnose comes treatment

This then led to me working through the negative thoughts with cognitive behavioural therapy and adopting all the strategies outlined in this guide. Improvement didn’t happen overnight. But with practice, patience and persistence, I was able to reduce my social anxiety to a level where it didn’t stop me going where I wanted or doing what I wanted to do.

Such was the sense of satisfaction I felt at improving my mental health and overall happiness, I decided to create http://ift.tt/1Szs4Ts to share the strategies that worked for me in the hope they can help others battling to overcome social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety disorder is more common than you may think

When you suffer from social anxiety, it can feel as though you’re all alone. That you’re the only person that feels so awful in social situations, and think in a way that nobody else can understand.

But social anxiety is actually more widespread than you might realise. In fact, research suggests that 15 millions people in the U.S. suffer from social anxiety. The majority of people aren’t diagnosed for 10 years or more, but instead forced to suffer in silence.

There are two types of social anxiety/social phobia:

Generalised social anxiety – This can be triggered in any social situation when you feel people are looking at you in a negative way, making you feel uncomfortable or afraid. This can include meeting new people, being watched while doing something or eating in a restaurant.

Specific social anxiety – You feel awkward in specific situations. Public speaking or performing in front of an audience is a specific situation when most people suffer from social anxiety, or as it’s more commonly known ‘stage fright’.

Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety can trigger a variety of emotional and physical symptoms, which vary in severity between individuals.

Psychological symptoms:

• Excessive self-consciousness and sensing that everyone is watching you
• Worrying for days, weeks, or even months about how a social situation will play out
• Fearful of strangers and people you dont know
• You automatically have a negative impression of people you dont know. You assume they’re waiting for an excuse to belittle or reject you.
• Embarrassing yourself in public is a constant worry
• You worry that other people will notice your nervousness and reject you as a result

Physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder:

• Difficulty breathing
• You feel sick or have an upset stomach
• Pounding heartbeat
• Sweating or clammy hands
• General shakiness
• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Face feels like it’s throbbing and its a constantly bright red colour

Behaviour patterns for social anxiety disorder

Nobody wants to think or feel this way, so it’s naturally to adopt behavioural strategies to soften or avoid the symptoms of social anxiety altogether. Some of the patterns of behaviour for social phobics include:

• Constantly arriving late to classes or meetings so you dont have to interact with people beforehand
• Avoiding social situations altogether, and missing out on positive experiences that could reduce your social phobia over the long term
• Not speaking or keeping a low profile to avoid the risk of doing anything embarrassing
• Afraid to attend social gatherings unless you can go with a friend
• Relying on alcohol, or even illegal drugs, to help you relax enough to be able to speak to people

While ‘safety behaviours’ can make social situations easier to cope with, they prevent you from overcoming it in the long run. Instead, you’ll be spending your life treading water and missing out on all the positive things that can happen to you when you stop feeling afraid.

When you don’t speak you don’t give people an opportunity to know you better, and will miss out on the friendships that can help you improve and be more socially active.

Avoiding other people also prevents you from doing things you’d like to do or reaching certain goals. You wont be able to play the sports you used to enjoy, to give that presentation that will help you get promotion or be able to go on dates.

So if you want to overcome social anxiety for good, you need to start addressing the safety behaviours and avoidance strategies that are holding you back.

What Causes Social Anxiety?

Just as with its symptoms, the underlying causes of social anxiety can vary. Typically, it’s a combination of a sense of inferiority, lack of self confidence, negative childhood experiences or a specific event which can induce a sense of embarrassment and shame in public. Underneath it all is an unhealthy belief system that makes you feel subconsciously threatened by other people and to feel nervous, uncomfortable and even afraid whenever your negative thoughts are triggered.

Childhood experiences

As with any learned behaviour, it’s believed social anxiety can become part of your subconscious belief system due to negative experiences as a child. If you were bullied at school, ignored by your parents or made to feel rejected for a prolonged time then the pain can live on in your subconscious mind for many years afterwards. If you’ve perpetually felt embarrassed or ashamed in social situations that forms a part of your belief system, which you can carry with you long into adulthood.

Read more about overcoming being bullied

A negative way of thinking

Social anxiety can also be caused by a predisposition to think in a negative way. You may, for whatever reason, have thoughts lodged in your head that situations will always go badly and that embarrassing yourself is only a matter of time. Negative ways of thinking typically drive social anxiety, and negative thinking can afflict anyone, whatever your childhood history.

Genetic causes

If your family has a history of anxiety then it could be that you’re genetically predisposed to developing social phobia. Having anxious parents also means you likely grew up in an environment where thinking the worst and worrying excessively was the norm. This in turn causes you to adopt similar ways of thinking and behaving, and forming a negative opinion of the people in the world around you.

Biological causes

The human brain has been evolving for millions of years. But it’s only in the last few thousand that we’ve learned to live in organised societies. We haven’t yet outgrown the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism that kept us alert sabre tooth tigers, coyotes and other threats in the animal kingdom.

Unfortunately, this mechanism, which increases our heart rate, raises our level of alertness and prepares us to escape from danger or face it, can be triggered inappropriately whenever we feel threatened. This explains the heightened awareness of your surroundings and pounding heartbeat you feel in social situations, despite there being no rational reason why.

How can I overcome my social anxiety?

Now that we’ve covered what social anxiety is, its symptoms and what’s driving it, it’s time to shift the focus onto solutions how you can reduce your social anxiety gradually over time.

A lot of research has been done into social anxiety disorder. It’s not some confusing, impossible to diagnose or mysterious condition you have to put up with. It can be treated and reduced so that it just becomes a difficult situation you had to deal with before moving on with the rest of your life.

Overcoming social anxiety involves changing your negative ways of thinking and making lifestyle changes that will make you feel better about yourself, and less threatened by other people as a result. It also involves a lot of practice and patience.

Rewiring your brain and changing your mindset won’t happen overnight. But so long as you commit yourself to making small improvements from now until the rest of your life, you can evolve into a more confident and happier person. Your social anxiety will naturally recede as a result.

The fact that you’re reading this guide is already a positive sign. It shows that you want to change your unhelpful ways of thinking and you recognise a better world exists.

In this guide I outline all the tactics and strategies I used to overcome my social anxiety, and enabled me to discover that changing the way you think will change the way you feel.

1. Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that has grown to become one of the most popular and effective ways of treating depression, negative ways of thinking and, consequently, social phobia.

You can practice it on your own, in a group setting or with a therapist. However you choose to practice, cognitive behavioural therapy enables you to identify negative thoughts when they occur and gives you a framework for replacing them with more positive and objective ways of thinking.

If done on your own, initially you’ll need to practice its exercises on paper. But over time you’ll be able to start performing them in your head until thinking in a positive, objective way becomes a natural part of how your brain works.

I can’t recommend cognitive behavioural therapy enough as a powerful, medication free way of developing a happier, more positive outlook that will reduce your social phobia as a result.

These are the books I recommend for learning more about cognitive behavioural therapy:

2. Create a ladder of situations that make you feel anxious and start climbing it

The best way to conquer your fears is to face them. I’m not suggesting you should immediately go sit on a bus all day or force yourself to take up public speaking. If you take stressful situations on too quickly, it can backfire.

Instead, exposing yourself gradually is the best way to acclimatise to the situations that make you feel awkward and then tackle them in a way that’s comfortable for you.

A recommended strategy is to write down all the situations that make you feel uncomfortable or anxious and then arrange them in ascending order. Place the least challenging situations at the bottom and then progressively more challenging scenarios until you reach your worst nightmare at the top.

You could start with a walk around your neighbourhood, talking to the checkout assistant at the supermarket or forcing yourself to sit in your local shopping centre/mall for 30 minutes. You can then step up to catching a bus or eating on your own in a restaurant. If you’re feeling really determined, you could set your final goal as joining Toastmasters (a public speaking organisation) or singing karaoke sober.

As you work through all the suggestions in this guide, and you feel your self confidence rising, try to tackle the situations that make you feel nervous one step at a time.

Remember that this is a long-term strategy. Don’t try to rush it. Take your time and allow yourself to occasionally slip. Every attempt to reach the next rung will make the next attempt easier, and help you reach your goal of climbing out of social anxiety’s clutches altogether.

3. Say ‘no’ to unfair request

One of the worst side effects of social anxiety is the ‘disease to please’. Rooted in low self esteem, this is where you find yourself agreeing to do favours for people even though it may be inconvenient or unfair. This could include lending people money you think wont pay you back, agreeing to do one your colleagues tasks at work despite having a long list of tasks already or simply changing your plans to suit them.

When you do something to please other people at the expense of your own priorities it just leads to resentment and feeling angry yourself for agreeing to it. These feelings can then bottle up until they eventually explode in an unhealthy way.

The healthy way to handle unfair requests is to weigh up whether what they are asking is fair or unreasonable. If it makes you feel uncomfortable agreeing to it then you need to practice saying ‘no’ instead. You can’t spend your life pleasing other people. You priorities are important too. And if you’re reason agreeing to do it is because you think it means they wont like you then they arent very good friends anyway.

Read more about saying ‘no’ to unfair requests

4. Learn how to negotiate to get what you want in life

Throughout your life you’re going to need to negotiate to get what you want. But when you have social anxiety you may find yourself giving up on pursuing your objectives if they put you in conflict with someone else. This could be deciding on the best place to meet or resolving a dispute with a work colleague on whose responsibility a task is.

 The key to getting what you want is not to think in absolutes and that it’s a win or lose situation. Instead, treat negotiation like a dance where you both have to move around your objectives to get a resolution where you both win.

Read more on using healthy negotiation

5. Try to avoid mind reading. Unless you’re Charles Xavier

If you’re affected by social phobia it can cause you to start assuming you know what other people are thinking, when you really have no way of knowing. You may find yourself automatically assuming that people in the room are thinking or saying negative things about you when, in reality, they’re probably too busy talking about themselves and their own lives to be concerned about other people all the time.

6. Predicting the future

Unless you believe in star signs or predetermined destinies, it’s wise not to spend too much time predicting what’s going to happen before you arrive.

Assuming the worst and that you just ‘know’ things will go wrong can instead become a self fulfilling prophecy. Getting worried and anxious will only put you in the wrong frame of mind which only hold you back from attaining positive outcomes.

Instead, stay and calm and relaxed. If you are going to dwell on the future, try imagining what a great time you’ll have instead.

7. Catastrophizing

Just as with thinking in extremes, social phobia can cause you to blow things out of proportion. You may immediately jump to thinking that a social interaction was “awful” or “terrible,” or an event was “disastrous.” In reality, it probably wasn’t all that bad.

Practicing cognitive behavioural therapy will help you to reel back from thinking about situations in catastrophic terms as it always helps to objectively assess whether your thoughts are rational and switch to more helpful ways of thinking instead.

8. Recognize that you’re not the focus of everyone’s attention

When your heart is pounding and your awareness of people in the room is on overdrive, it’s easy to put yourself as the centre of attention and imagine that everyone is talking about you. As you’ll learn with time, this simply isn’t the case. People are too absorbed with what’s going on in their lives to make you their topic of conversation all the time.

Instead, focus on distracting your mind and getting involved in conversations. This will help to relax and be more focused on your immediate surroundings, and less concerned with what’s going on in the background.

9. Avoid focusing on the negatives. Focus on positives instead

After an event you may find yourself analysing everything you said and did and projecting it in a negative light. The problem is this prevents you from recognising the positives and what went well. So if a conversation went badly or you said the wrong thing, remember that it was just one interaction in the entire evening. There would have been times when you mingled with others in a positive way too.

10. You’re not a label. You’re too complicated for that

The negative thinking that social phobia can saddle you with can lead you to giving yourself bad labels. Maybe you think you’re ‘boring’, ‘weird’ or ‘unlovable’. The fact is that you’re too complicated for that. You have multiple facets to your character and many ways of thinking and behaving. You are also always evolving, and through following some of the strategies in this guide you can pull off the negative labels and embrace your newfound complexity instead.

11. Let go of the past. Look to the future

Deciding to overcome social anxiety means deciding not to be a victim. It means deciding to be a participant in life and not an observer. It also means recognising that what happened in the past shouldn’t define your future.

While it’s important to recognise the reasons why you your social anxiety developed, you shouldn’t expend time and energy dwelling on the past. This will only keep you locked within a mental prison where you continue to allow the negative thoughts and emotions of your childhood to darken your present.

Instead, recognise that these are thoughts and emotions you intend to change. Start imagining what your life will be like in the future, free from feeling nervous all the time or worrying what other people think. Picture how overcoming social anxiety will, one day, provide you with an inner strength and a success driven mindset that allows you to power beyond social phobia’s clutches and onto a much more fulfilling future.

12. Practice deep breathing

It can be amazing how something as simple as breathing deeply can alleviate anxiety. When you are feeling anxious, you’re prone to take short, sharp breaths. This prevents your brain from getting the oxygen it needs to think clearly. It can also worsen the physical symptoms, such as feeling dizzy, as though you’re suffocating and an increased heart rate.

But when you breathe deeply you allow more oxygen to reach your brain. You can then think more clearly about situations, and realise they aren’t as threatening as you may think. Your anxiety will reduce as result.

So the next time you feel as the world is closing in on you, pause and take in a deep breath. This will help you get the physical symptoms under control and to calm the storm clouds gathering in your mind.

Read more about deep breathing for social anxiety.

13. Meditation

Deep breathing and meditation go hand in hand as powerful ways to help your mind and body to relax. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years because of its emotionally healing benefits. In fact, some studies suggest that it can literally expand the grey matter in your brain.

Meditation is particularly powerful for treating social anxiety because it enables you to see how thoughts are constantly rushing around your mind. Some are worth holding onto, while others are best left to pass like traffic on the street.

To get started, there are lots of meditation apps and podcasts you can download for free. These will provide you with guidance to help you direct your thoughts. Some also feature binaural beats that help to slow your brain waves down to a calmer, more relaxed state.

The best results come from practicing meditation daily. This will help to reshape your thoughts into more helpful and positive ways of thinking and assist you on your journey.

Read more about meditation for social anxiety.

14. Reduce your self conscious by focusing on the world around you

When your social anxiety is peaking it can make you painfully aware of your own body. You can acutely feel every sensation, like your racing heart, sweating palms or throbbing brain. This naturally makes you assume everyone else can see your physical discomfort too, making you feel even worse.

To stop your self consciousness going into overdrive, one trick is to focus on the world around you. Try listening to people’s conversations, practice CBT by challenging your negative thoughts or make silent observations of the decorations in the room. Diverting your attention helps to move it away from focusing on yourself, helping to calm your self consciousness as a result.

15. Count to 10

Another simple yet powerful mind trick is to simply count to ten in your head whenever you feel anxious. This is particularly useful when walking through an open room and you think people are watching you. Counting to ten is a simple way of keeping your frantic mind occupied for long enough to complete certain tasks without feeling overpowered by anxiety.

16. Yoga

Yoga is no longer just for ladies in spandex. It’s now used by athletes, golfers, rugby players and even professional wrestlers to improve their mobility and reduce the risk of injury.

Along with its physical health benefits of improving muscle and joint strength, yoga is also practiced by millions all over the world for its mind cleansing benefits. Moving through its positions and breathing deeply has a calming effect on the mind. Its final meditation at the end, known as ‘shavasana’, also provides a five or ten minute window for your mind and body to feel completely relaxed.

Whether you practice it at home (there are classes on YouTube) or in a gym class, yoga can be a powerful way of helping your mind to relax and your anxious thoughts to be ushered away.

17. Running

The beauty of running is that it allows you to explore your local parks or neighbourhood without having to worry so much about other people along the way. By the time someone has a chance to focus on you, you simply pass them by, leaving their perceived negative stares and opinions behind.

Like all forms of exercise, running will release the body’s natural feel good chemicals, known as endorphins. Getting a daily dose of these will naturally help to lift your mood and think in a happier, positive manner that’s vital for banishing the low moods of social anxiety for good.

Read more about why exercise helps reduce social anxiety

18. Weight training

A healthy body means a healthy mind. Daily visits to the ‘iron palace’ can be a great way of boosting your self confidence. Getting in shape will also give you positive goals to pursue and to visually experience the satisfaction that comes from progress.

As with every tactic, you can start small with a basic weight set at home and progress to joining your local gym when you feel ready. You’ll be surprised to find that today’s gym’s arent filled with meat heads all competing on how much they lift and comparing biceps in the mirror. Getting in shape is a habit people from all walks of life now enjoy and use to better themselves and feel in control of their life’s direction.

19. Social hobbies

Binge watching House of Cards or marathon video game sessions may be wonderful escapism. But locking yourself in your room is only going to delay your entry to a more fulfilling life.

Instead, consider taking up new hobbies or interests which involve some interaction with other people. Joining a local hiking group is a personal favourite of mine. You can talk to other people as little or as much as you want to. It also gets you outdoors enjoying mother nature and releasing those feel good endorphins. You may surprise yourself with how much more you are engaging with people by the end of the hike, as the sense of camaraderie seeps in.

Other options include volunteering for a local charity (particularly if you love animals), joining a book club or cycling. Meetup and Facebook can be great places to look for local groups to join and fun activities to lift your mindset and mood.

20. Improve your confidence at speaking with video chats

Right now you may only been comfortable speaking to people you know well and will avoid speaking to strangers. The only way to change this is to build your confidence having conversations, one chat at a time.

Building healthy relationships requires the ability to communicate clearly and intelligently. These are skills you will need to work on if you want to connect better with others and to grow out of social phobia for good.

If you’re into online gaming, you could start by switching the mic on your headset. Then when you’re ready to go up a level, there are plenty of video chat services you can use, such as omegle.com or randomstrangervideochat.com, which allow you to have casual conversations with strangers. These are people you will never meet in real life, and you can always pull the plug whenever you want. So there really is no drawback to using them to build your speaking skills.

21. Consider deleting your Facebook profile

Facebook is a great tool for keeping in touch with old school friends and new acquaintances. But it does have its negative side.

People tend to cultivate online personas that project their lives in the most favourable light. Many project the impression that their lives as a succession of parties, holidays and laughter, which can feel like looking through a window onto a world that looks alien to you.

If the bombardment of images and updates from someone’s profile is getting you down, consider unfollowing them. Or take a break from Facebook altogether. Allow yourself some time to focus on moving your own life forward, and then rejoin when you feel ready to share it with the world.

22. Follow positive and inspiring people in social media

As you disengage with negative influences in your life, find positive people to motivate you instead. The beauty of social media is that it enables you to find out how successful think and motivate themselves. Following them on Twitter or Facebook allows you to tap into their mindset and use it to influence your own.

Along with following famous people in topics that interest you, consider adding people like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and The Rock to your newsfeeds to raise your sense of positivity and to develop your own success driven mindset.

23. Read books and watch videos about positive thinking

Along with learning as much as you can about social phobia and cognitive behavioural therapy, to address low moods and negative thoughts it helps to fill your mind with positive ways of thinking.

It’s often said that we get what we think we deserve in life. Our mindset goes a long way to defining how we experience the world, how we process information and our ways of thinking. This then helps to dictate the quality of our lives and our relationships with others.

As a human being you are always evolving. You can choose what sort of person you want to evolve into. Learning how to think in a more positive, proactive manner can go a long way to taking your thoughts and behaviour in the right direction.

Positive Videos for Inspiration

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24. Read books or watch videos about successful people who overcame adversity

People who are successful or overcame great challenges often didn’t do it by accident or an extraordinary run of good luck. Success in any form nearly always occurs as a result of their mindset and determination to succeed against the odds.

Reading how Richard Branson became a billionaire despite coming close to bankruptcy, how Henri Charriere survived, how Louis Zamperini was driven to the limits of human endurance in WW2 or how Stephen Hawking continues to write books, give lectures and push the frontiers of how we perceive the universe despite being a paraplegic are all life stories that can provide you with the inspiration to overcome your own adversity in life.

25. Take an online course in self improvement

Online learning has the potential to revolutionise education and spread literacy levels to disadvantaged communities around the world. It can also help you to develop your social skills from the comfort of your bedroom.

There are lots of free and paid courses that can help you to improve your assertiveness, anger management or positive thinking. Or you can advance your knowledge in a subject that interests you. The key here is that taking an online course will keep you active and doing something productive, and working towards your goal of self improving so your social anxiety reduces.

Self improvement courses worth checking out:

Anxiety Therapy
Assertiveness Training
Improve Your Self Esteem
Social Psychology
Positive Psychology

26. Learn to cook

If you want to raise your self esteem and self confidence, it helps to start setting higher standards for yourself. Brushing up your culinary skills can improve both the quality of meals and develop many other skills beyond chopping vegetables..

Being able to cook well requires attention to detail, doing things properly instead of taking short cuts and experiencing the satisfaction that comes from progress. These are skills and mindsets you can apply to other areas of your life to become a better version of you.

27. Get more sleep

Not getting enough shut eye makes you feel tired and irritable. It can also make you more prone to the physical and mental symptoms of social anxiety.

Getting to sleep can be easier said than done when you’re battling with low moods. You can, however, take proactive steps to help your mind and body relax so that it’s easier to drift off to sleep. This can include listening to white noise, meditation, observing good sleep hygiene and avoiding stimulants, like alcohol of coffee, late at night.

Plenty more tips on getting more sleep on this site:

www.helpmesleep.us

28. Have a healthy morning routine

Having a set routine every morning can be a great way to set yourself up for the rest of the day. This can include setting your alarm clock 30 minutes earlier so you have time to go for a work or to go to the gym before work, to meditate or any other positive activity that is going to help you advance in life.

Having a healthy morning routine can put you in the right frame of mind to make the rest of your day a happier, more relaxed experience.

29. Improve your diet

Eating a balanced diet with more fruit and veg and less chips and fizzy drinks will not only prolong your life but also provide a gradual releases of energy throughout the day. Food packed with sugar and preservatives can give you bursts of energy, but you’ll then find yourself flagging later on. This then leaves you vulnerable to feeling low and more prone to raised levels of social phobia.

Eating healthy food will also give you the energy to exercise every day, and run that extra 10 minutes or lift that extra 5kg. In fact, eating healthily can be a magic ingredient to feeling good about yourself and the world around you.

30. Give up or reduce how much you drink

Drinking before meeting friends or attending any sort of social gathering is common among people who suffer from social anxiety. But relying on alcohol as a way to relax is a just a coping mechanism. It’s a band aid rather than a solution. It can also lead to an unhealthy dependence and a more severe drinking problem.

Much like giving up smoking, try to gradually reduce how much you drink before going out. Better yet, aspire for a time when you’re happy to socialise supping on a fruit juice instead.

31. Give up smoking

You may think smoking helps you feel relaxed. But it can actually make you more anxious and cause your social phobia to peak at the worst moment. Despite what some say about their grandparent who smoked all his life and died at the ripe old age of 82, smoking is more likely to cause cancer, deteriorating health and decades taken off your life.

So make a decision that’s going to reduce your social anxiety, improve your life expectancy and save you a lot of money. Buy some inhalators and stub out for good.

32. Change your career if it isn’t making you happy

We spend more time at work than we do with our friends and family. While it’s true that work is often a necessary evil to pay the bills, having a job you enjoy and find satisfying can have a massive impact of your enjoyment of life and your happiness.

If you find your job boring and uninspiring, it’s because you’re not challenging yourself enough. Consider what your personal strengths are and what you enjoy doing, and then find a job that will fulfill those interests. Work out what steps you’ll need to take to get that job, whether it’s getting some qualifications, studying an online course or improving your interview skills, and make it a future goal to work towards.

Clearly, overcoming or at least reducing your social anxiety may be part of the puzzle you need to solve to get the job you want. But that doesn’t mean you have to put your career aspirations on the backburner. Instead pursue progress in both chasing the job of your dreams and addressing your anxiety at the same time.

33. Develop new interests or expand on your existing ones

Living a rich life doesn’t have to revolve around what’s in the bank account. Instead it can be built around the pastimes and interests you fill it with. Having lots of hobbies and interests keeps you motivated and occupied with pursuing fulfilling goals, instead of whiling away the hours in front of the TV.

What’s more, it will help shape you into a more interesting person and present opportunities to form new friendships with people that share your interests.

34. Join social anxiety forums and interact with members

Discovering that social anxiety was a diagnosable condition was a light switching on moment for me. It meant that I wasn’t the only person to feel like this. There wasn’t something wrong with my brain and I wasn’t doomed to be like this forever.

Joining social anxiety forums will help you to realise that you’re not alone, and that thousands, if not millions, of people are affected by social phobia all over the world. It will also connect you with people that understand what you’re dealing with provide you with a source of support as you strive to self improve.

Social anxiety forums:

Social Anxiety Support

Social Anxiety Community

Social Phobia World

35. Attend a Meetup or Couchsurfing event

If you’ve been suffering from social anxiety for a long time you may have lost contact with previous friends and found it difficult to find new ones.

Walking into a room of people you don’t know can seem very daunting. But the advantage of attending a Meetup or Couchsurfing event is that everyone else is in the same position. The likelihood is that most people at the event will be meeting for the first time, and may also be feeling nervous. Everyone is there to meet new people. Not to form cliques or to criticise those in attendance.

Couchsurfing, in particular, is attended by backpackers and travellers who are some of the least judgemental and the friendliest people you’ll meet. No matter how nervous or self conscious you feel, they’ll be happy to engage you in conversation and meet you halfway.

After attending a few Couchsurfing or Meetup events you’ll be amazed what a confidence boost it provides.

36. Create a Meetup or a Couchsurfing event

Once you’ve attended a few Meetups and Couchsurfing events, consider taking another step up the ladder and create your own. This could be something simple like hiking through a local forest, going to the cinema or meeting for dinner. The benefit of putting on an event is that it puts you in charge and gives you a chance to further develop your communication skills and build a new social circle of friends.

37. Start internet dating

I can appreciate romance might seem like a pipedream right now. Like something that happens in movies and for people who’ve never had to stuggle with social problems in their life. But finding people to go on dates with has never been easier. You dont have to go to bars, think of clever lines in clubs or face the humiliation of trying to approach the girl who gets the same bus as you every day.

Internet dating has opened up a world of new possibilities. It allows people who may be timid or shy to connect with other people on their wavelength without having to do battle in the jungle of weekend nightlife.

When creating your profile make sure you choose appealing photos, ideally smiling naturally and outdoors doing some sort of activity. Your profile will get the best response if you can can project yourself in a positive light and focus on your strengths and interests. There’s no point in being fake or exaggerating. This will won’t match you with people you’ll get on well with in real life.

Be prepared to send plenty of emails and try a few different apps and sites. When you do connect with someone you think is a good match, spend some time getting to know them by email, instant messenger or even on the phone. This will enable you to build rapport and a sense of connection so that when you meet it doesn’t feel like meeting a stranger but someone you’ve already started getting to know. You’ll also have a list of topics of conversation ready to go in advance.

If you think your dating skills need some brushing up, add this to the list of areas where you want to improve. There’s no shortage of books and videos that can help you in adding some romance to your life and making the world a more pleasurable place to be.

38. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)

NLP has its cynics (myself included until recently). But if you are experiencing success with cognitive behavioural therapy and want to take rewiring your brain to another level, NLP is worth investigating.

NLP focuses on identifying the reasons why you behave in a certain way and then provides a structure for learning more helpful ways of thinking and behaving. Just like with cognitive behavioural therapy, NLP has been proven to be very effective for treating phobias, trauma and removing mental blocks through anchoring more positive thoughts and emotions to the things you fear.

You can study NLP on your own or with a NLP practitioner to identify the cause of your social anxiety and to give you new mental tools for overcoming it.

How to Eliminate Unwanted Thoughts

39. Allow other people to do the talking

You arent the only person in a conversation. It involves two or more people. When talking to people you’re not giving a speech for them to listen and nod in agreement. Try not to feel pressured to do all the talking, allow others to share the responsibility.

If you’re ever stuck for things to say, remember that most people’s favourite topic is themselves. Ask questions about their day was, how work is going or what their plans are for the weekend. Then all you need to do is nod politely and wait for them to return the gesture.

40. Enjoy the process and the results will come

Overcoming social anxiety is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a long-term strategy that requires patience and persistence before you can expect results. For this reason, it’s best to plan where you want to be in a few years time, rather than months.

Success in improving your self esteem and reducing your social phobia comes from making small, incremental steps. It’s like building a wall, with every improvement adding another layer until social phobia has been locked away in a place where it can no longer affect you.

While overcoming social anxiety, take satisfaction in the progress you’re making and enjoy the sense of achievement that comes from making small improvements in different areas of your life. Whether it’s in your exercise routine, your culinary skills or your growing self confidence talking to people, feed off your accomplishments, no matter how small, and be patient on your journey.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built.

When self-help for social anxiety isn’t enough

The severity and symptoms of social anxiety vary a lot. So if the self help suggestions in this guide aren’t enough, and social anxiety is continuing to hold you back in life, you may need to adopt a different strategy.

Visit your doctor

As always when suffering from a condition that’s adversely affecting your life, your doctor is your first port of call. A lot more is understood about depression and anxiety these days, and your doctor will be able to recommend a sensible course of action. This could include putting you in touch with a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders to address the negative thought processes combined with medication to sooth the physical symptoms.

Group therapy

Another option may be group therapy for social skills training. Sessions for social anxiety disorder can entail playacting, mock interviews and other exercises that allow you to practice social engagement in more controlled and reassuring settings. This will then help you feel less anxious when encountering strangers in the real world. The more you practice the easier socialising will become and the less afraid you’ll be.

Medication

I’d love to be able to tell you there’s a magic pill that makes your social anxiety vanish in minutes. But none exists. Medication on its own can’t cure your deep rooted beliefs that are driving your social anxiety. All it can do is relieve its symptoms.

Medication is most effective when used in combination with cognitive behavioural therapy and the other strategies in this guide. It will allow you to climb your ladder of anxious situations, to exercise in public and to feel more relaxed in job interviews without the pounding heartbeat and hyper awareness of social phobia.

But ultimately you must address the unhelpful thought processes if you are to overcome social anxiety disorder for good.

Two common types of medication used for treating social anxiety disorder:

Antidepressants – These should only ever be taken after consulting with a doctor and are only advised for when social anxiety disorder is severe and debilitating. The problem with antidepressants is that you can form a dependency on them to improve your mood. Even worse, if you stop taking them suddenly in can cause your depression to return like a crashing tsunami. Always make sure you consult with your doctor on changes in your progress at all times.

Beta blockers – Beta blockers are normally taken to reduce high blood pressure. They also help to treat social anxiety by blocking the flow of adrenaline that’s released when you’re anxious. Beta blockers won’t improve your mood but they can reduce the physical symptoms, such as shakiness, sweating, and slow down your heartbeat.

Finding your own path to overcoming social anxiety disorder

I hope you find the advice in this guide has encouraged you to adopt a strategic approach to overcoming social anxiety. Through taking steps to improve your thought processes, to raise your self esteem and to live a more active life you can find your way to feeling better about yourself and the world around you.

The strategies in this guide all helped me on my own path towards reducing my social anxiety to an extent where it no longer holds me back in life. They are also lifestyle habits that I continue to practice to be a better version of myself.

Overcoming social anxiety isnt easy and requires a lot of practice, patience and persistence. But it’s not something you have to live with. It can be just a difficult phase you’ve had to get through before being able to live a more fulfilling life filled with positive interactions with other people.

The final thought I’ll leave you with is that the mindset and skills you’ll develop through overcoming social anxiety can help you for the rest of your life. Setting higher standards for yourself, experiencing the satisfaction that comes from progress and knowing that you have the ability to triumph over adversity will help you overcome any more problems or struggles that come your way. You’ll be better equipped to get what you want out of life and realising that changing the way you think can change the way you feel.

I wish you luck in your journey and if you’ve found the advice in this guide useful you’ll consider sharing it with other people you think it will help.

All the best,

Matt
matt(at)socialanxietydisorder.org.uk

Disclaimer

I am not a psychologist, behavioural therapist or medical professional of any kind. This guide offers advice only and is not a replacement for professional help. If social anxiety disorder is adversely affecting your life and causing you serious discomfort then you should always consult a trained medical professional.

All the suggestions in this guide are purely that – suggestions. I accept no liability for any injury or psychological discomfort that should arise in practicing any of them and all suggestions are carried out at your own risk.

Legal speak aside, all the strategies in this guide have helped me to reduce my social phobia to an extent where it doesn’t hold me back in life. Taking steps to feel about yourself and the world around you can only help you to eventually leave social anxiety behind, no matter how small the steps.

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