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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