You raise a very good point! Unfortunately, unless this person is close to us like a friend or partner, it leaves us with few options. The only factor we control is ourselves and giving ourselves the best chance for a good social interaction can greatly be influenced by the way we communicate with others.
This is definitely an area I need to keep working on, and I like the idea of listing situations and working through them from the less to the more anxiety-provoking ones. But I had a question about communications. Doesn't it matter who you're communicating with? If the person you're talking to has their own issues (and who doesn't) then they might not be communicating well either and the whole thing could go off the rails regardless of your own actions. This might sound like I am anticipating a negative outcome, but I am actually trying to prepare/explain why sometimes you can make a good effort and the outcome can be just as bad or worse.
Last time, we had you identify how sensitivity & shyness. Today, we will be talking about how to challenge social anxiety using the following techniques:
Thought records: Keeping a thought record implies writing down the negative thoughts you experience in social situations and challenging them using the 10 questions for challenging negative thoughts exercise posted below.
Exposure work: Exposing yourself to the phobia is key but slowly. This may involve having a friend come over for a short period of time, going out for a short period of time and increasing the level of perceived discomfort with each exposure. To help you along on a list from 1-10 write down the situations, people or places that would make you the least anxious to the most anxious. Next, devise a plan to move you through each level at a stage that is comfortable for you.
Communication skills: Don’t forget to review the way you communicate with others. This is helpful skill in any situation! Learning how to communicate with others will also allow you to engage others in conversation resulting in participation as opposed to monitoring your own negative thoughts.
Good luck! We now invite our members to ask questions!
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