Diva,
No problem. Let take the example listed one step further.
The shy lady walks into a party. She begins to feel very anxious and begins to self-monitor. Is my hair okay? Why is that person looking at me?
She bravely walks over to a small gathering of people and listens to them converse but does not join in due to her shyness. During the conversation, the lady thinks to her self: "What could I say? Will they think I'm stupid? Do I look alright?..."
Her thoughts keep feeding her anxious cycle and at the first appearance of an impending panic attack, she leaves the party. She goes home very disappointed and sad.
Antecedents:
* Negative thoughts: this individuals thoughts revolved mainly around self-esteem issues. Self-esteem may be the underlying issue to her fear of social interactions.
* Feeding the cycle: no thought challenging took place, no focus on the positive
Consequences:
* Her anxiety level heightened
* She continued her pattern of isolation
* She experienced symptoms as a result of her anxiety which caused her to leave
* She did not enjoy herself and became sad & disappointed when she decided to leave early.
Plan for the next party:
*Positive visualization & rehearsal prior to the party
* Relaxation technique pre/during/post party
*Bring a friend and practice separating from the friend as comfort increases
* Focus on the positive & thought challenging during the party
* Having a buffer: if anxiety becomes too great, the lady plans to excuse herself to the ladies room to collect herself or return to her friend with whom she's comfortable
* Rewarding/praising self for any progress made at the party
* Reworking the plan for the next party
Does this example help?
Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator
