Does shyness or Social Anxiety make social situations difficult for you? Feelings of apprehension and nervousness are natural when you’re at the center of attention. Social phobia sufferers are different in that they experience anxiety symptoms and have intense fears of being embarrassed in public.
This is actually quite a common disorder which falls under the umbrella of anxiety disorders. Therapies have been highly effective in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. Medication can help alleviate symptoms of social phobia but it is not a long term solution.
In addition to treatments, sufferers can apply self help techniques to help them overcome Social Anxiety. Self hypnosis has been used for centuries and is effective at changing behavior and emotions. Because the brain sees vivid imagination the same way as it sees a real life experience you can essentially rewire it without having to lift a finger.
Imagination has more power over your emotions than most of us realize. Feelings of fear and anxiety symptoms can manifest from merely thinking about one’s phobia. Just as the mind picks up negative behaviors it can also learn positive ones. When a person experiences something over and over again the brain makes a stronger connection.
Top athletes train their mind as much as they train their bodies. Champion tennis players practice their swing over and over again in their heads. Each time they create stronger connections and perfect their ability. New behaviors can be born from practicing visualizations alone. The amazing thing is it can be used for practically anything including overcoming social anxiety in specific situations.
Let’s say you have to present a meeting next week. On finding out you become very anxious and you start imagining how embarrassed you will be on the day. You might experience anxiety symptoms such as hot flashes, sweats, trembling and a pounding heart. When the day comes you’ve worked yourself into an anxious and terrified state and the meeting goes as badly as you imagined.
In social situations the behavior and thoughts of social anxiety sufferers is self sabotaging. By using positive visualizations and affirmations it is possible to break from old habits and learn new ones. With regular practice fears and phobias can be overcome.
If it’s appropriate to do so use your imagination to boost your confidence right now. Locate a quiet place for you to be seated and close your eyes. Let your muscles relax and inhale deeply gradually filling your lungs with air. Imagine seeing yourself full of confidence and able to tackle any social situation. Think about how you would stand, talk and gesture. Think about how your presence would be and how others would see you.
In your mind take the new confident you into all areas of your life and see how great it would be to not suffer from Anxiety symptoms. Let that internal voice in your head tell you positive things. Give yourself praise and motivating words. Now, visualize the next presentation going beautifully right to the very end. Imagine everyone reacting positively and you full of confidence and charisma.
Keep building on this image for at least 5 minutes and then open your eyes when you’re done. You should feel wonderfully relaxed and confident. Giving a presentation now doesn’t seem as daunting as it did before. With regular practice you’ll feel less and less fearful. Part of putting on a great performance is acting. Don’t worry if you feel a little anxious on the day and things don’t go as planned. Just remember to stay calm, breathe and remember it will get easier each time.
