Tips on how to decrease social anxiety-- add your own!

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Last edited by aspergian_mutant on 15 Dec 2008, 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Last edited by aspergian_mutant on 15 Dec 2008, 8:02 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Just a note on that "picture them naked" thing.... if you have a decent inagination that can be pretty horrifying, so be careful where you use it. I made that mistake on day at an old job, everybody standing around the time clock waiting to punch out.
About 25 hairy, dirty, ugly, mostly old and fat guys. Oh horrible thought.
Sure a few of them weren't so scary, but the overall effect.... ugh.

As for what I do, I can mentally squash the feeling. I learned years ago, it's kind of hard to describe. I'll let myself be nervous or whatever until it's time to go in, then suppress it.

That's all I've got that doesn't involve drugs or alcohol.

Really red wine makes me drowsy. I have asked other people any they say it makes the drowsy too. White wine it depends how acid it is, it can make me feel on edge.

Weird thing is all stimulants either have little effect or make me drowsy. Dexedrine a drug used to treat narcolepsy makes me drowsy.

^^it's the melatonin that is stored in the skins of most grapes (not all varieties though). allegedly, it's levels can also get increased by certain vaccines used by the vineyard owners to protect the grape trees.

Cool as you can tell I am a night owl. I am going to try melatonin supplements. There red wine gives me confidence it might just work thanks. The drowsiness I get with stimulants isn't a nice drowsiness.

I am also getting q lumie:
http://www.lumie.com/shop/categories/dawn-simulators

@OP back on topic I'll post more about my experiences with social anxiety at some point.

Take a anti anxiety pill like Xanax

Taking my anti-anxiety/depression drug helped a lot.

Pills do nothing without therapy.
I just went to see a psychologist for a few months and I got better.
It could have also had something to do with the reason I developed social anxiety was taken away, but I still needed some help to stop having anxious thoughts every time I interacted with people.

Other things that helped: relaxing oils, B vitamins, EFT, and changing the way I think.

Focusing on service really helps.

Social anxiety is me thinking about myself too much. Service to others (being supportive, helpful or encouraging of others) is the opposite of me thinking about myself too much. Self forgetting (as one engages in service) causes us to forget to be anxious too.

It should be healthy service though, not helping people who are abusing you and not total self sacrifice (balance giving to others with a healthy selfishness).

Losing one self in service for a while can often reduce social anxiety for hours or even days afterwards, however.

So can losing oneself in doing something that one loves to do (as long as it's a healthy activity).

Any kind of (healthy) self-forgetting will reduce or eliminate social aniety.