JosephG
Well-known member
As the anxious war wages inside my head I am learning more about how it works and how it effects me.
What I have discovered over the past few days is that when I chronically worry about something else (become absorbed in thought/worry about a topic other than social situations/anxiety) I become much better at socialising and begin to enjoy it.
Over the past few days I've been experiencing bouts of hypochondria and my mind has been almost totally focused on that when I'm alone. I've found that because I am not thinking/analyzing/worrying about social situations and I'm worrying about something else instead - the social anxiety/shyness almost disappears.
It may not come as a shock to anyone and you probably already know what I'm trying to say here but this was like a big thing for me. It really did make me realise that I am a capable social being and that it really is all in my head and not just some weird defect that has hindered my sociability.
But this experience has also made me realise my anxiety is certainly not just limited to sociability - it is much more general. It seems like I always have to be worrying/analyzing/thinking about something. It has seemed this way since I was a child and I think it all started when my Mum was diagnosed with cancer when I was younger.
so what I'm trying to say here is that I think it is really all due to the way in which we think. And I think the key way to tackle this is to change your thinking. This is why I'm so open to CBT. I understand that a lot of you are not in the same boat as me - I accept that my social anxiety is very mild and I think my shyness is much more extreme but I still think if we all learnt to not obsess not over-analyze and really have motivation and constant commitment to battle with this spectrum of disorders we can really see some improvement.
For me personally I think I just need to work on my anxiety.
My Doctor seemed to think I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder and I agree with her on that. I've come to realise that my anxiety is not just focused on one area - it will pick an area of my life and try to wreck mental havoc there. So I think what's left for me is a battle with anxiety in general. And I am well and truly prepared to fight that battle.
I hope anything I've written above is coherent
It's just a collection of ideas and thoughts I've had over the past few days that may be of help to some people...
What I have discovered over the past few days is that when I chronically worry about something else (become absorbed in thought/worry about a topic other than social situations/anxiety) I become much better at socialising and begin to enjoy it.
Over the past few days I've been experiencing bouts of hypochondria and my mind has been almost totally focused on that when I'm alone. I've found that because I am not thinking/analyzing/worrying about social situations and I'm worrying about something else instead - the social anxiety/shyness almost disappears.
It may not come as a shock to anyone and you probably already know what I'm trying to say here but this was like a big thing for me. It really did make me realise that I am a capable social being and that it really is all in my head and not just some weird defect that has hindered my sociability.
But this experience has also made me realise my anxiety is certainly not just limited to sociability - it is much more general. It seems like I always have to be worrying/analyzing/thinking about something. It has seemed this way since I was a child and I think it all started when my Mum was diagnosed with cancer when I was younger.
so what I'm trying to say here is that I think it is really all due to the way in which we think. And I think the key way to tackle this is to change your thinking. This is why I'm so open to CBT. I understand that a lot of you are not in the same boat as me - I accept that my social anxiety is very mild and I think my shyness is much more extreme but I still think if we all learnt to not obsess not over-analyze and really have motivation and constant commitment to battle with this spectrum of disorders we can really see some improvement.
For me personally I think I just need to work on my anxiety.
My Doctor seemed to think I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder and I agree with her on that. I've come to realise that my anxiety is not just focused on one area - it will pick an area of my life and try to wreck mental havoc there. So I think what's left for me is a battle with anxiety in general. And I am well and truly prepared to fight that battle.
I hope anything I've written above is coherent
It's just a collection of ideas and thoughts I've had over the past few days that may be of help to some people...