Techniques that have helped me ALOT

[Sebastian20]

I have found a couple of techniques that you can use to help your social phobia.

1. Have a totally relaxed body, when you walk and move. There should be no tension anywhere ever. I don´t know about you, but I used to have stiff movements when I thought that people are looking at me. Now I have a totally relaxed body when I´m walking and moving.

2. Focus on anything else, but yourself. Drop your ego as much as you can. Look at people and things you see, just to get your focus elsewhere. Calm your mind. This is also good when talking to someone. Focus on them.

 

[Doomed2Die]

I whole heartedly agree with you, they are also linked so working on one will help the other.

A regular relaxing exercise would do this I suppose, can't think of any at the moment though.

 

[ThomP]

A regular relaxing exercise would do this I suppose, can't think of any at the moment though.

I think the standard method is progressive muscle relaxation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobson's_Progressive_Muscle_Relaxation

Focus on anything else, but yourself. Drop your ego as much as you can. Look at people and things you see, just to get your focus elsewhere. Calm your mind. This is also good when talking to someone. Focus on them.

I second that. During the first few group therapy sessions, I usually looked at the floor. Now, I focus on the person speaking, looking at them while they are speaking. This made it possible for me to look them in the eye while I was speaking, which is something I couldn't do before...

 

[very_shy]

A mind technique regarding speaking in front of the people (etc. in school, when presenting a paper): since you are in front of the listeners, think - you are the boss. Why you should be the one who is scared? Have in mind that you know something that they don't and if you won't say (present) it, it will be unknown for all of them (well, maybe not for professors...).
The most important thing is to admit, that YOU have something that others don't. Your goal is then to share this with them, as best as you can. Put some of "you" in there, search for some funny things, especially if you predict the topic to be boring to the class. Look to the listeners, from left to the right, and it will be a great reward when seeing them to listen you with their open eyes.
This "method" was created spontaneously by myself, only in the last year at the university and it helped me a lot. I even made jokes about myself (etc how I don't go almost anywhere ) and so I opened myself to them.

And I felt good, so the others and I feel my SA battle has maybe finally conquered this particular field