Social Anxiety Attacks

Is Social anxiety affecting the quality of your life? It’s normal to feel a little nervous and shy when giving a presentation or introducing yourself to a group of new people. People who experience extreme anxiety and fear however during these situations are likely to have social phobia disorder.

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.

People with Social Anxiety can apply lots of self help methods to reduce their own anxieties and help them confront their fears. Self hypnosis has been used for centuries and is effective at changing behavior and emotions. When you vividly imagine something you’re nervous system reacts in the same way as when you’re actually doing it.

Your imagination and thoughts influence your feelings and behavior. You might feel anxious and scared just by thinking of something you fear. But the imagination can be used to produce positive behaviors as well as negative ones. Like riding a bike the brain makes stronger connections each time until it becomes a subconscious ability.

Many pro athletes visualize winning before an event. Champion tennis players practice their swing over and over again in their heads. Every time strengthening their mental reflex and improving their game. 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 imagine that you have to give a presentation in a few days. On hearing this you start feeling immense dread and you begin to visualize being humiliated in front of everyone. You might experience anxiety symptoms such as hot flashes, sweats, trembling and a pounding heart. At the meeting you feel totally terrified, embarrassed and a complete wreck.

In social situations the behavior and thoughts of social anxiety sufferers is self sabotaging. Using techniques such as positive visualizations and affirmations can help recondition old habits and behaviors. Routinely practicing these techniques will help conquer fears and anxieties.

You can apply visualization techniques anytime. Find somewhere quiet to sit and close your eyes. Start to inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, and relax your muscles on each out breath. Imagine seeing yourself full of confidence and able to tackle any social situation. How would you look, talk and feel? Think about how your presence would be and how others would see you.

Build this image and think about you living your life without Anxiety Symptoms. Let that internal voice in your head tell you positive things. Praise yourself and make yourself feel good. Imagine yourself standing in front of everyone at your next meeting and giving an amazing presentation. See yourself in complete control and everybody giving you praise at the end.

Focus on this image for 10 minutes and finally open your eyes. Did you feel good? You might even feel that you’re ready to give a presentation now. With regular practice you’ll feel less and less fearful. Think of confidence as a guise that you can slip on until you become that person. What’s more, even when you feel anything but confident inside, project it on the outside. If you can learn to project confidence, in time your subconscious will gradually make this state more habitual.