Social Anxiety Reprogramming - Help!

[Cerullylj]

Hello all!

 

Luke here, thank you for taking the time to read my post! Any and all answers are appreciated.

 

So I'm a person that has suffered from pretty moderate to severe social anxiety for the past decade, and I was wondering if anybody had any pointers or a plan to systematically reprogram the mind out of social anxiety. I have tried medication and therapy but they aren't doing the trick currently.

 

I've done some research and from what I know, meditation, replacing negative anxious thoughts with empowering positive thoughts, positive affirmations, and exposure therapy are the way to do it.  I currently meditate every day (only on day 10 consistently) and have started doing positive affirmations geared toward social anxiety.  I have not started doing exposure therapy as I'm not ready to start jumping into social situations again just yet.  I want to do some mental prep work first.  But does anybody have any other tips or suggestions on what I should be doing to reprogram my subconscious to overcome this disorder?  Or am I on the right track?

 

Thanks for the support,

Luke

 

 

 

 

[Yimpa]

Greetings, young Actualizer!

20 minutes ago, Cerullylj said:

I have not started doing exposure therapy as I'm not ready to start jumping into social situations again just yet. 

You posting this on the forum is already a brave act of socializing. Kudos!

[Lila9]

How is your breathing pattern? Do you breathe through your nose, slowly, from your belly, with the exhale longer than the inhale? How is your posture? What is the position of your tongue in your mouth?

I know it sounds unrelated, but by reading this book, I have found that there is a strong link between incorrect breathing and mental conditions like anxiety (including social anxiety), depression, suicidal thoughts, and even ADHD.

If you breathe through your mouth, shallowly, from your chest rather than your belly, if you inhale longer or more than you exhale (hyperventilation), and if your tongue is not on the roof of your mouth (mewing), then you might be breathing incorrectly, which makes it more difficult to be mindful, with a clear and lucid brain, and more prone to anxiety and panic attacks, especially in triggering situations.

I don’t know how severe your social anxiety is, but ensuring that you're following the basics like correct breathing, sleep, diet, and exercise is a great start.

[Wilhelm44]

What is the limiting belief that causes you to feel anxious ? Have you identified it yet ? 

[Sugarcoat]

All that you’re doing is good stuff. I used to have a little social anxiety but none anymore. Exposure, to a level that is challenging but not overwhelming is key. And while you’re doing the exposure being mindful, being mindful of how you might act fake, being mindful of breath, of thoughts that appear, of how you might tense your body, how your eyes move and might avoid eye contact, trying to be authentic to release some of that tension. 

Edited September 1 by Sugarcoat

[Yimpa]

1 hour ago, Wilhelm44 said:

What is the limiting belief that causes you to feel anxious ? Have you identified it yet ? 

The denial of my authentic self.

[Raze]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4-HZxcEJg

Try when therapy doesn’t work by Shelly Young

[Wilhelm44]

1 hour ago, Yimpa said:

The denial of my authentic self.

What untruth about being your authentic self, are you believing to be true ?

Edited September 1 by Wilhelm44

[Yimpa]

3 minutes ago, Wilhelm44 said:

What untruth about your authentic self are you believing to be true ?

Give me a moment... Imma need to spend 1000 lifetimes figuring that one out.

[Wilhelm44]

4 minutes ago, Yimpa said:

Give me a moment... Imma need to spend 1000 lifetimes figuring that one out.

Don't need to take that long  What thoughts and emotions come up when you feel resistance towards the idea of being your authentic self ? ie what do you keep telling yourself ?

Edited September 1 by Wilhelm44

[Yimpa]

2 minutes ago, Wilhelm44 said:

Don't need to take that long  What thoughts and emotions come up when you feel resistance towards the idea of being your authentic self ? ie what do you keep telling yourself ?

That I am not worthy of LOVE!

[Wilhelm44]

Just now, Yimpa said:

That I am not worthy of LOVE!

Why are you not worthy of love ?

[Yimpa]

Just now, Wilhelm44 said:

Why are you not worthy of love ?

*ignores question*

A false thought tells the truth.

Why give falsehood attention?

[Wilhelm44]

1 minute ago, Yimpa said:

*ignores question*

A false thought tells the truth.

Why give falsehood attention?

Not sure how this relates ?

[Yimpa]

We avoid aspects of ourselves that we hate without understanding what it fundamentally is. 

[Reciprocality]

I would insist on using a new angle on the situation which does not distinguish people who are anxious in relation to others from people who are not, the concept of "social anxiety" is mostly cultural and cultural concepts does what humans are evolved to do: compare people.

 

It actually confuses the real problem to compare yourself with those who do not have the anxiety you have, which I believe you do and so by necessity.

 

The real problem is what other humans actually are in relation to you, which I can describe very simply, they are a year-deep mirrors into yourself within timespans of seconds, their fascial expressions and situational reactions are instantiations of what you call reality, and this reality is what you are.

Edit: I get nauseated just thinking about having people around me, and it is obvious to me that it is because there is simply too much information, too many possibilities there, things becomes too real real quick and I can only handle so much reality at a time.

Edited September 1 by Reciprocality

[Wilhelm44]

@Cerullylj