So before I do anything major. I think I'd like to read a few book dealing with social anxiety and learning to cope with shyness to help me fully understand the problems that I face and the steps that I can take to overcome them. There are so many books on the subject that it's a bit overwhelming to figure out which ones will be the most helpful for me. I suppose the best place to start would be to just browse a bookstore and look through a couple of the book and see which ones really stand out to me.
I also found this website that has a list of books on social skills training so this may actually be a bit helpful for me. I'll probably pick up a couple of book to start out with so that I can get different perspectives on everything. I've always thought that it was best to get many viewpoints rather than only hear one point of view and potentially miss out on some really good information. It's a good thing that I love to read, so this step in the process will actually be a lot of fun!
I'm not really in the mood to go out to a bookstore and pick up some books, but I'm not going to allow myself to take the easy way out and buy everything online. I think a good step would be to come out of my comfort zone and force myself to go outside and do something even when I don't really feel like it. I find that I often dread the idea of going outdoors, however, when I finally go and do it I actually really enjoy myself and I'm glad that I've gone out. I need to focus on the fact that I'll be happy once I'm outside rather than the dread of going out that I feel now. Adios!
outlook
One of the things that I think is really important to helping improve myself and some of my anxiety issues is to start to change my outlook on life. I have the tendency to think negatively and always expect the worst. I can't imagine that this sort of thought process could be helpful at all to anyone.
My thoughts can start of perfectly normal and then after a while I start to think and think and think until I have turned every thought into a worst case scenario. For example I might start with a simple thought about how I would like to draw something, but instead of just sitting down and drawing I'll think and think about this thing that I want to do until i've somehow convinced myself that I shouldn't even bother drawing because it will probably come out terrible anyway. I do this about everything from really simple things to big things that I never start that could potentially change my life. What I need to do is learn how to shut down my brain and just go for the things that I want. It sounds simple, but it's actually really difficult. I really need to work to make myself be this way.
I also have the tendency to dwell on the negative aspects of who I am instead of the positives. For example I might think about all the bad things that come along with my shyness and introversion rather than the good things, which is terrible. I want to make changes in my life, but I don't want to completely change the person that I am. I don't think that is possible. So I want to take a moment to think about some of the good aspects of who I am as an introvert
One of the best part of my introversion is that I love to spend time alone and I never become bored easily. I think that a lot of people hate staying home or being by themselves because they can't think of ways to keep themselves occupied so they get bored and upset. However I have never been like this. I always have something stirring in my mind and some sort of plan of what I would like to do with my day. I could keep myself occupied by creating art, or reading, or even spend the day catching up on some of my favorite television shows. Because of this, it's very rare that I ever get lonely because I enjoy my own company so much, but I do believe that in order to lead a full and well rounded life, I need to branch out and enjoy a bit more time with other people as well because being around other people is a lot of fun (when I'm not being afraid of it) and you can learn so much from others, and gain so many new experiences.
So here's to a new more positive outlook on life and who I am, and hopefully the first positive step to making big changes.
My thoughts can start of perfectly normal and then after a while I start to think and think and think until I have turned every thought into a worst case scenario. For example I might start with a simple thought about how I would like to draw something, but instead of just sitting down and drawing I'll think and think about this thing that I want to do until i've somehow convinced myself that I shouldn't even bother drawing because it will probably come out terrible anyway. I do this about everything from really simple things to big things that I never start that could potentially change my life. What I need to do is learn how to shut down my brain and just go for the things that I want. It sounds simple, but it's actually really difficult. I really need to work to make myself be this way.
I also have the tendency to dwell on the negative aspects of who I am instead of the positives. For example I might think about all the bad things that come along with my shyness and introversion rather than the good things, which is terrible. I want to make changes in my life, but I don't want to completely change the person that I am. I don't think that is possible. So I want to take a moment to think about some of the good aspects of who I am as an introvert
One of the best part of my introversion is that I love to spend time alone and I never become bored easily. I think that a lot of people hate staying home or being by themselves because they can't think of ways to keep themselves occupied so they get bored and upset. However I have never been like this. I always have something stirring in my mind and some sort of plan of what I would like to do with my day. I could keep myself occupied by creating art, or reading, or even spend the day catching up on some of my favorite television shows. Because of this, it's very rare that I ever get lonely because I enjoy my own company so much, but I do believe that in order to lead a full and well rounded life, I need to branch out and enjoy a bit more time with other people as well because being around other people is a lot of fun (when I'm not being afraid of it) and you can learn so much from others, and gain so many new experiences.
So here's to a new more positive outlook on life and who I am, and hopefully the first positive step to making big changes.
Hi
Hi there everyone. I'm just a girl and I wanted to start a blog about my problems with social anxiety. I've always been a bit socially anxious. I don't know if it's severe enough to be diagnosable, but I do know without a doubt that I have social problems. I have never been comfortable around other people. It really takes me a while to warm up to people, and for the most part, I always dread meeting new people because of this. My anxieties have gotten in the way of me being able to make lots of friends the way that most people seem to be able to.
I would even go so far as to say that it is a problem that has gotten in the way of me excelling in my career the way most people do. I always dread the idea of going for jobs because I am afraid of the interviewing process. It's so bad that I will go out of my way to avoid even applying for certain jobs because I am concerned about the interview. I have doomed myself to fail before I have even tried. I also worry about the fact that having a job means that I would have to interact with people on a regular basis.
So that's just a bit of background information on the social anxiety issues that I have faced in my life. Essentially I want to start this blog as a way to document my life dealing with these kind of issues, but also to document the fact that I think it's time to take the small steps that I need to overcome my fears. I want to make major changes in my life for the better, and there is no better time to start then now. So join me in my journey as I try to get over all the things that make me cower in the corner. This should be an interesting ride.
I would even go so far as to say that it is a problem that has gotten in the way of me excelling in my career the way most people do. I always dread the idea of going for jobs because I am afraid of the interviewing process. It's so bad that I will go out of my way to avoid even applying for certain jobs because I am concerned about the interview. I have doomed myself to fail before I have even tried. I also worry about the fact that having a job means that I would have to interact with people on a regular basis.
So that's just a bit of background information on the social anxiety issues that I have faced in my life. Essentially I want to start this blog as a way to document my life dealing with these kind of issues, but also to document the fact that I think it's time to take the small steps that I need to overcome my fears. I want to make major changes in my life for the better, and there is no better time to start then now. So join me in my journey as I try to get over all the things that make me cower in the corner. This should be an interesting ride.
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