I Have Social Anxiety - Who Knew?
It was almost a decade ago that I realised I had been grappling with social anxiety for most of my life. I had never heard the term before then, but as soon as I stumbled across it, I realised it had been the source of most of my struggles.
I considered going to therapy, but who has the money for that? Those who specialise in cognitive behavioural therapy – the method proven to most effectively tackle anxiety disorders – are particularly expensive.
At the end of 2020 I discovered The Social Anxiety Institute, and signed up for their online therapy course. It is one of those courses you just work through by yourself, although they do sometimes offer live, online therapy groups I’ve since found out.
However, having a baby in 2022 completely derailed me, and it was only last year that I finally finished going through the extensive course materials. Afterwards, I realised that there were holes in its teachings, which I have since worked to fill.
This series details everything I have learned on my quest to conquer social anxiety once and for all – a quest I am still on for sure.
The two most straightforward, significant steps that can be taken to start overcoming any anxiety disorder today:
A mindfulness meditation practice; and
Moving your body in any way you can, whenever you can – apart from when you’re meditating! It’s much harder to ruminate when you’re in motion.