Social anxiety disorder is a difficult problem to overcome. But not impossible. Once you've accepted that it's inaccurate thoughts causing you to feel anxious you can start working on changing them. Because changing the way you think will change the way you feel. My advice would be to look at it as a long term campaign you'll need to engage, rather than hoping for a short term 'miracle' cure from medication ...

Vladimir has recently overtaken the Shy and Quiet blog if you'd like to read a personal account on getting to grips with overcoming social anxiety. He's also bravely posted some videos onto YouTube, which you might  find helpful, in which he discusses the causes of his problem and his determination to overcome them. Whilst on YouTube I also stumbled upon this video featuring a former sufferer who has manag ...

Yesterday I watched the biopic 'About a Son' in which Kurt Cobain discusses his childhood, music career and views on life. An edited version of 25 hours of interview tapes recorded a year before he committed suicide, the film offers some insight into the negative thought patterns that seemed to be driving Kurt towards taking his own life. From the film  I got the impression that Kurt exhibited many of the c ...

[Photo courtesy of kalandrakas] If you suffer from social anxiety disorder, social phobia or depression then you might think it's other people or situations that make you feel nervous or unhappy. If people weren't rude or stared at you then you wouldn't need to feel miserable or anxious, right? Well, extensive clinical studies (400+ in fact) have shown that it's the unhelpful thoughts events provoke which m ...

Do you ever find it difficult to follow conversations? Does your mind go blank 'trying' to think of something to say? Or do you feel overcome by nervous whenever you enter or leave a room? If so then it's probably due to anxiety getting in the way. Social anxiety is rooted in the fear of what people think of you and causes you to worry about  everything you say and do. As a result, anxiety can cause you to ...

If you suffer from social anxiety then the fear of what people think can sometimes be overwhelming. Simple activities like walking into a crowded room or sitting near a group of strangers can be enough to set off your alarm bells and cause you to panic. Because you're convinced people are judging you and talking about you. In the worst case scenario you might hear someone laugh, which of course you think is ...