Posts Tagged ‘social anxiety disorder’

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Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) In Teenagers

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Do you know that social anxiety disorder is a condition that is devastating to lots of people, but specifically to teens? Teenagers who have a social anxiety problem are very much concerned about being humiliated or embarrassed. Despite the nature of their fears being unreasonable, they cannot view them objectively, and friends and family members who try to encourage them are perceived as being ‘against them’.

We cannot deny the fact that being a little shy is something that is common to lots of us, yet, for those influenced by social anxiety disorder, they are obsessed with the idea that everyone will be criticizing them, and singling them out for being different in some way. Such fears are so intense that it leads to the idea of staying away from all contact with groups of people where possible, which results in the deterioration of relationships and quality of life as a whole.

Teenagers who are socially challenged are always faced with the fear of doing something wrong and being harshly judged by other people. They are almost paralyzed with worrying about receiving negative reactions from all those whom they come into contact with. Consequently, they remain silent and withdrawn with the hope of drawing as little attention to themselves as they can.

There are physical symptoms that are very apparent in teenagers who suffer from this condition. They tend to sweat excessively, tremble and blush. As well as the physical symptoms, there are also behavioral symptoms that we can notice in them. For teens, the typical scenarios wherein they manifest social anxiety disorder are eating or drinking in the presence of other people, engaging in conversation with others, being in unfamiliar surroundings, and attending social events.

As far as they are concerned, these situations present opportunities where they may be criticized or laughed at. All teenagers may excessively fear being criticized or laughed at occasionally, as this is part of the normal process of growing up, but for those with social anxiety disorder, rather than this fear arising occasionally, it is with them all of the time.

When a teenager is suffering from social anxiety disorder, they are advised to seek the assistance of a mental health specialist as soon as possible, so that they can receive treatment for their phobia. In doing so, they can rid themselves of this debilitating condition. They will be able to get back to being a ‘normal’ teen and have a real chance of having a successful and fulfilling life.

More : Social Anxiety Support Or Social Anxiety Disorder

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Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Social anxiety disorder is also referred to as social phobia and is a health condition wherein an individual is unusually scared of social situations. The anxiety and severe self consciousness come from dread of the close observation, judgement, and disapproval of other people. Somebody with this kind of condition is frightened that they will do something to embarrass themselves in front of others. Inadequate social skills or not being used to certain social situations can make things even worse.

On occasion anxiety develops into a panic attack. For that reason, people who are afflicted with this condition will either be highly ill at ease in any kind of social setting or will simply shun them altogether. It isn’t unusual for those who experience social anxiety disorder to also be afflicted with what is known as anticipatory anxiety. This is essentially the fear that something will occur before it in fact does, and this feeling can start many days or even weeks before a certain social occasion is to occur. Commonly, the person who has these worries is aware that their fear is out of all proportion, but they are still powerless to rise above it.

This kind of anxiety disorder twists your thought processes to include mistaken or extremely inflated beliefs regarding all kinds of social settings and also the negative thoughts of others. With no medical treatment, social anxiety disorder can interfere with a person’s normal day to day routine, including their job, school, social pursuits, and relationships with other people.

With a moderate case of this dysfunction, the individual could be worried about a particular situation, for instance having to give a presentation or address. However, in the majority of cases, the dread includes several types of situations: being around other people when eating and drinking, working or writing; being the center of attention; socializing with people, including going on a date or going to parties; using public bathrooms; and even talking on the phone.

Social anxiety disorder is likely to be associated with other mental illnesses, including obsessive compulsive disorder, depression or panic disorder. In fact, many people with this condition initially seek help for symptoms linked to these other issues, not as a consequence of their symptoms of social anxiety disorder.

If your anxiety begins to have the upper hand in your life, affecting your personal relationships or your productivity, make sure to talk to your physician about treatment. Your health care provider will probably recommend a prescription drug that changes your brain chemistry to relieve most of the disturbing feelings that accompany social anxiety disorder. Along with this, physicians frequently recommend psychotherapy with a professional who works with you to modify the mental processes that lead to the worry, stress and apprehension that often accompany anxiety.

By some accounts, there are over 40 million Americans who suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. The good news is that there are ways you can cure the problem, many of them without the need for medication, such as counseling for anxiety. If you want to learn more about dealing with this crippling disorder, visit Fighting Anxiety.

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Being Unable To Control Anxiety Panic Attacks Can Be A Big Burden.

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

When you for the first time are overwhelmed by an anxiety panic attack, you have no clue what happens. It shuts you down completely. You experience all kind of physical symptoms like a racing heart, your stomach speaks up, sweating all over your body, insomnia and many more. Although you say to yourself that there is not any real danger, this does not put an end to the panic attack. You can not rationalize it to stop. It is like a mystic force that has taken over control of your body.

Anxiety may develop at any age in a person’s development. Many times when it develops in adults it is following some type of trauma. This is often referred to as post traumatic stress disorder. This disorder is quite complex and takes a different approach than dealing with the treatment of anxiety. Many members of the military develop post traumatic stress disorder as a result to exposure to intense military action. For them anxiety is one of many complicated symptoms.

I visited many doctors to find a cure for my anxiety panic attacks. The majority of them can only offer you a drug to suppress the symptoms. In some cases these drugs are sedative and capable of keeping your attacks under control. But after a certain period your body seems to adapt to the medication and you need a higher dosage to achieve the same results. When you decide to stop with the medication, then very soon the panic attacks are back in full swing.

Anxiety support groups have helped me somewhat, but only a little bit. It is nice to have an anxiety support group where you can vent your frustrations at being unable to control your social anxiety disorder, but just being able to vent doesn’t really help the problem go away. Don’t get me wrong – having a social network who understands what you are going through is extremely important. Nonetheless, it is not enough to treat the symptoms of anxiety panic attacks.

Some feel seek their refuge in herbs. The products that I tried to get my anxiety panics under control had little or no effect. Some of them turned out to be sedative and are able to stop the attacks, but then you become dependent again. Mental relaxation like meditation was able to lower the number and intensity of the attacks, but was not able to bring a complete solution. Currently I am experimenting with a new method, called the Linden method. It is a new technique in addressing the organ in the brain that triggers the panic attacks. I have heard from others that they have great results. I just started, so I am not able to share my own experiences.

Marcelo Quijanios is a freelance journalist. Currently he is researching a new method to relieve him of his anxiety panic attacks. The testimonials about this method are very interesting and say to given relieve a lot of people in the past.

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Beat The Fear of Asking For What You Want

Monday, January 4th, 2010

If you have trouble getting yourself to ask for what you want, be assured, you are not alone. The problem is created by shyness and social anxiety. You hold back when it comes to asking for things you want. It could be something as simple as asking for directions, asking for someone to be quiet in the apartment next to you, asking for a refund at a store, or asking for someone to change a deadline on an assignment at work. Regardless of the situation, you find yourself hesitating to ask for what you want. What’s the cause of this? For most people, the cause has to do with a combination of shy temperament and the belief system that suggests that other people would be annoyed or inconvenienced by your requests. In other words, you have an intense dislike for making yourself stand out, and you dislike situations that could bring any form of negative evaluation from others, even unspoken negative thoughts.

The best solution to this problem is to develop a thicker skin regarding the thoughts that other people have about you. In just a moment I will tell you the best way to develop a thicker skin. But first, I need to mess with your mind a little bit so that you will be receptive to the methods I’m going to explain next. You see, for the great majority of people who read this article, there is very little chance that they will ever overcome their difficulty with asking for what they want. The reason it is that their lives are primarily run by the motivation to escape from pain. This is backwards motivation that robs people of joy and passion in life. The only way to reverse this motivational system is to begin to pursue the things you do want in life and to use that as your primary motivation instead of trying to escape from the things you do not want in life.

Am I telling you that people are lazy and the difficulty with asking for what you want is about a failure to take action? No, not really. Rather, what I’m telling you is that there are very few people who have discovered a very important secret about how human motivation actually brings about change. The secret I am referring to is that we are much more likely to follow through in creating change in our lives if we first ignite our positive emotion and motivation by thinking about the things that we want, rather than thinking about the things we don’t want. Pain-based motivation works for the short term, but it gradually leads to burn-out because of the negative feelings associated with the thoughts about fear and pain.

When you start each day without a plan in mind for living toward specific goals and realistic dreams, you end up being driven primarily by your attempts to escape from what you don’t want in life. Escaping from what you don’t want is the default mode that appears to be preset in the minds of most people. Without purposeful effort, you will default to avoiding the things you do not want. This leads to emotional pain and a low level of accomplishment in life. You can do better. Read on.

You may be wondering what this has to do with developing a thicker skin so you can ask for what you want. I’m getting there. Don’t give up on me, because the joy you’re about to feel about this simple shift in your mindset is going to be worth it. (I just caused your brain to seek out a positive dopamine release. Did you catch it?)

The best way to develop a thicker skin is to practice with asking for things. I want you to practice all day every day in as many situations as possible. Ask for directions even when you don’t need them. Ask your partner for things that they are unlikely to grant you (warn them first that you will be asking for a lot of things and tell them it’s perfectly fine to say no). Ask for an extra minute to think before you place your order at a drive-through. Ask your co-worker to do you a favor.

If you are like most people, your mind has already begun to see pain, which is decreasing your motivation to continue reading this article. Let me ask you to reverse that process before it stops you from getting what you want in life. Think of the process of developing a thicker skin as being somewhat similar to the task of swimming across a small but very cold lake. The pain of the freezing cold water would be short-lived as you rapidly become warmer from the action of swimming hard and fast. If you can swim across this cold lake the prize awaits you on the other side. When you begin practicing asking for what you want, it will be particularly difficult at first, but as you warm up (or star to get used to asking for what you want) you will find that it gets easier and easier. The results will speak for themselves.

In order to build your motivation more, start with a vivid mental hologram that helps you to imagine what it would be like to be a more assertive person. Think about how it would feel to be able to hold your head high while you demand proper respect from other people, without flinching or feeling anxious afterwards. In order for this process to work, you need to become very certain that the vision you have of the future version of yourself is a real possibility. Don’t simply wonder about what it would be like. Instead, think of your visualization as something that is 100% linked to the specific action of practicing asking for what you want until it feels natural.

Before I send you on your way to get to work on this method, I want to share two other tips that can be useful in changing how you think. Remember, you won’t have much success with changing what you think unless you take action on those changes. But as you develop a thicker skin, use the following techniques to speed your progress. When you’re trying to work up the nerve to ask for what you want, imagine how someone else would do it. Imagine a person you know who is very assertive and outgoing. Think about how that person would ask for what they want. Imagine what that person’s mindset would be if someone challenged them and said they were asking for too much. The other technique is simply to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Ask yourself if you would be offended or annoyed if you ask for what you are about to ask for. In most cases the answer is no. Simply reminding yourself of the fact that other people are not bothered by your requests can be helpful. Psychological research has even found that when we do a favor for someone else, we usually like that person a little more than we did prior to having done the favor for them. Now it’s time to get to work. Create a vision for a certain future that is 100% tide to the active ingredient of practicing until you become used to asking for what you want. Then keep a log where you record your progress by giving yourself a checkmark for each day that you successfully practiced asking for what you want at least three times. You will find the results well worth your while because this is the kind of investment that lasts for a lifetime.

Dr. Todd Snyder is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. He is the creator of the Social Anxiety Secrets System that provides a complete self-help and personal motivation system for overcoming symptoms of social anxiety. A free mini-course can be found at his website, www.socialanxietysecrets.com

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Stephen Richards Has Developed A Real Alternative To Expensive Therapy For Overcoming Panic Attacks”

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

If you suffer from social anxiety disorder (panic attacks) then no doubt you have searched high and low for a fix. Yes, you’ve read the Internet sales pitches of the many so-called fast-fix remedies available … all pitched at you in a slick manner, all meant to get you to buy their product. What do they offer? Well there are many downloads if you have a few days to sit by your computer spending your time and money on useless file after file of unnecessary clutter.

They start off by luring you in with some kitschy sales talk, laying it on thick, then after the premise of a cure they move on to the price. Starting at an overstated price, and then slowly coming down in price, even offering you useless add-ons for free, which you will never ever use! Well, I suppose they have to make you feel comfortable and get those endorphins zapping about inside of your head. That is when you are hooked on what is a supposed cure for panic attacks and they have your money for something that is completely ineffective.

The unfairness of it all is that the products or product you have just purchased turn out to be, at best, an ideal bulking agent for clogging up your PC or something just to listen to when you have a few spare hours through your hurried day. I’m sure you get the idea now.

Former therapist and now global best-selling writer Stephen Richards adds comment by saying, “Most of these products on offer to cure social anxiety are nothing more than ‘snake oil’ pitches, just made to entice the weak willed and unwary into buying useless products. These goods do little more than mask the problem for a short while, not targeting the actual areas in the mind that are in need of retraining. Basically it is all a waste of money.”

Stopping a panic attack in a fast way while being gripped by one is not quite as easy as some might claim. Why wait until you are in the grip of fear before applying such a cure? These so-called therapists are just reaping the rewards from your fear. Any decent therapist would, from the outset, be changing the very areas of your mind that set these attacks in motion. One method on offer unrealistically guarantees a100% success rate, and yet in the same jargon it intimates that, well, it is not exactly a 100% fix rate! Very cleaver!

How on earth can you get through all those CDs supplied for one treatment, then there are what seems like reams of paperwork accompanying it, well that is if you decide to print it all out from your download. Oh, and they throw in more than the value of the product you have just bought as a sweetener! Then you have some testimonies from so-called past anxiety sufferers. You are supposed to get through all of this paraphernalia you are now in possession of on your own, and then go out and put it into action. The lists of cures these products are supposed to clear (all tied in with panic attacks) are: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Agoraphobia, Self Harming, etc, etc!

You see the smiling faces of past anxiety sufferers, saying they did everything and anything before trying the product on offer and voila! It worked, amazingly! No doubt these people are all good honest folk, and all the testimonies are no doubt all real, too. It all lends itself to the support of the product and for garnering your belief that it works. Of course, it all leads to the bottom of the web page, building up to the big sell. So it is simple to be trapped in the belief that what is on offer is the real deal.

Many of these products use subliminal messaging, where the words are embedded in the music or background sounds, these are wasteful of your time. Subliminal messages should not scare you. Scientific studies have proven that if the subconscious mind is intentionally programmed with positive thoughts that soon the conscious mind will begin to act with the information and positive results will be obtained. But why make it so difficult to take in?

By all means, use such subliminal CDs, but they are only good if you get to hear all what is said, because if your subconscious mind misses a few words then it could pick up only some of what is meant, and then it all goes wrong! Then there are the hypnotherapy CDs, but one hypnotherapy CD cannot do what would in real life take anything from 10-24 hypnotherapy sessions to achieve. What about those multipacks of MP3s you can download, surely they must do something? Well to some degree they do help clog your computer with useless files that you might actually listen to one day, when you get around to it. However, now there is a real alternative! Yes, a real inexpensive alternative that actually works!

The real groundbreaking technology that has made a breakthrough in the cure of social anxiety disorder is very, very simple! In the most advanced cure for social anxiety phobia, International Best-selling Self-help Author Stephen Richards has done away with the need for self-hypnosis or the use of subliminal messaging.

One of the main gripes many people have had with using social anxiety products is the use of hypnosis, they do not feel that they have benefited. The answer to this problem is that it takes many, many hours of hypnosis to fix such deep-seated problems. It is not like fixing one part of the mind … there are many zones to repair and during the course of hypnosis all these zones are tackled … one session at a time! A long and drawn out process! This is where the “Releasing You From Social Anxiety CD” differs, it actually zones in on the exact area needing help. With advanced technology it tackles the area most in need, and all in an above board way. You get to hear everything what is being said.

Stephen Richards has developed a method to help overcome social anxiety disorder that is so simple. Just one 20 minute session can do what others claim to do in tens of hours. One other criterion he stipulated was that it had to be inexpensive so that anyone could afford it. After working on this project and fine tuning it, Stephen Richards was happy to proceed to the stage of where it became available to the public for less than the cost of a film DVD.

After listening for just 20 minutes of track two, the “Releasing You From Social Anxiety CD” does away with hours and hours of listening to boring MP3 downloads. The other great piece of news is that Stephen Richards is not taking advantage of those in need by charging way over the top for the CD. It is with this in mind that prompted him to go into action to design such a product that would do away with the less than reasonable stance these others had taken on what he considered to be a fair price. As well as this, he wanted a genuine ‘fast fix’, not just something that promised all but delivered nothing.

Stephen Richards says, “I was absolutely dismayed at the way some unscrupulous sellers purvey their social anxiety cures. They are just a sham and exploiting the weakness of those in need. They drag out the treatments in the hope of more expensive sessions to follow. I believe in a fix that is inexpensive and also a one that is transparent in what it does.

Discover more about the “Releasing You From Social Anxiety CD” by globally recognised self help author and former clinical hypnotherapist Stephen Richards for the most up to date and rapid non-hypnosis fix for social anxiety disorder. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

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