The term “social anxiety” has gained traction in the past few years as celebrities and CEO’s of well-known companies have mentioned they have social anxiety. One way to deal with social anxiety is to become a hermit for the rest of your life. That is not the healthiest way to deal with a problem.
My belief is to face the problem as much as possible. One way to beat social anxiety is to talk with and get more comfortable with people whose job it is to be nice to you. What do I mean by that? Make small talk with the checkout person at the grocery store or make small talk with the person delivering your food. This really works in building confidence step by step.
I frequent a lot of medical appointments. The other day I had an appointment where I would be for a couple of hours and struck up a conversation with the nurse and chaplain. The nurse was married which freed me up even more to ask questions about where she is from and what line of work her husband is in.
With the chaplain, I talked about my background in full-time ministry. Chaplains are extra nice as part of their job is to comfort patients especially those undergoing hard therapies such as chemotherapy.
If you do not frequent the doctor as I do, who are some other people you can practice small talk with? The barista at Starbucks, a greeter at church, the bus driver, the policeman or policewoman, a neighbor walking by your house. The list really could go on and on, but you see where I am coming from. I also realize the Coronavirus limits exposure to other people.
What I like the most about this method of practicing on people whose job it is to be nice to you is that no medication is required. Medication is definitely an option if it is needed but this method is essentially taking small steps on top of larger steps on top of even larger steps.
Taking small steps to gradually overcome a problem takes work and stepping out into the unknown which can be daunting. Whether your interaction with someone goes as intended or not, you have learned something either way.
If you are looking for a therapist near you and a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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