I have an interesting post today that maybe some of you can
relate to regarding social phobia disorder and work. Although I have overcome my social anxiety I
still have moments where it I feel frozen or paralyzed. So you may be thinking what do I do for work?
Well I am a waiter at one of the busiest restaurants in town. I actually picked this job on purpose because
I felt like it would help me break out of this social phobia disorder rut. When I started the job 5 years ago my social phobia
disorder was “full blown”. I was
beginning to think that this was the wrong way of overcoming social
anxiety. But I stuck it out and made
some significant improvements.
What this job did for me was “expose” me to more interactive
situations than I thought was humanly possible.
At first I was completely overwhelmed, but I gradually got more used to
the stress of the job and the interactions I faced. Don’t get me wrong I have my setbacks every
shift but overall I have made significant progress. Not to mention the money is great!
To make a long story short “exposure” can help alleviate
social phobia disorder dramatically by forcing you to deal with interactions
with people. Practice makes
perfect. The more one socializes the
better they will be in these situations and the more comfortable they will feel. Now I am not saying to go out and find a job
at the busiest restaurant in town, but I am saying that a little daily exposure
goes a long way.
More to come!