Social Phobia Disorder at Work

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!