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!

Signs of Social Anxiety

If you are confused if you have social phobia disorder here are some signs of social anxiety.  This may help you diagnose your problem. I remember feeling uncomfortable and anxious when in certain situations.  I had no idea what my problem was and thought that I was just shy.  Years later I realized it was more than being just shy but it was in fact social phobia disorder.  Signs of social anxiety are not obvious until you are able to recognize them.  

The first sign would be that you are uncomfortable in ANY social situations.  This means that you are uncomfortable even around close friends and family.  For example, say that your mom is asking you questions about school, and you can’t even give her a response without being anxious or uncomfortable.  That is when you know to some scale that you have a problem.

Other basic signs of social anxiety include shyness, shaking, blushing, sweating and stuttering.  Also avoiding things like work, school, going out, hobbies and activities are common signs.  People need to realize that social phobia disorder is completely reversible and can get slowly better.  This disorder is more common than people realize and it is OKAY if you are struggling with it.  

Follow my blog and I will ensure that you beat this disorder just like I did.  I will give you the exact steps that I took and provide you with the best strategies for overcoming social anxiety.  Once you see the signs of social anxiety you are ready to the take required baby steps needed to improve your life.     

More to come!