My Path

  Social Anxiety is the fear of being around specific people, large groups of people, or out in public at all. Being away from your comfort zone of home and feeling away from yourself, exposed, unprotected, afraid of others, and at it’s worse times, non existent. Battling with this type of phobia is extremely difficult in the world. You need a job to live, education to learn, and people to be there to help you, but how can you do so in the first place when you are constantly fearful of it all to the point where you may find yourself locking yourself in your house and wanting to never come out?
    The first thing that may help you the very most is talking to others. Although it may sound simple, anyone who has ever suffered from this specific type of anxiety will tell you it’s like talking to a brick wall. Most people, although they may attempt, won’t understand you. How can you be afraid of people? It’s not that hard, just walk around outside! Are common remarks you may receive as a response to you opening up and expressing yourself. Finding the right person to open up to will be crucial. A therapist would understand you, but do some research on types of them first, some people aren’t comfortable with going into an office, and may make them feel even more uncomfortable. If there is a strong connection with a friend whom you can trust explicitly. The whole point is finding someone you can open up to and who can help you with everyday life and make you feel secure with who you are and give you the best support. Support will get you through the most difficult of times.
    When you find yourself in a place that is fearful and frightening to you, express it. This is where talking to yourself will come in great handy. Sounds a little silly, but we all do it in our heads. We go through lists of things we need to remember, what we plan on doing and how we’re going to do it, so why not add talking ourselves through things? Standing there in a crowd of people, you begin to feel sick, your mussels lighten, your breathing gets heavier, and before you know it, your about to have a full blown panic attack. Take a deep breath and begin to draw within yourself. Close you eyes if you’d like and feel that there is no one else but you. Think about why you suddenly got afraid, what changed in the atmosphere? Remind yourself that you can do this and you are in control.