The Final Assessment

I apologize for not delving deeper into what’s been going on with me and my quest for an anxiety-free (or moderately anxiety-free) life. I admit that some of my posts have been vague, and my methods unclear. The main reason for this is that my methods have indeed been unclear (even to me!)

The process of recovery from an anxiety condition is a largely individual process. You can have allies, companions, and aids, but no one can really share your experience. No one can point you to exactly what you need to do to get better. It really depends on your own personal needs. That’s why there are so many different methods psychologists, psychiatrists, and self-help gurus promote: each one works for certain people and perhaps not for others. Read More…

May 5, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Conquer Anxiety  No Comments

New Goal Chosen!

Congratulations!!

You all voted for a new goal and it has been chosen!

My new goal is *drum roll*: To Learn a New Language!

A big thanks to everyone who voted! I’m going to let you know by the end of the week all of the details (including what language I have decided to learn). If you have suggestions, by all means, send them along!

I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge and I hope you are too (after all, you chose it)! And remember that you are still able to cast your votes for the next goal starting now, so get to it!

May 1, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: General  No Comments

Spring Break Reflection

As a result of my recent spring break excursions, I’m really starting to feel huge improvements on the social anxiety front. I’ve begun to realize after conversations with people how calm I’ve been. I haven’t freaked out when in uncomfortable situations and I haven’t felt the usual discomfort of not knowing what to say.

In terms of my anxiety goals, I already seemed to have knocked out 1) Speaking audibly and 3) Holding conversations. I have also noticed that I am more comfortable greeting people (though this is still a struggle), so I figure I can continue to focus on goal #2. Read More…

March 16, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Conquer Anxiety  2 Comments

Anxiety Goals

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my social anxiety, and how it’s effected my quality of life. And in order to make the path to recovery more clear, I decided that it would be best to compile a list of specific things I wanted to work on.

As I mentioned in The Benefits of Introspection, it is helpful to identify all of the aspects of yourself you want to change and then work on them one at a time. Since social anxiety is a huge undertaking in and of itself, it makes sense to break it down further.

The following are the factors that I’ve decided to work on. Read More…

March 5, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Conquer Anxiety  No Comments

The Benefits of Introspection

After discovering my social anxiety, I was floored because I’m not used to overlooking my flaws.

Which is not to say that I don’t have any flaws, it’s just that I’m usually hyper aware of all of my flaws. (Which is one of my flaws…)

And because I was so caught off guard by this discovery, my automatic response kicked in (my automatic response being, “How do I resolve this issue?”). It has been my nature to try to better myself. And though I am also a perfectionist, the goal was never to become “perfect.” Read More…

March 5, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Conquer Anxiety  No Comments

Goal Revision: Find a Life Partner

I’ve done a lot of thinking (and I mean a LOT) about this “Find a Life Partner” goal of mine and I’ve come to the conclusion that it needs to be reworked.

Yes, I want to enter a relationship, but I don’t want it to be forced. I haven’t exactly been trying to force anything at this point, but something about striving to find a “life partner” seems a bit insincere. I don’t want my companion (provided I actually succeed) to feel as though I am only getting with her because of my goal. If that were the case, I could probably just go to some bar or club somewhere and ask out every girl I see until one says yes.

I don’t want to resort to that. I am a Nice Guy after all. Read More…

February 17, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Conquer Anxiety  No Comments

New Goal: Drop and Give Me 100?!

Lately I’ve been thinking more and more about fitness and strength. For me personally, I’m in good physical shape and eat relatively healthfully; however, I’m not very consistent with any of these areas. And since I am thinking about becoming a physical educator and trainer, it makes sense for me to start a stable program.

That being said, one program that interested me was the “One Hundred Push-Ups” program. You may have heard of it, since there are a number of spin-offs and variations. I decided, what the heck, why not give it a shot? Supposedly, anyone can do it, and if I’m as in shape as I think I am, it should be a piece of cake. Or several pieces of cake. Or several pieces of low-calorie cake. Read More…

January 26, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: 100 Push Ups  4 Comments

New Goal: The Cure for Boredom

Hoorah! As you can see from the title, I am starting up a new goal. And this one should be a lot of fun.

In fact, having fun is the basis of the goal itself. I call it “The Cure for Boredom.” It all began when my friend Moe and I were talking about things to do one weekend. I said that another friend of mine was throwing a party. And though I like my friend and like to hang out with her, “party” usually means a lot of drinking and a lot of people in a small space.

Both Moe and I are not big drinkers (in fact, I don’t drink at all), so going to parties like these are rarely all that fun for either of us. However, we also recognized that it seems as if that’s the only think people our age bother doing for fun. Moe then posed a question to me: “What is fun to do in the city at night that doesn’t require alcohol or a lot of money?” Read More…

January 25, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Cure for Boredom  No Comments

Pre-New Years Reflection

With 2010 only days away, I’ve started to think about what my new years resolution is going to be. I thought it was a bit strange to chose a goal for the new year when my blog is entirely about the goals I plan to achieve. Nevertheless, I figured I’d give it some thought. I’ve already decided on some new goals that I hope to tackle sometime in the near future.

Although, thinking about the new year (and new decade) made me think about not only my future, but my past as well. I figured, new years shouldn’t just be about how great the coming year will be, but how great the previous year was. This made me think even further about my life as a whole. I’ve grown and matured more in the past few years than I could have ever expected, and it makes me really happy and excited. Read More…

December 30, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: General  One Comment

Planning Something Big!

So, I was going to keep this secret, but I think it’s important that you all know what I have in the works since it can greatly effect my main goal. In short, if all goes well, I could perhaps put an early end to the “Find a Life Partner” goal. However, that’s only if everything goes according to plan.

I don’t want to give away exactly what I plan to do just yet, since it is a surprise, but I will let you in on the important parts. Right now, I’ve already asked “Samira” to be at a certain place at a certain time. I asked her to be there just as if I were asking any other friend, so at this point she is still in the dark, just as you all are. Essentially, I am going to make it clear to her, in as suave a fashion as I can, how I feel albeit in a rather “dramatic” way. Read More…

December 9, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Find a Life Partner  No Comments