Anxiety Update
Hey everyone! Thought I’d let you all know about something I just realized.
So I just graduated from college last week (HOORAY!) and my parents came up for the ceremony. Over dinner we got on the subject of my social anxiety. My mom mentioned that I tend to shy away from making eye contact (something she says I picked up from her). I’m considering making an amendment to my “Conquer Anxiety” goal to include eye-contact because I didn’t realize I was so bad at it and I think it’s important.
In any case, something else that came up was the question of whether I am “shy” or not. My step-father had mentioned offhandedly that I was still shy, but have come a long way, to which my dad responded: “Eric’s not shy.” He then referenced the many times that I would volunteer to speak in front of audiences, perform on stage, or sing in public. Read More…
May 26, 2010
Tags: Anxiety, Extroversion, Introversion, Shyness, Social Anxiety Posted in: Conquer Anxiety 
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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: Anxiety, Goals, Social Anxiety, Success Posted in: Conquer Anxiety No Comments
Road to Victory
It’s extremely important, when striving for a new goal, to take time to reflect on your progress. If you don’t, you’ll never be able to see just how far you’ve come.
Lately I’ve been working on speaking up, initiating and maintaining conversations. I’ve also been trying to send more invitations. Each of these has become a lot easier, almost effortless!
However, I’m still finding it difficult to do all of these things with complete strangers. I still want to work on initiating conversations strangers and inviting acquaintances to do things (in other words, making new friends). Ultimately, I am on the right track. Read More…
April 2, 2010
Tags: Anxiety, Self-Reflection, Social Anxiety, Success Posted in: Conquer Anxiety One Comment
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: Anxiety, Goals, Social Anxiety Posted in: Conquer Anxiety 2 Comments
What is Social Anxiety?
You may be wondering what I mean when I say I want to “conquer my anxiety.” What does he mean by anxiety? How does one conquer it? What does this have to do with finding a girlfriend?
That’s a whole lot of great questions, so I’ll answer them one at a time.
There are a whole lot of different anxiety disorders out there. As a matter of fact, I just wrote a new article about it: Coping with an Anxiety Disorder. You can find out more about the various types of disorders by reading the article. Read More…
February 21, 2010
Tags: Nice Guy, Relationships, Social Anxiety Posted in: Conquer Anxiety No Comments