Affirmations helped me out in low times and because of that I want to share the good news with everyone. Something so simple and saying something positive about yourself, your life, or your situation can turn your mood and direction around instantly. If you are suffering with severe low self-esteem these affirmations are key to your recovery and to keep your mind and thoughts at ease. So how do affirmations work?

When you find yourself about to put yourself down or say something negative, stop yourself. Easier said than done I know, but it’s necessary to start your recovery process. Instead of saying something like “I’m so stupid for saying that” tell yourself, “That probably wasn’t the best thing to say, next time I should think before I speak”. For some people who are suffering from a low severe self-esteem issue you may want to even carry a list of affirmations on you to say to yourself. It sounds like a cheesy thing to do, but the results will do wonders for your confidence and self-esteem. Once your self-esteem grows you will be surprised on what you are capable of doing, saying, and accomplishing. Here are some affirmations you may want to use;

• I have the power to change myself
• I can make my own decisions and choices
• I deserve to happy and successful
• I deserve to be treated with respect and love
• I am unique and worthy of the respect of others
• I have high self-esteem and I respect myself
• I am never alone because I am surrounded by the universe and it is always with me
• I love myself and who I am
• It is not what happens to me, but how I handle it that determines my emotional well being
• No one in the world is more or less worthy or more or less important than I am
• I am my own expert and I allow others the same privilege

It is possible to erase these negative thoughts we tell ourselves in our head. We have a type of inner-script in our minds and you have the power and capability of rewriting that script to more positive things. When you are unable to believe in yourself, you hear the same negative thoughts replaying inside your head. These thoughts can turn into quit a monster and affect how you do the simplest of tasks. Also remember that some of the above affirmations may not be perfect for your situation. Feel free to make up your own affirmations to help improve your self-esteem. Most affirmations should begin with “I am…” and then follow through with a statement that pertains to your situation or feelings at the moment. Affirmations have become such a powerful way to improve your self-esteem that you can even purchase books, audio files, and documents to help you cope and deal with the change

Your self-esteem is not going to change overnight so you must remember to be patient and appreciate the small steps that you are taking. Any step you take to a better you is an improvement and an accomplishment, so pat yourself on the back for even trying this out. By accepting the fact that you need to raise your self-esteem you have already increased your confidence level. People who are too scared to change will fall in a repetitive rut and will slowly fall deeper and deeper into low self-esteem. Keep your head high, your eyes forward, and your dreams in reach and your life with slowly get better. No one is perfect and it is important to keep telling yourself in your low times. You are a beautiful, unique person who deserves nothing but the best so go out and get it!

The symptoms of this disorder readily present themselves both as behavioural and physiological manifestations.

Behavioural exhibitions of this would include chronic avoidance by the subject of situations where the subject is placed in scrutiny by a group of people. Such situations may include social gatherings such as parties, conventions, seminars, or settings that require the presence of many people such as schools.

While ordinary people may misjudge a person who chronically avoids social situations, simply as a shy person, the person as the subject of scrutiny actualizes these perceptions negatively and reinforces this behaviour through repetition and rationalization. To some, this rationalization may be hard to understand and may be wrongfully labelled as deviant behaviour. The similarities between deviant behaviour and social anxiety disorder are nevertheless very much akin to each other.

Other symptoms of this disorder include physiological ones. Shallow breathing, panic attacks, inability to speak, inability to look at other people, trembling of various parts of the body, stuttering in speech, nausea, vomiting, chest pains and other psychosomatic manifestations in combination with behavioural aspects all tend to characterize this disorder.

Some symptoms may prove to be more covert and hidden from other people’s point of view. Some people tend to cope with this disorder by means of masking the self perceived symptoms with other behaviour such as lying and disinterest.

Hence, a subject who finds himself in a situation where he is thrust amidst many people,  may excuse himself under the pretense of what he perceives to be socially acceptable excuses.

To illustrate the point further, let us paint the picture of a young man who is suffering from this disorder. He finds himself constrained to join the school’s prom. During the school prom, the young man finds himself unable to co-mingle with his peers and decides to sulk in a corner. As he sulks in the corner any person who approaches him for conversation may get an excuse that is irreconcilable with the situation. Like, “Please go away, I am allergic to your perfume.”  To the person who approaches the subject with this disorder, the statement alluding to his perfume may be offensive and he will then decide to leave the company of the person suffering from the disorder. The person then suffering from the unwanted company of the person who approached will return to his normal status until such time that he finds the opportunity to leave the event altogether and go back to his comfort zone.

This is but a mild attempt to describe the manifestations of this disorder. More extreme manifestations may present circumstances when the subject person exhibits psychosomatic symptoms. It is said that the mind has the power to alter the function of the body. Sometimes the mind acts as an automatic defence system when an unfavourable situation is thrust on the subject. Let’s say for example a young woman is forced to make a speech to a large gathering. In addition to her lack of confidence prior to giving the speech, tension builds up inside of her that makes her blood pressure rise up, make her sweat profusely, exhibit panic through panting, and in some cases elicit a body reaction that would merit the stoppage of the event such as collapsing, freezing and even uncontrollable crying.

Again, the presentation of these symptoms as behavioural and physiological is justified. In the example illustrated above, the woman’s physical condition of not being able to physically present herself in public is an excuse for a behaviour that would allow her to rationalize the incapacity to perform.

Here, fear takes hold of the mind and the mind takes hold of the body. The mind plays a central role in the exhibition of these physical symptoms. Without the comprehension of the mind of the presentation of the adverse event that is the social situation, the body would not have shown the responses that it has. Sometimes, even belief has this power.

Don’t worry though, you are not alone. Studies have shown that 5% of Americans have this disorder. While the event described above may simply be discounted as stage fright, the prevalence of physiological and sometimes psychosomatic symptoms that inhibit the person from accomplishing his or her intended goal physically, serves as evidence that it should not be marginalized simply as such.

The degree of the physical effect on the person who is suffering from such is one thing to take into consideration. The fact that shows that the person is physically inhibited from performing a task is enough reason to conclude that the disorder should be treated.

With its high rate among Americans, social phobia treatment has ranged from the personal, to the clinical and the psychological. Personal treatment could only come in the form of taking in substances that might alter behavior. Some of these substances are alcohol and drugs. Suffice to say, these substances may ultimately lead to more dangerous disorders such as alcoholism and addiction.

Clinical treatment may involve the prescription of anti-depressants with limited success.

Psychological treatment of social phobia could include group therapy, and modern behaviour modification techniques.

Social phobia is prevalent but most often than not, it is left untreated. Hence, this culminates in other disorders such as alcoholism and substance abuse.

Subjects who have this disorder tend to start taking in alcohol to mitigate their inability to function physically in social settings. It could be a reason why alcohol intake is socially acceptable if done in moderation in social occasions. There has been some attempts in describing subjects who suffer from social phobia as having deviant behavior. Whether this is meritorious or not is still subject to inquiry. However,  there may be a point. Social phobia is characterized as behavior that a subject shows most specially in social settings. The subject avoids such social settings for fear of exhibiting physiological symptoms publicly.

This fear of a negative outlook then becomes overpowering and sometimes overrides other social norms. The overriding of norms then, when observed by the perceived audience, may be construed as deviant behaviour due to its sometimes, unexplainable nature.

The situation is repeated as the person is exposed again and again to the same perceived “hostile” crowd and the repetition then leads to the “regularization” of the socially unaccepted behavior. Depression may follow because of the “perceived” negative outlook of the crowd. This depression presents itself as a ripe opportunity for the purveyors of both legal and illegal substances that could alter social behaviour. One thing leads to another and soon, the subject could find himself in  situations that are more dangerous than just having merely stage fright.

The treatment of this disorder should always start by going to the doctor. At the onset, the doctor will most likely prescribe medication designed to inhibit the physiological symptoms from occurring during triggering events. Should this clinical treatment prove to be unsuccessful, the doctor may then refer the subject to psychiatric evaluation. Upon evaluation of the patient, a combination of prescription drugs and social therapy then takes place. In all stages, it is highly inadvisable for patients to self medicate.

Self medication could lead to more dangerous medical and psychological conditions which would aggravate the situation rather than remedy it. The best way to start is to seek professional medical help that could better address the situation than yourself. Whether you like it or not, it is a problem that you could not solve on your own.

Social phobia in the end, may prove to be a disorder that could be cured with the increased exposure to an understanding society.

Let us take concrete examples to illustrate better. A person who is experiencing shyness, may blush at the instant that he or she is presented with a social situation that has an effect on him or her. A person who is shy, would tend to keep silent but still manage to present himself to an audience or a group of people. A person who suffers from social anxiety suffers from emotions that range from fear, anxiety, physical discomfort, shallow breathing and a host of other physiological signs.

Shyness could also be loosely defined as a milder form of social anxiety. Shyness does not have damaging physical signs. While social anxiety almost always manifests itself entirely in the physical.

As a behavioural phenomenon rather than a physical one, shyness exhibits itself in the realm of meaning in body language. Hence, a person who is shy may be observed as shy if he or she performs actions pertaining to shyness. One might construe the argument as circular in logic, but it nevertheless proves the value that shyness is observable behaviour that is performed.

Social anxiety on the other hand is overt if deliberately observed and measured. As a physiological manifestation, it is not conscious behaviour that takes the center stage, but rather the subconscious. The subconscious portion of the mind does not render performance. It however, may instruct the body without conscious effort to cause itself to take action albeit in excess or in deficiency.

Uncontrollable shaking  is one manifestation of social anxiety. It is observable but it is not behavioural in nature. Shallow breathing and the increase in heart rate are also overt manifestations but could scarcely be called behaviour.

Shyness may be remedied by simple forms of behaviour modification and repetitive social exposure. Social anxiety on the other hand, may require more intensive clinical and psychological treatment.

Another point to consider is that shyness may result from inexperience and underexposure to social events whereas social phobia could arise from exposure to usually traumatic and negative events that have transpired in their lives.

While shyness and social anxiety may be distinct from each other, they are not by any means mutually exclusive of the other. The presence of shyness may indicate the early stages of social anxiety. Caution must be taken in approaching shyness and social anxiety so as not to generalize the characteristics generated by both.

To further simplify the proposition above, let us create a fictional example. A young boy may experience the state of being shy when his parents present him to a large group of older people.  As a young and shy boy, he may exhibit characteristics of being shy in a number of ways. He may at the mildest form of shyness, be unable to speak, show some reluctance in meeting people, show an interest in other things to divert attention from him, show that he wants to do other things or show mild to moderate withdrawal from the social event at hand. Despite the numerous indications of possible social anxiety, this does not conclusively prove that he has social anxiety disorder.

Now let’s take a young man who is slightly older than the boy, the young man is tasked with making a presentation to a group of peers. At the start he may show some shyness when he approaches the podium. Due to his inexperience he stammers while talking, he may see a negative reaction on one of the faces of the audience and begins on blush. When he blushes, someone points out his blush and this elicits a response from him that further inhibits him from speaking. His hands shakes, his eyes are averted from the audience and he finds himself unable to continue with his presentation. Thus it may be said that he has a mild form of social anxiety in that he was at the start shy, and this shyness has further been aggravated to a series of events that eventually lead to him being unable to functions at all.

Medications

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs are presently among the most famous social anxiety treatments. SSRIs have been found proficient in some studies and they relatively have several major by-products. Though most of them have been proven to be efficient medications for social anxiety, merely two of them are legally accepted by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States as a cure for social anxiety. These include the sertraline and the paroxetine. Other common SSRIs include citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine.

Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors or SNRIs work on two chemicals of the brain, instead of only serotonin. SNRIs are normally utilized for social anxiety in the same manner to the medications of SSRI. There are two kinds of SNRIs that are presently available on the market – the Duloxetine and Venlafaxine-XR, but only the latter medicine has been calculated to treat social anxiety.

Benzodiazepines are another kind of social anxiety treatment that are known to be effective in quickly reducing the levels of anxiety, which caused their being very frequently utilized for so many years.  But Benzodiazepines also offer several significant by-products and could be addictive as well. Due to this fact, SSRI treatments are not more widely utilized for long-term cure, but Benzodiazepines might still be suitable, in particular for immediate use. This treatment consists of various known medications, even if alprazolam and clonazapam are only two that have been mostly experimented in the cure of social anxiety. The Benzodiazepines that are normally utilized to cure anxiety-based problems are alprazolam, clonazapam, diazepam and lorazepam.

Beta-Blocker is another social anxiety treatment that can lessen the physical signs of social anxiety like racing heart, sweating and shaking. Due to this, there are frequently utilized for anxiety in live situations like performing music and speaking in public. Beta-blockers do not normally have major effects on anxious behaviours or anxious thoughts nor are they a useful cure for generalized social anxiety. An example of this Beta-Blocker is the propanolol.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors or MAOIs are another kind of social anxiety treatment that is rarely utilized to cure social anxiety. A kind of MAOI, phenelzine, has demonstrated a tough efficiency in handling this kind of disorder. Unluckily, the medications included in MAOI also possess several major side effects and need an intense diet that removes numerous familiar foods to steer clear of grave reactions. Thus, MAOIs are quite unusual as a cure for social anxiety.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most efficient psychological social anxiety treatment.  Lots of research tests have shown a clear benefit for CBT and this medication is now commonly accepted as the first cure for social anxiety. Though the particular war wherein CBT for social anxiety can be handled might fairly differ from therapist to another, some kinds identify this method from other widely utilized psychotherapies.

CBT draws on various social anxiety treatment methods when dealing with this disorder. Though the particular methods utilized might differ according on the symptoms, the therapist as well as the setting where are cured, CBT for social anxiety normally involves most of the components below:

• Psychoeducation –Maybe one of the hardest factors of dealing with social anxiety includes understanding what social anxiety is, where it derived from, why it is difficult to change and the like. Psychoeducation will include both you and your therapist working together to create the best way to understand social anxiety and how to deal with it.
• Cognitive Restructuring – It is a known fact that sufferers of social anxiety commonly have negative beliefs about others and themselves as well, which normally appears as obstructive thought specifically in social events. Cognitive restructuring is a vital ingredient of CBT that includes working with a therapist to determine these thoughts, and then you make techniques for achieving flexibility in your thoughts and allowing for more useful ways of examining your experiences.
• Real Life (In Vivo) Exposure – This is one important factor of CBT for social anxiety. Both you and your therapist determined situations that you normally avoid due to social anxiety and slowly gaining access to these situations while understanding your anxiety and letting it to dissolve naturally. Tough this process may seem a bit daunting, it is vital to know that exposure is performed at very slow and premeditated speed and your therapist will guide you all over the procedure.

Understanding What Social Anxiety Is

Also called social phobia, social anxiety is an extreme fear reaction to social events, which in general leads you to avoid them on the whole. This disorder is much stronger than timidity, as it makes such deep emotion that is hard or improbable for you to partake in even in the most potentially gratifying social events. Everyone experiences sweaty palms, anxiety and intricacy to speak in some level when we go to a job interview. However, for socially anxious individual, the interview may be concurrently avoided, or badly ruined as a type of self-fulfilling forecast.

Knowing the symptom of social anxiety can also be helpful in overcoming social anxiety. When you are able to learn the symptoms, you can able to know how to alleviate them. So what are these symptoms? Symptoms of social anxiety involve extreme fear of being humiliated or shamed, judged and all o the related symptom such as palpitations, difficulty in breathing, sweating, light-headedness and faintness. Individuals with social anxiety disorder might have problems with alcohol or drugs when they self-medicate, thinking that utilizing substances let them to socially function well. Also, they might develop depression, work or academic related problem, low self-worth and problems with initiating and keeping private relationships.

Search for the Cause

Perhaps you are anxious to those who are anxious as well. Or maybe, you have had some embarrassing experiences, specifically those related with trauma, like being harassed in front of friends. Or perhaps you were naturally prone to a sort of sensitivity that amplified these experiences. Perhaps you as well as your parents never really had any bonding since you were a child. If that happen, it will be difficult to know how to calm yourself. Obviously, you will not remember that, but you will know when it is difficult to calm yourself, no matter what the cause is. Do you know of particular antecedents of your social anxiety? If you do, you must jot them down and discuss them with your mental health professional. In this way, overcoming social anxiety will never be difficult for you.

Look for Professional Aid

Though there are several medications that can help you in overcoming social anxiety, it is normally regarded that medications alone won’t help you in eventually overcoming social anxiety. This is merely because if taking medicines is stopped, the problem is likely to return. But medications might facilitate in calming you down to be able to work with a therapist to create skills enough to overcoming social anxiety all in all. After that, you can already quit from taking medicines.

The most suggested approach to overcome social anxiety is the CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or the CT or Cognitive Therapy together with ET or Exposure Therapy. With CBT or CT, you will have a consciousness of involuntary negative and normally wrong thoughts arising from basic beliefs about social events. Then you can deal with these beliefs and thoughts with other more precise beliefs and thought. In this way, you can know how to include some self-comforting skills that will help you in any anxiety triggering situation to pacify yourself down. Here starts the ET in order that you gradually open yourself to meek to modest amounts of social events in a secure and organized manner in order that the fear is removed and you make a range of effective experience on which to draw new beliefs.

Looking for positive means of reassessing oneself is vital so as to enhance self-worth and confidence.

Rather than jumping into conclusion that everybody is thinking about how terrible you behave or look, it would be wiser to realize that it is improbable to know what other people is thinking towards you. Speculation normally includes bring yourself into an intelligent focus. Also, it is probable that normally, one person is no further or less acceptable than the other. In addition, it can be possible that some people are not assessing or judging or even aware of other people’s behavior.

Seeking alternative means of thinking will get rid of the negative thoughts. Good options can normally be conveyed in unbiased or moderate terms. One way to do this is to use considerate, understanding and motivating approach that can be utilized when approaching one person. Focusing on strength and knowing weaknesses can supplement social confidence thus leading you to overcoming social anxiety.

Everybody needs to have their own social anxiety support group. Actually, you need not to be diagnoses with this kind of disorder to obtain a social anxiety support group. It facilitates in reducing stress when you include a casual support group such as your family and friends. Discussing your fears to these people will help you cope with your daily interactions. Just ensure though that you will not run to these individuals complaining about many things every day. You must always learn to listen and talk to people in order that they can also use you as their social support too.

Though there are several individuals who are able to conquer their fear by themselves, many people require professional aid and treatments. You look for a help with the social anxiety support group so as to lessen your discomfort about meeting new individuals and the professional aid can truly help you. As said by professionals, people who feel extreme panic attacks when they get involve in situations where they need to deal with many people require special attention.  Professional supports groups can help ensure that your panic attack does not have an effect in your overall social life.

Fortunately, there are individuals, qualified psychiatrists and psychologists that are available to help in coping with social anxiety. One kind of social anxiety support involves making a healing plan that will include cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. This kind of treatment focuses on the brain and the outlook it has. The idea behind CBT in social anxiety is to work through the beliefs that give rise to the attack in the first place and alter that into a constructive thinking channel. Together with this kind of treatment, counseling is useful for those suffering from social anxiety disorder.

Because some individuals are normally seen as easy going and sociable at all times, they are not aware what social anxiety can do to an individual. They seem to believe that it is just about timidity when anxiety is so much more than shyness. This is a severe disorder and can only be cured by looking for a professional help. Social anxiety is a disorder that cannot be treated automatically.

The social anxiety support can be somewhat helpful and its rate of success is high. One-on-one counseling is provided by lots of psychiatrists and psychologists. The individual suffering from this disorder will be observed as frequently as the physician believes they must be.

A kind of treatment on hand that can help in the healing of this disorder is the role-play. Another useful way is joining with a support network where people who suffer from the same devastating disorder can talk things out and develop ways on how to deal with its effects.

Also, there are social anxiety support help lines that sufferers can take advantage with. The person will simply call a number, normally the number starts 1-800 and can talk to a person on the other line that can walk them and talk them through the problem that is disturbing them. Most big cities can give either of these support networks. You can even look for them in the yellow pages of your city.

Social anxiety disorder does not have to ruin your life. There are ways that can greatly help you cope up with this kind of disorder. Search for these ways, look for these support groups. Who knows, somebody out there is just waiting to help you. Don’t miss this chance, seek help and be able to live a normal and satisfying life.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Since social anxiety could often appear awkward or even devastating to understand as one concept, it is normally useful to analyze it with the use of three separate aspects that are interconnected and can toughen one another, causing a series of anxiety:

Anxious feelings in our bodies include blushing, dry mouth, feeling weak, pounding heart, tremor or shaking, difficulty in breathing and sweating.

Some of the anxious behaviors that can be activated by anxiety, but can worse anxiety for a long time as well involve (a) excessive apologizing, (b) asking for comfort from other people, (c) avoiding going to social events, (d) leaving situation, (e) only accessing secure place or mingling with secure people, (f) excessively preparing like intense grooming or memorizing speech, (g) attempting to direct other’s attention away from the performance of others, (h) utilizing mp3 players, mobile phone or other gadgets to avoid any conversation and (i) watching for indications that people assessing us.

Social anxiety disorder can come out in a broad array of situations, particularly every time when are in contact with other or think we might be the center of other people’s attention. Although the probabilities are countless, listed below are some of the most common cases wherein individuals experience anxiety:

Interpersonal cases – social anxiety is caused by interactions with other people like

• Asking for directions
• Being on a job interview
• Continuing a discussion
• Eye contact
• Going on a date
• Going to a party
• Starting a discussion
• Talking with a stranger

Performances cases – social anxiety is caused by essentially being the center of attention like:

• Being alone in a restaurant
• Dropping something in public
• Expressing an opinion during a meeting or inside a classroom
• Reading in the presence of others
• Singing in public
• Talking in public

Should you be scared of Social Anxiety Disorder?

Of course, not! Social anxiety is a healthy and normal component of being a person. It activates our minds and bodies to get away from unhealthy and harmful situations. With no anxiety, we would perhaps not be alive because it’s what makes us alert and attentive. Social anxiety is not unusual. In fact, it helps people to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of other people, which is the core basis of building relationships and teamwork. Also, strong social anxiety can at times be helpful. For example, in a job interview, we are likely to do better if we are very cautious in selecting the right outfits and words to say.

When can it become a Problem?

Social anxiety disorder can become a trouble for people only when it is very intense that it is too much or outside the normal and when it already brings huge problems in our performance and quality of living. If your social anxiety causes you constantly avoid social circumstances, to be truly upset if exposed to them, have extreme fears of being unenthusiastically assessed by others, or to pass over on things that we largely need or want to do, mental health experts might consider an analysis of social phobia.

Social Anxiety has two subtypes:

• Generalized – In generalized social anxiety, an individual threats judgment in and avoids many social situations.
• Non-generalized – In non-generalized social anxiety, an individual is often not very anxious except they are particularly in a kind of social circumstances like speaking in public.

Do you have Social Anxiety Disorder?

Perhaps or perhaps none! If you consider your anxiety that is already beyond what is normal or suitable and it greatly hinders with your life, you might have a social anxiety. But, since social anxiety disorder is something that most people experience periodically, it is not advisable to diagnose it alone. If you think you have social anxiety and want to be diagnosed, it would be sensible to see a mental health expert and discuss about your concern.