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“I feel so groggy because I couldn’t sleep last night”, said my friend at a team meeting.   I asked “Why?” 

“Oh this whole meeting and being among so many people makes me nervous. I cringe when I have to travel in a train or bus. I feel so self conscious, like everyone is watching and judging me. I even refused that wonderful job offer I got last month, because I had to take a train to get there. I am very uncomfortable when I am around people I hardly know. I have social anxiety.”

 

Social Anxiety:  My understanding of social anxiety is nervousness caused in certain social situations. Social anxiety is not fear of people, but fear while interacting in a group of people. To some people these situations may seem too trivial to fret about. But, to someone who actually goes through all this, it could mean sleepless nights and skipping meals.

 

Social anxiety can manifest itself in many forms and at different stages of people’s lives: From being anxious about attending a party you’ve been invited to, where you (think) don’t know anyone, or about a meeting at work to taking any mode of public transport, etc. The reason for this could be anything from shyness in personality to psychopathological disorder. Any personality issues causing social anxiety can be handled with some simple tips people can follow. Disorder sounds extreme, but there are people that fall under that spectrum and such extremes call for bigger help than simple tips.

 

Social anxiety becomes a concern when it impedes a person’s progress; like my friend who didn’t take the lucrative job offer, for fear of riding a train amiss a group of strangers.

 

While adding a disclaimer that overcoming social anxiety depends entirely on the person, here are some tips that might help a person overcome social anxiety:

 

1)    Sometimes a good pep talk from a friend can work wonders. Confront your fears by talking about them to your close confidant. Talking about how you feel may lighten your burden of carrying the fear bottled within you. 

2)    Rehearse your possible conversations or reactions in front of the mirror and confront your fears.  Talk about what you are afraid of and why. Say to yourself that you will overcome this and not be deterred by anyone or anything.

3)    Imagine yourself in that dreaded moment and extend your imagination with the image that you are actually fine in that situation. Kind of like the law of attraction. Positive outlook and attitude to situations yields positive results.

4)    Before the big day/moment practice some breathing exercises to relax your body and ease your mind.

5)    Learn to eliminate your social anxiety with a little known technique.

 

Take a deep breath and walk into the situation with confidence and the moment will be yours! You never who or what you will find in the awkwardest of moments!

By Mary-Ann Roche.

     Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
     A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
     There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
     Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks

     Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
     A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
     There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
     Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
     Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks

Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks