Suffering from Social Phobia. Advice Needed.

reply to post by Alexander1111



ABSOLUTELY WONDERFULLY PUT. CONGRATS. WELL DONE.

A slight adjustment with this one:

It also helps if I focus on the good aspects of the exercises and not on the anxiety that they may cause to me (is this wrong wording here? I think it is).
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I'd put it:

It also helps if I focus on the good aspects of the exercises and not on the anxiety that they may TRIGGER, or FOSTER, or urge, or suggest within me.

'cause' gives more power to the junk than you need to.

GREAT INSIGHTS. WONDERFUL PROGRESS.

You are a sharp, witty, fun, insightful guy.

Folks should be honored to share time with you.

Blessings,

reply to post by Alexander1111



You're exceedingly welcome.

AT 65 years old, I don't have much else I want to do besides help people have better lives as God directs and allows.

That's fun, to me.

Bless you for your kind words.

reply to post by Alexander1111



Thanks for your kind words.

You've been doing all the work.

BTW, Here's a book that is by an author I respect highly. Might be useful to you and others:

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1332451110&sr=8-8

Have a New You by Friday: How to Accept Yourself, Boost Your Confidence & Change Your Life in 5 Days [Hardcover]

reply to post by Alexander1111


ALL:

I think you might well profit from watching this TED TALK that this thread is about:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

It is smack in the middle of the topic of this current thread here.

reply to post by Alexander1111

Hi Alexander, like FissionSurplus below I am twice your age, and I believe I just lost the last ten years of my life to this condition. I only became aware of SAD by chance, i saw an article in a newspaper about it and researched it further from there. I had moved upstairs in my house to be further away from people, and it was the thing about standing sideways in queues in order to keep an eye on those behind you as well as those in front of you that told me that there was more to my illness than clinical depression.
What I would say to you is this:- you have it in yourself to learn to live with this. Drugs may help, but only short term and as a tool to help you break out of the mental prison.
The biggest help I found was re-connecting with old friends, spending time with people you trust kind of gets you used to being comfortable around people again. (I had allowed my social circle to wither and die, and it was some old and dear friends tracking me down and visiting me that I think started me trying to climb out of the hole.)
I still feel anxious when out in public, but it has been several years now since I had a full-blown panic attack, and I have started working again.
Small, deliberate steps forward, and no beating yourself up if you have to turn tail and run. There's always another day.