Nervousness and self-consciousness are something that is encountered by many people in various occasions such as when they are giving a speech or when they are in a job interview. However, social anxiety disorder is much more than occasional nervousness or shyness. It involves a significant or what can be described as intense fear in various social situations. These situations may include those which are unfamiliar to them or those they feel that they are evaluated or watched by other people (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). As such, these situations may bring about great fear that makes them anxious just at the prospect of thinking about them hence working hard towards avoiding them, which eventually disrupts them.
I have always worried about some of these social situations, and this worsened when I joined the University as my anxiety started building up steadily. My self-esteem declined so much that I found it hard to leave the house because I was too frightened. The feeling of restlessness, increased irritability, sleeping difficulty, trouble concentrating, and I overwhelmingly felt worried became extreme. This condition made me remain indoors for two weeks, after which I was diagnosed with what was generalized as an anxiety disorder. Following the diagnosis, I started the appropriate therapy that ensured that I received the needed help.
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If I am to experience this same situation today, I will overcome the disruption of thinking by putting many things into considerations. First, I would ensure that I keep the context in mind. This will involve keeping in mind my ability to get over chaotic personal situations, which depends on the context of the rest of my life (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). I would ensure that I remain resilient while thinking because resilience is key in stressful situations and times. By doing so, I will be in a position to take care of myself. Another way that I would employ is through the anticipation of what I can do as an individual. This will be achieved by predicting the effect of the various disruptive events in my way of thinking (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). After making these predictions, I would then prepare myself to face the impending disruption. I would find a way to get permission or take a break to recover from the disruption to reduce its impact. Creating space for my happy place is another thing I would consider in a bid to overcome the disruption of thinking. Despite all the pressure to go back into my normal life, I would have to take some time to engage in activities that will renew my energy and help uplift my spirit.
I would also challenge the disruptive negative thoughts by challenging my mentality (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). This is because negative thoughts play a major role in causing anxiety and fear. So challenging them will reduce social anxiety symptoms. I would also face the situation by keeping my focus on other people rather than myself. Facing my fears by facing social situations instead of avoiding them is another thing that I would do to overcome the disruption of thinking. I would make more effort in an attempt to be more social by saying “hi” to my colleagues, having lunch with co-workers, sharing personal information with colleagues, and adopting anti-anxiety lifestyles.
My way of thinking would be altered when I am confronted with internal forces by avoiding negative thoughts and focusing more on other people (Jazaieri et al., 2015). I would also think positively about myself to build on my self-esteem.
References
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, B.K. (2015). Critical thinking TACTICS for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett
Jazaieri, H., Morrison, A. S., Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The role of emotion and emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Current psychiatry reports, 17(1), 531.
