Researching anxiety has helped. Reading lots of books, realizing they all essentially say the same thing. CBT….by myself. I know myself better than anyone, and when I have a negative thought I try to realize it's absurdity and place in a certain category. (Like the book "Feeling Good" practices) Doing this over and over and over and over again until you can't stand it and think it's retarded. Well, guess what? It's not. I am slowly starting to believe that your attitude can truly make a difference in your life. Learning to smile when you feel like shit, going out of your way to talk to people, to be friendly. All of these things go against who I am as a person. I am a mistanthrope…but then I start to think about the reasons WHY I am so misanthropic. It's because I'm a pessimist. I always see the negative first, instead of looking for the positive.

This is pretty broad advice, but you must learn to put the advice into your everyday situations. I know after a long day of work and school and traffic I just want to kill anyone that gets in my way or looks at me funny. You stare at me longer than 2 seconds and i want to claw your eyeballs out. But let's rationalize, srsly….why are people looking at me? Because i'm a fairly attractive person. What do I do when I see an attractive person? I look. I need to learn to take it as a compliment and not as a disrespecting glare. It truly is about perception.

Learning how to slow down and appreciate the little things in life is good for anxiety! The fluttering yellow butterfly and it's simplistic life (or so we think!), the breeze on your face after a good workout, the unconditional love and affection you get from an animal, the moon and it's light's ability to cast down on earth with a lovely glow.

Exposure Therapy – Sure, none of us WANT to do it. But if you want to get better, you must put yourself into situations you fear and have anxiety. The more you do, the easier it gets. The easier it gets, the more your anxiety and fear of that situation will diminish and you'll soon wonder what it was in the first place that you were so afraid of. Course, everyone has different levels of anxiety and degrees of fears, so of course it may take a while, depending.

Having someone to talk to at the end of the day is something some people take for granted. Being single and living alone for years has made me a shut in. But when you have someone to share your good and bad days with, is a luxary…if you have it – cherish it.

After I finished my Informative Speech about Anxiety Disorders with an anecdote, my instructor said that I could take my speech/story on the road and help others. HA! Is she fricken crazy?! Apparently she doesn't realize the severity of Social Anxiety. But then again, that would be Exposure Therapy x 10!

Oh yeah, also, have some faith in yourself!  (easier said than done -duh)  You have to believe in yourself in order to get better.  Write positive things on your mirror at home.  One of my personality flaws is that I'm too hard on myself and because of that I often sell myself short. (in life – at work – in love)  Realize your value, and if you can't find it, ask a loved one, then force yourself to believe it. If you can't do that, then fake it as best you can!  All through out life you are selling yourself whether you realize it or not.  Look at the people you admire and ask yourself why you admire them.  Write those things down and try to become that person, one step at a time.

I'm not trying to say that I've conquered SA. Not at all. I'm not trying rub it in anyone's face that I feel better. I want to share my experience, what I've learned, and what has worked for me.