
Explore social anxiety, its difference from shyness; use a quiz to assess severity and set goals, then apply cognitive behavioral therapy to challenge anxious thoughts through observation and gradual action.
How Severe is my Social Anxiety?
Grab a pen and paper and have to a look at the attached document to access your level of social anxiety. The instruction are all in the in download.
Explore why addressing your social anxiety matters by identifying your values through the values identification form, using the cave and dragon metaphor to motivate authenticity, compassion, and present connection.
Grab and pen and paper to write down your measurable, specific, time-bound goal!
Explore what anxiety is and how biology and life experiences contribute to social anxiety, and learn how thoughts, feelings, and behaviours keep it going.
Discover how beliefs about negative evaluation and their costs fuel social anxiety through cognitive behavioural therapy, not the situations, and learn to increase awareness of beliefs, thoughts, and feelings.
Increase awareness of beliefs, thoughts, and feelings in social situations by recording them in the 'situations, thoughts, feelings and beliefs' form, noting intensity and beliefs about probability or cost.
Grab a pen and paper to make a list of your avoidance behaviours. Refer to the list attached as an additional resource.
Avoidance reinforces social anxiety by keeping the belief that others will judge you and evaluation is intolerable. The lecture shows how anxious thoughts drive avoidance and begins outlining belief-challenging steps.
Follow the instructions in the lecture to decide where and when you will take the time to be observant.
How many people are really looking at you or noticing you?
Does their opinion matter to you?
Did anything surprise you?
Reflection:
What did you did you learn from your observation experience?
What did you notice?
What was new to you?
How will with this new information affect you going forward?
Is there another another time/place you could be observant that you help you challenge unhelpful beliefs?
Engage in exposure to social situations to test beliefs about the probability and cost of negative evaluation, and lower anxiety as social settings feel less threatening, supported by randomized trials.
Make a list of tasks that might be difficult or anxiety provoking.
Rank that list from least to most difficult.
(Hint: It might be good to have the goal you created in Section 1 as something you work up to)
Learn to complete an exposure exercise using the provided form, selecting an activity from your hierarchy, predicting outcomes, and reflecting on progress to move toward your values.
Review the core concepts of social anxiety, including beliefs about the probability and costs of negative evaluation, and use exposure to test and challenge them.
What would you do if Social Anxiety weren't holding you back?
Social Anxiety can be a very painful experience. Does any of this sound familiar?
Do you fear when the cinema worker hands you your ticket stub and says "Enjoy the movie!" you'll say: "You too!"
You don't attend parties or other social gatherings because you're too fearful you'll say something embarrassing or be alone in the corner.
If you do attend said party, you replay over and over things you said or what you imagine people were thinking of you.
You feel you're missing out on friendships or a romantic relationship because it's too hard to meet others.
You would never ever ever ever ever ask that girl/guy out.
You don't go for the job interview or promotion because the idea of this interaction is too anxiety provoking.
You don't send your order back to the kitchen even though you ordered linguini but they brought you sushi.
You're afraid to fail, take risks, or try new things because you're worried about what others will think.
It feels like your feelings hijack you and fear controls you.
You don't like going out at all.
You won't wear your favourite band's t-shirt because they have that one song, with that one lyric, that has the potential to be taken out of context and offend someone.
Whether your social anxiety is impacting every level or your life or just making you feel uncomfortable much of the time, this course will be helpful for you. Dr Daniel Biddle is a Clinical Psychologist who has helped many clients overcome their social phobias using science-based and proven methods.
Because Social Anxiety is a difficult topic, we've done our best to take away some of its power by keeping this course light-hearted, entertaining, and interesting. And yeah, we also think we're pretty funny and hope you do too.