March 21, 2007
Beating Social Anxiety
I really like this blog. Thanks for posting, Ileana.
Posted by successfullyshy at 9:06 PM
January 27, 2007
Joe's Goals
I've started using Joe's Goals again to keep track of daily progress with anxiety. It also helps me keep in mind other things to do. It's a very easy site to use.
Posted by successfullyshy at 2:07 PM
January 30, 2006
A Collection of Links
http://www.awarenessequalspower.com/safeplace/mydress.html
"My Gossamer Dress" is beautiful essay on social anxiety. I don't relate to a lot of this myself, but I still really like the piece.
http://www.socialanxietyassist.com.au
A link that was emailed to me which has a lot of good information it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/magazine/15japanese.html
An article in the New York Times about hikikomori "which translates as 'withdrawal' and refers to a person sequestered in his room for six months or longer with no social life beyond his home."
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/33/1728_81073.htm
Information on essential tremors. Since my hands can shake even when I'm not anxious, I feel like I have a slight version of this which I magnify when I focus on it. "Social phobia, or fear of public situations, affects up to one-third of patients with essential tremor."
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/20/1728_51228.htm
Another interesting WebMD article which says "Focusing on improving interpersonal relationships, such as those with relatives and friends, could improve symptoms of social phobia, according to early results from a small study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry."
Posted by successfullyshy at 11:08 PM
January 5, 2006
Painfully Shy
I read a book over the holidays that I can't recommend enough: Painfully Shy by Barbara G. Markway and Gregory P. Markway. Parts of the book were well-known to me, but much of it was new and enlightening. I've dog-eared many of the pages and underlined many passages. I don't want to sound like I'm hawking the book, but it had so much good information, was so uplifting that I wish I would have started with it. I highly recommend the book to anybody coming to this site and looking for good starting places, as I have been looking for.
Posted by successfullyshy at 10:51 PM | Comments (2)
December 19, 2005
Panic/Anxiety Disorder Forums
The Panic/Anxiety Forums on About.com's Panic/Anxiety Disorders site is an active forum for those with feelings of panic/anxiety.
I posted there recently. I didn't get my message answered there, but maybe I should try again. A few messages don't get answered, but I do feel weird that mine wasn't. I also did answer a few other people's questions, which felt good. I like to feel connected with others who are feeling a similar way.
In any case, there's a lot of good things to read there. Here's a great recent post.
Posted by successfullyshy at 10:37 PM
December 13, 2005
adaa.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America has a wonderful site that you can use to find a therapist or find a support group.
I didn't find a support group that fit for me in my area when I looked at this previously, but I did see some possibilities tonight for a therapist specific for anxiety. I think I'm missing a therapist focusing on anxiety and possibly medication (again). Fighting anxiety by oneself is a really hard battle, and it's time to enlist more support.
Posted by successfullyshy at 11:45 PM
December 8, 2005
Social Phobia Comics
I'm going to an event where I will only know two people tonight. And I barely know those two people. I'm excited but mostly scared. I rarely ever get out of my very small group of friends, but I know this is something that I need to keep doing to feel good about myself. It something I need to do to get better with anxiety.
I promised to post some more of the links I've been reading, so here's one, an old but good site of comics. Some of the comics don't show up correctly on my computer, but the ones I can read are funny and feel true. Here's a few of the ones I liked: SPINST.gif , intros.gif, SPCAGE.gif
Posted by successfullyshy at 5:44 PM
December 6, 2005
The Avoidance Blog
Along with the shyness article mentioned before, there's one more site that propelled me to start this site. The Avoidance Blog was the first site I read where I could see someone going through similar issues. Of course, the situations and feelings don't entirely match, but I identify with many things I've never known about in another person. It helps me to know that I'm not alone struggling through anxiety.
Lately the person's anxiety has gotten much better. I wish I could say the same for myself, but it's good to see someone else progress like this. I recommend anybody reading this to go back through the entries, since there are many good ones, or to read the new ones for inspiration.
Posted by successfullyshy at 11:20 PM
November 23, 2005
Shyness: The New Solution
I started this site in part because of an article I read. The article affirmed what I was trying to do with my life. I identified with so much of what was written. And I found the phrase "successfully shy". The article can be found in Psychology Today:
The phrase "successfully shy" is in this paragraph:
Through our survey, we have identified a group of people we call the successfully shy. Essentially, they recognize that they are shy. They develop an understanding of the nature and dynamics of shyness, its impact on the body, on cognitive processes and on behavior. And they take action based on that self-awareness.
I also thought this paragraph was very interesting:
Respondents told us that they feel imprisoned by their shyness. It is this feeling that seems to be at the core of their pain. But ironically, we find that the way to break out of the prison of shyness may be to embrace it thoroughly. There are many steps the shy can take to develop satisfying relationships without violating their basic nature.
I'd love to quote more from the article, but I don't want to plagiarize. Plus it is better to read it yourself if you are interested.
There's a list of the "The Eight Habits of Highly Popular People". I I am already doing or working on four of them:
1 Schedule Your Social Life
3 Engage in Social Reconnaissance
4 Enter Conversations Gracefully
8 Laugh A Little
But there are things I need to do more of:
2 Think Positive
5 Learn to Handle Failure
6 Take Hold of Your Emotions
7 Defuse Disagreements
When I read this article earlier, I did not see the link to shyness.com. What a wealth of links! I will be exploring this site. I will post more helpful links in the future.
Posted by successfullyshy at 9:05 PM