See More About: social anxiety disorder help-seeking workplace social anxiety social anxiety disorder self-help

Living with social anxiety disorder (SAD) can take a toll on your personal and professional life. Usually people go many years before being diagnosed and have developed maladaptive coping mechanisms. During and after treatment, it is important to acknowledge the disorder and to use strategies to minimize the negative impact on your life. First Steps: Getting Help

Without proper treatment, SAD can be chronic and severely impair your quality of life. Unfortunately, the nature of the disorder means that you are a person who is afraid to ask for help. If even approaching a friend, family member or your doctor seems too overwhelming, look to see if there is a university in your area that offers confidential counseling. You may even be able to contact them for the first time via email. No matter what course of action you take, it is important to take the first step.How to get help for SAD How to find an anxiety therapistSAD and Your Career

A strong relationship has been found between SAD and lower educational attainment, reduced employment opportunities, lower income, and dependence on social assistance. If you are currently employed, it is important to be aware of the best ways of managing a mental health disorder in the workplace. Below are some tips for coping with SAD in the workplace.SAD and your workTelling your employer you have SADCoping with job interview anxietyCoping with work meetingsDealing with business lunchesHandling business conferencesSelf-Help

Although no substitute for proper diagnosis and treatment, the use of self-help strategies may offer some control over your symptoms and allow you to be an active participant in the recovery process. Below are some self-help strategies that may help to reduce your anxiety.Deep breathingGuided imageryAutogenic trainingProgressive muscle relaxationThe Stories of Others

Reading stories about other people that are living with SAD will help to make you feel less isolated. Below are some personal stories about social anxiety, including those of well-known celebrities.Celebrities with SADInterview with a social phobicBlogs about SADMovie characters with social anxietyRelationships

SAD can take a toll on your relationships with others. It can affect your ability to make friends and to find a romantic partner. It can even negatively affect those that are closest to you, as they try to help you deal with your anxiety symptoms. Below are some articles to help you cope with the impact of SAD on your relationships.How to help someone with SADCoping for friends and family membersFinding loveGetting married with SADHow to ask someone on a dateHow to help your teenager copeSocial SkillsSome people who have SAD also suffer from a deficit in social skills. Fortunately, social skills can be learned as part of a social skills training program sometimes incorporated with treatment. There are also many strategies that you can use on your own to improve your social skills. Below are some tips to get you started.Making eye contactConversation tipsManaging party anxietyMaking telephone callsAccepting complimentsHow to say “no”How to be more assertiveHandling Performance AnxietyPerformances can take many forms: public speaking, athletic competitions, and even musical events. If you suffer from SAD and are involved in some sort of performing, chances are that you have battled nerves on stage or during a competition. Below are some tips to help you cope.Managing athletic competitionsDealing with public speaking anxietyDealing with musical performance anxiety

In the end, only you can decide how best to live with SAD. If you have been in treatment, you may simply need to be vigilant about using coping strategies to avoid a relapse of symptoms. Most people will never live completely without social anxiety, but rather achieve a balance in which your anxiety does not negatively affect your daily functioning or place limits on what you can achieve.

Technorati Tags: Advise, anxiety, Coping, Disorder), Living, Social

Learning how to effectively refuse requests can be tough. If you suffer with social anxiety disorder (SAD), you may have a problem saying no to other people. In your eagerness to please others, you may overlook your own needs and limits of what you can do. Although this type of behavior helps you avoid immediate confrontation, it may lead to frustration both for you and those around you if you cannot meet obligations or consistently back out at the last minute.

It is therefore important to learn how to refuse requests that are unreasonable or that do not fit with your circumstances. Consider your gut feeling and the logistics of what you are being asked to do. Realize that the person making the request may not know of your other commitments. It is up to you to communicate if a request conflicts with other plans that you have.

When refusing a request, it is best to give a simple answer and explanation. For example, if you have been asked to help out with a church function on the same day as your daughter’s dance recital, simply say, “I’d really love to help out, but my daughter has her first dance recital that afternoon. I’m afraid I would be trying to fit too much in, so I’ll have to say no.”

In general, others will appreciate your honesty and will negotiate a solution that works for both of you. If, however, you receive a negative response after refusing a request, be sure to stand your ground. You have the right to consider and respect your own needs and do not need to apologize for doing so.

Technorati Tags: anxiety, Coping, Disorder), Learn, Social, Strategy