What are your go-to safety behaviors? Have you tried challenging yourself to reduce them? What happened if you did?
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
14 points (100.0% liked)
Socialanxiety
909 readers
1 users here now
A safe space for people to discuss their experiences, feelings and thoughts on social anxiety and socialphobia.
Values: Acceptance Openness Understanding Equality
Rules:
- Be respectful of and considered towards others.
- No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments.
- Do not gatekeep or diagnose.
- Discussions regarding medication are allowed as long as you are describing your own situation and not telling others what to do.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I can relate to the sweating part. In the past, I sometimes used overnight prescription-strength deodorant before events where I knew I'd start sweating. It was very effective, but I know some of the ingredients can be problematic.
Out of the ones you listed, not asking questions is probably the one most likely to keep you away from making connections with others. As we all know, people love to talk about themselves. I find it helpful to have a few questions in my "mental bank" before interacting with new people just so I don't have to think on the spot.
I was practicing small talk with my husband one day, and I asked him if he likes his job. He was like, "Ickplant, very few people actually like their job. You're either asking them to lie or putting them in an awkward position of bitching about their job to a stranger. It's better to ask what their favorite part is about their job or something similar." That's what inspired me to be more intentional about what I ask.
Thank you, that's good advice. I've been improving at it slowly over the years, but it feels like babysteps. I'm now trying to learn to be proud of and happy with any small progress, that helps a bit. Also I try to focus more on the other person in conversations instead of on my own thoughts and sensations.