# Don't play it safe, face your fears!



## Michael11 (Jun 16, 2011)

Not ashamed to admit I have BDD and Social Anxiety. I have been working through CBT on my own, mainly for BDD, every day and am proud of the work I am putting in. I have made HUGE steps since graduation from college in May 2010 with my SA and general confidence and I don't know what it is but right now I am doing exposure activities FEARLESSLY and am dedicated to putting in the work on typing out things as well. 

Let me tell you, I am definitely reaping the benefits. I did an exposure activity on Friday for about under an hour and then had to leave as I was stressing out big time. Just faced it again today and was able to do it for three hours. This is what I am talking about people, its what I try to lace into every post I make. There's is such a slight but enormous difference all the same between accepting your symptoms and playing it safe, and working to overcome them and taking the a beating and getting back up and doing it again tomorrow. I wouldn't be where I am right now if I had played it safe, and I hope everyone on here can adopt this attitude and take it to the next level.


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## LastHorcrux (Jan 6, 2012)

This is incredibly true. I haven't been suggested by any professional to try out exposure activities, but I decided it was worth a try. I've only recently figured I had SA, so I don't have much experience in self-CBT, but it's definitely been worth it. 

I'm in a highschool and I feel it's the best place to put myself out there. Sometimes I dread going, in fear of looking stupid and being judged, but as soon as I sit in my seat, I force myself to raise my hand. It helps that after I answer a question, I realize it isn't the end of the world like I thought it would be.


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## Michael11 (Jun 16, 2011)

LastHorcrux said:


> This is incredibly true. I haven't been suggested by any professional to try out exposure activities, but I decided it was worth a try. I've only recently figured I had SA, so I don't have much experience in self-CBT, but it's definitely been worth it.
> 
> I'm in a highschool and I feel it's the best place to put myself out there. Sometimes I dread going, in fear of looking stupid and being judged, but as soon as I sit in my seat, I force myself to raise my hand. It helps that after I answer a question, I realize it isn't the end of the world like I thought it would be.


Excellent, thats what you have to do. Baby steps make addressing the stress from the situations more mangeable, however, if you can do more than what you are doing and handle the stress from it, I really think you should go for it.

The social anxiety is mainly a subconcious issue, though some elements of the adreanel gland make it a physical problem as well (tension, heartbeat, attention), your conscious mind is not the one freaking out. By doing the exposure, it forces your subconcious to face its own fears that it consumes and clouds your concious mind with and reduces the panic and fear they cause you in the future. I'd go as far to say that everyone with SA can overcome it, its just a matter of being able to deal with the stress and blows to the self esteem that exposure causes you.


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## nSpace (Feb 18, 2011)

Everyone can recover it's just a matter of persistent courage.


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## MsDaisy (Dec 27, 2011)

That's absolutely correct :clap One step at time, eventually will take you a long way.


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## Zeeshan (Sep 4, 2011)

yep you gotta push till it hurts, no other way around it really, no secret, no pill, nothing will make it go away except exposure.......


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## WhoDey85 (Sep 6, 2006)

Totally agree man. Just started doing this myself. It's all about slowing building up confidence.


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## SMOOZIE (May 26, 2011)

Has been true in my experience as well - "taking the a beating and getting back up and doing it again tomorrow." The more I try today, suffer, fail, cry, the easier it will be tomorrow. But it's important to get back up again and cease the self-sabotage about failures. It will happen. That's how you move on.


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## bigcat1967 (Apr 20, 2010)

Facing your fear - that's what it's all about. Congrads.


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## northstar1991 (Oct 4, 2011)

Good for you! This makes a lot of sense.


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## Michael11 (Jun 16, 2011)

Feel like I should update on my progress, which has been monumental.

So I found out that I had OCD too. Never knew I had the OCD. Was immediately like "great now I have this to start from the beginning on!". But said whatever and read a book on it that was almost as long as a religious text!

Nevertheless, I have been doing exposure response prevention, using herbal supplements and removing habits from my life. I feel powerful, I feel like I have finally realized how patience is the key to this condition, how time will improve you.

I still remember that day I posted this thread at Starbucks near my house. I was just tired of it, I had had enough with a lot of things in my life (namely the economy and finding a job) and this anxiety. I wanted free. I can tell you on here I did stick to my promise.

Here's what I did:

During the day did PMR at brunch and in the early afternoon during breaks at work
-----> Moved on to forcing myself to deal with not doing the PMR and just taking L-Theanine (a major stressor at first because my ocd is over appearing anxious and the pmr got me away from everyone for a few minutes when the anxiety was getting higher).

Cut Caffeine completely from my diet, cut adderall completely
Cut alcohol over one glass of wine and completely stopped having beer

Embarrassed to say, watched porn at times and cut it completely from my life
Cut masterbation completely from my life (enormous boost to confidence and massive drop in social anxiety here)

Lifted weights 2 days on 1 day off every week
Ran atleast every other day, every week

At night Meditation and PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation) to get sound sleep

Taking lysine, l-theanine, camomile tea and Ashwagandha

---------------------------------

Exposure reponse prevention: Performed from the lowest level up to the top everyday, moved on to the next one after felt low anxiety, found it very hard to go every day but easy to go for two days and then stop, forced myself to keep going. End result was massive improvement in social anxiety and ocd.

Texts that were read during this time: Don't Panic by Reid Wilson, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well by Fred Penzel

Bottom line, very happy with what I've done so far, the journey is not over, but I'm feeling much better these days. Stay strong and don't ever give up, you have to be courageous hear. You have to be brave.


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