# What has helped you?



## fraidycat (Oct 29, 2004)

I'm trying to gleam insight into how everyone's acheiving their triumphs. So how are you guys staying positive/ getting through? Do you find it has more to do with medication, cbt (personally, cbt/positve self talk is incredibly hard for me) or it is sometimes just not thinking about sa and getting out there and doing it?


----------



## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

NY repping! Nothing has helped me so far. I'll just keep making my rounds trying to find the right medications, if that fails i guess i'll have to go see a pysch, then maybe CBT thne maybe a combo of the 3.


----------



## Bad Religion (Dec 14, 2006)

Exercising really helps me. If I exercise regularly I always have more energy and feel better about myself which makes my SA more bearable. Another thing that helps is not over-thinking things. Before I go out and do stuff that makes me feel uncomfortable (going to my friend's house, going up to a cash register, etc.) I tend to think of every possible thing that could go wrong and I end up scaring myself and not doing whatever I had planned. I've learned that if I just go out and do something without giving myself time to think about it my SA isn't as bad and I end up feeling better about myself when it's over.


----------



## davemason2k (Feb 11, 2005)

Dunno, nothing really helps me. Meds worked for a while and exercise is good for depression, but I've yet to find something that keeps my nerves under control in social situations. I'm beginning to think the best way to keep things under control is to go into every situation not giving a damn. It seems whenever I get my hopes up or wish something good will happen or a girl will fall head over heels for me, I just end up getting nervous and ruining everything.


----------



## fraidycat (Oct 29, 2004)

> NY repping! Nothing has helped me so far. I'll just keep making my rounds trying to find the right medications, if that fails i guess i'll have to go see a pysch, then maybe CBT thne maybe a combo of the 3.


i have to second the ny..haha..and the rounds of meds. That's actually what i'm trying to do now too. First zoloft, lexapro and now onto em-sam (maoi patch). I really hope this works. I'm trying to add the cbt but i'm pretty skeptical about it, especially with finding the right therapist. I have a good talk therapist and she took me long enough to find but she knows nothing about sa or how to deal besides using meds. So I've been looking to switch and the one I just spoke to today (over the phone) got defensive when I asked of her experience with cbt & sa. something tells me she might be a time waster..lol.. I'm sick of analyzing every single thought I have...it's too consuming and who really has the patience. I feel like i almost get obsessive with my thoughts when I do this. Though I know cbt has helped some ppl.

Thanks for the exercise and over thinking suggestions. I find that exercise helps with depression and increasing energy level too. I'm with you guys..sometimes it's better to not give a damn and just push through.


----------



## Illini_Pride (Apr 25, 2005)

For me, it's been taking things really slow and experimenting to see how people react to what I say. I'm trying fully expressing myself online first. People don't tend to judge me, so I think it's safe for me to say that they won't in real life either.


----------



## CBT Junky (Jun 6, 2007)

CBT is working for me, but you have to buy into the exercises and really work at them all the time.


----------



## mshopeful (Nov 14, 2005)

I engage in positive self-talk. And...If a thought crosses my mind to do something, I do it immediately. If not, I start thinking of all the things that could go wrong and then I tend to procrastinate. I also applaud myself for the little things I do. For instance, If I go out and put in job applications. I feel like I did a good thing if I get the job or not. I have found that the more I go out and ask for an application, the better I am becoming at it.


----------



## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

*Re: re: What has helped you?*



CBT Junky said:


> CBT is working for me, but you have to buy into the exercises and really work at them all the time.


Agreed! Oh and CBT is not positive self-talk, thats a common misconception. It invloves looking at the world in a more realisitc and less catastrophic way (which may be positive) but you must actually find evidence to prove your newer outlook. That is the backbone of the therapy - you must belive in the new views, which as Jnky says, comes via doing the exercises and homework.

Ross


----------



## elph (Jun 4, 2007)

I've really been trying to challenge my view of the world and also my view of myself (both of which turn out to be quite negative) and to get rid of some of the habits I have that reinforce those views (like apologizing for my opinions). I do end up with a more positive view (or at least with a view that puts more emphasis on the positive) but its also a more balanced view (realizing that things are neither all bad or all good).

I've been doing this in therapy but also on my own between sessions. I think what I've learned is that this is a key part of therapy is what you do between. So you can't rely on just talking to a the therapist and then forget about everything until you see her/him again. You have to take the initiative on your own. This has had the added benefit of making me feel better about myself because I'm constantly having mini-revelations and I know I'm achieving them myself. (I hope that made sense).


----------



## AJFA88 (Jun 16, 2007)

I do alot of exercise. I made a schedule last year recording my daily exercise. After i completed a full month, i really got inspired to see how much i made during a month. I also recorded the amount of times i went to work/school, and how much i practiced taekwondo/jogging/guitar and my daily chores as well. since i completed that full month last year, I've kept on doing it until this day. It feels great and it also makes me more organized. If you want to have better self-steem, exercise is the key. When you have good self-teem it'll help you cope with anxiety.


----------



## CBT Junky (Jun 6, 2007)

*Re: re: What has helped you?*



yeah_yeah_yeah said:


> [quote="CBT Junky":8b4fe]CBT is working for me, but you have to buy into the exercises and really work at them all the time.


Agreed! Oh and CBT is not positive self-talk, thats a common misconception. It invloves looking at the world in a more realisitc and less catastrophic way (which may be positive) but you must actually find evidence to prove your newer outlook. That is the backbone of the therapy - you must belive in the new views, which as Jnky says, comes via doing the exercises and homework.

Ross[/quote:8b4fe]

Good points about the difference between CBT and positive talk. If you don't identify your thinking errors and correct them all the positive talk in the world will not help the underlying problem. You have to do the exercises and change your thinking around by countering your thoughts in a tea form for lasting results.


----------



## geeky (Jan 12, 2007)

CBT, Zen Buddhism, my continueing insurgency against my phobias.


----------



## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Also mass quantities of cheap beer, canned so you get that extra flavor of tin goodness that puts hair on your lips.


----------



## Freedom2 (Jun 18, 2007)

Prayer, thinking about others more than myself, thinking positively, trying hard to listen to what others are saying to me, and taking vitamins.


----------



## CBT Junky (Jun 6, 2007)

*Re: re: What has helped you?*



SilentProphet said:


> Also mass quantities of cheap beer, canned so you get that extra flavor of tin goodness that puts hair on your lips.


LOL :lol


----------

