Dear friends, I have probably mentioned that I have a passion for reading. Today I finished a phenomenal book about OCD and social anxiety, and I beg you to read it when you have time.
It covers all three areas in which we communicate with people in the real world. Namely, in our friends’ circle, at work, and in public situations. It also offers practical advice for coping with social anxiety in all those major areas. I find most of the real-world examples highly helpful for people with OCD like us, and I am sure we will be less awkward if we follow them.
It is incredible that the book offers practical advice for all three social areas of life. Social anxiety at work is different from social anxiety in public, so it’s great someone considered it and wrote some coping methods. I will read the book and comment further. Thanks, Joon.
I ordered the book. Can someone tell me whether the friends in your social circle have ever noticed that you might have OCD or other mental problem? This is how I personally found that I have OCD. A friend of mine suggested that I should find out whether I have some anxiety disorder.
I have heard of such stories that a friend or family member noticed abnormal behavior in their close one. It was not like that in my case. I had doubts about whether I had the disorder. I then researched for some time and finally went for actual consultation.
You are a relatively self-conscious person then. I thought I knew myself, but now when I look back, I can see how specific patterns of my behavior indicated that there was something wrong. I’m still not sure whether those things developed over time or if I was born like that.
I had a similar case as yours because I constantly seek reassurance to feel better. A few of my friends and family noticed that something was not alright and approached me directly about it.
I can share something from my experience. Let your closest people from whom you seek reassurance let you know each time you do that. In this way, you can write down each time and specific theme you are seeking reassurance about and work to analyze it. The aim is to look objectively at your notes at the end and ask yourself whether your behavior is logical and needed.
Most of the time is not logical, and I know it. But maybe you are right that writing it down can help me see what I am about to ask and realize its irrelevancy before doing it.
I am unsure if it will fix your problem, but it will help you and make your brain “understand” that those actions are unnecessary. You can also try other techniques for coping with reassurance-seeking simultaneously with the one I mentioned.
I found several techniques online and from listing through some books. I am optimistic that some of those techniques should help me. I would be happy even for a slightly positive result because I want to change my image in front of others.
Feeling optimistic about changing your perception of your OCD makes you halfway there. You can use your intuition to try out techniques that you think might help you as a start. The key is not to lose your willingness to get better through the process.
I would love to try that. It looks straightforward to stick to. After analyzing the themes for reassurance, I would appreciate it if you knew what to do. Do I have to go to the therapist to receive a proper explanation?
It would be a great idea. You can also try to follow the advice I gave you earlier about finding what works best for you and sticking to it. I can feel that your case is not so concerning for your daily life, so you can experiment with different techniques until you find the right one.
I am now reading a couple of books and watching tutorials about improving my social presence. I am taking it slow because I want to ensure I understand how to implement those techniques in real life. It’s too early to say that I have an improvement, but I am sure I will have it soon.
You are right, and patience is the key. Also, try to be confident in public by meeting more people, starting conversations, etc. If I don’t do that at least once a week, I forget how to be extroverted and easygoing.
I feel the same way but even doing it once a week is not enough. I need to be active and talk to people every day to feel talkative the next day. Hopefully, there will be an improvement in the future. At least I am working towards it.
I am not sure if you like reading, but I do it every day, and after that, I can talk more confidently and freely to people. Somehow my brain exercises by reading, and I am ready to even lead the conversations with others. I believe if you build a habit of reading at least 30 minutes a day, preferably not on an electronic device, you will have excellent communication results.
It doesn’t hurt to try. However, what is the difference between reading on an electronic device and a paper book? I mean, there are many differences in general, but as long as I read, it should not be much different, right?
From my experience when I read on my kindle book, I get a mental fog quicker than when I read from a paper source. You can try it yourself and see if there is a difference for you.
