Hacker News Reader

Comment by amelius | Hacker News Reader

> So the key is too limit overloading the part of the brain that deals with anxiety, which probably means doing things you are fearing to do so that you no longer fear doing it.

I gave this advice in the past, but I know people with social anxiety disorder for whom this approach does not work.

View on HN

I have social anxiety and pushing myself to get out there leads to massive fatigue which makes me not want to go out and do that again, it can lead to a vicious cycle.

Exposure Therapy is a great method to deal with this in my humble experience, it has to be set up with sensible realistic boundaries though, and maybe start small, like doing an imagination ET, or taking medication to overcome the initial anxiety.

Reframing this as a challenge with concrete goals rather than a problem helps too.

I'm no expert though, and I advise you to talk to a professional that can help with this.

Don't forget that this is not a problem but just another part of you, and love yourself :)

Oh yes, I've tried, and I think there may be other reasons behind why it's not right - but at the moment ET isn't working for me, I just don't have the energy to spare.

20 years ago though yes, definitely, I learned to embraced the chaos (vs needing everything pre-planned) and put myself out there.

Has two parts: Meeting with people, interacting with people. One step at a time, a couple of people, for a specific timeframe.

The issue comes when/if the people trigger real issues - like fear of being manipulated , or safety concerns.

Right now mental health is a huge problem overall in society, and therapists and Psychiatrists are no except to the rule unfortunately.

It’s gotten very predatory out there.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com