Also, remember that the true professional will always welcome your questions. If they seem stand-offish and unfriendly, they should not be your choice of a therapist. Those of us who have or have had social anxiety need support, encouragement, and a relatively stress-free environment while we are in therapy. Seek another therapist. While you re in the middle of the problem, it feels hopeless it feels that you ll never ever get better.
Life is just one gut-wrenching anxiety problem after another.
An understanding and awareness of the problem, 2. A commitment to carry through with cognitive-behavioral therapy even when it seems difficult, 3. Practice, practice, practice to get that information deep down into your brain so that it becomes habitual and automatic. Participation in a social anxiety therapy group in which you can slowly and gradually work on problems that cause you anxiety in the real world. That is, the person who feels anxious while reading in public uses specific strategies to meet his goal, whereas the person who wants to learn how to make introductions and engage in small talk during social activities slowly works toward her goals.