SAUK Discussion Board

Go Back   SAUK Discussion Board > Social Anxiety Discussions > The Social Anxiety Room
Join! Blogs FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Notices

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 30th September 2017, 21:15
BritishPeace BritishPeace is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North West
Posts: 1,462

Mood
Bashful

Default Trying a new tactic

Normally I avoid things, but I'm trying not to. I go to a centre for people with mental problems and I have started singing on a microphone in music group even though I am self-conscious and I don't have a good voice I don't think but I enjoy it. Is normally not get involved. I need to change.

Also, I am facing my fears in Alcoholics Anonymous groups I normally sit back and say nothing I have started sharing about where I'm up to, and am reading out of books today I specifically said can I read out of the book, the man said sure pick out anything you want and read it and I picked a 10 minuteish passage and read it out. Obviously, with my sa it was hard to start reading and about 10 seconds in I thought oh shit everyone is staring at me, my heart started pounding and my voice to my perception started to sound like a girl. I felt like throwing the book and saying I can't read this and there would have been no problem someone else would have. But then I thought a new tactic, don't do my old behaviour, I thought your anxious yeah channel this anxiety to make you better because I've read nervous actors do this. I channeled the anxious energy of myself into going my reading power and tried to view my anxiety as positive not negative something I could use to my advantage. It's hard to explain what I did but it was a mental trick and it went well I'll keep trying to practise it. And old man said I've heard that passage many times before but today it made an impact on me like it hasn't before so it must have sounded alright.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 1st October 2017, 07:43
LoubyLou LoubyLou is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 40

Mood
Sweettooth

Default Re: Trying a new tactic

Well done for done for finding a way through that works for you and sharing it with others. Keep it up.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 1st October 2017, 11:36
Aelwyn Aelwyn is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: South West
Posts: 1,498
Default Re: Trying a new tactic

Well done, it's interesting that when you carried on even though you were nervous, your words had such an effect on someone else. Maybe more than if you'd sounded perfectly confident.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 1st October 2017, 17:27
migster migster is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Greater Manchester area
Posts: 22

Mood
Daring

Default Re: Trying a new tactic

Wow mate, sounds like you've turned a corner there and are now confronting your SA head-on. I've said it in a post in a different thread that I'm a firm believer that the only way to cure anxiety-producing phobias like SA is to expose yourself to the very thing that we actively try to avoid. Very happy for you that you're making progress! Keep believing and employing positive thinking and please keep posting updates.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 1st October 2017, 23:26
BritishPeace BritishPeace is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North West
Posts: 1,462

Mood
Bashful

Default Re: Trying a new tactic

I've exposed myself many times to anxiety and it has worked to an extent but not really in any big deal, what I am trying is to turn my anxiety into excitement by saying this is not making me anxious it is making me excited, it is hard to explain in my head but I'll report back.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 2nd October 2017, 10:00
migster migster is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Greater Manchester area
Posts: 22

Mood
Daring

Thumbs up Re: Trying a new tactic

Yes, please report back. I find the way you describe this new tactic of yours very intriguing, as if it's a form of self-suggestion that you've somehow got to work for you. It would be interesting to know how you trigger the positivity from the anxiety!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 2nd October 2017, 13:48
umm umm is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,331
Default Re: Trying a new tactic

Quote:
Originally Posted by BritishPeace
I have started singing on a microphone in music group even though I am self-conscious and I don't have a good voice I don't think but I enjoy it. Is normally not get involved. I need to change.

...

But then I thought a new tactic, don't do my old behaviour, I thought your anxious yeah channel this anxiety to make you better because I've read nervous actors do this. I channeled the anxious energy of myself into going my reading power and tried to view my anxiety as positive not negative something I could use to my advantage. It's hard to explain what I did but it was a mental trick and it went well I'll keep trying to practise it. And old man said I've heard that passage many times before but today it made an impact on me like it hasn't before so it must have sounded alright.
I salute you sir! I do this too - singing that is. Gosh, I did a gig on the weekend and while I only sing on two of our songs, my approach is just exactly as you say; channel all that anxiety and worry into general intensity and have it come out in the song. And it bloody worked! It's as if it doesn't matter what the energy is - excitement, anxiousness, whatever - as long as there is something there. It's like fuel. And I cannot overstate enough the benefit that singing - or performing, I guess, keeping it general - has on anxiety, because it's not a denial of it, but simply making a new use of it, one to which people respond well, one which expends it out of the system, and and which is just plain fun and great, particularly when everything comes out right.

Heh, it's great when something just clicks. It's like: ah, I see how this works now.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:41.


SAUK Award
Logo designed by abc
Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.