Visualization As A Tool For Overcoming Shyness And Social Anxiety

Visualization Of your Place In The World

Shy people tend to overemphasize the attention of others to them. A socially anxious person may think that all eyes are on him/her. Thinking oneself as a focus of interest, the person starts to concentrate on what to say and how to behave only increasing the anxiety. Visualize yourself as a part of the company in any situation that triggers the feeling of shyness. Viewing yourself standing in the crowd of guests across the room can make you feel more comfortable at a party. Imagining yourself sitting out in the audience while giving a presentation can reduce shyness.

Visualizing yourself as a confident and happy person

To overcome social anxiety you need to create a confident mentality. Practice a simple but effective visualization exercise. Close your eyes, relax, turn on some music and imagine some situation. Visualize every detail: the way you behave yourself, the people you are communicating with, how the dialogues are carried on. Think of what you see (feel, hear, smell, taste). Try to involve your basic senses in the imaginary situation. Though you won’t reach a visualized image in a short time, you will see its benefits as soon as you start applying it in real life situations.

Learn to feel good about yourself, appreciate your appearance and personality, and be happy. Not only does this boost your self-confidence and reduce social anxiety, it also affects your health, contentment, and success in life.

Visualizing yourself in a certain situation

When for example, you are going to visit a social event or meet somebody you are very shy with, this technique can be helpful. It can shape your behavior when facing a real situation. Visualizing yourself in an upcoming situation, try to imagine it in its details. As you already know, visualization is more effective when your five basic senses are activated like in the real life experience. Visualize yourself being confident, comfortable and relaxed in the event. Imagine the people who will be around you and the way you will act and socialize. If you visualize yourself performing in a certain manner with all your attention, the subconscious mind will start working to relate this image with the real-life situation. Moreover, the people around you will be affected by your attitude and will treat you accordingly. Repeat this visualization exercise every day until the date of the event.

Practice visualization exercises before drifting off to sleep or after waking up. It is for you to decide how much time to spend for it, whether it is 5 or 20 minutes, you should do it every day to achieve the results. Though visualization is a highly effective technique for overcoming shyness and social phobia, it is not enough only to rely on visualization. To change things for the better, you should practice physically as well as mentally.