Stress, anxiety and fear are among the most common mental health issues in the United States. One in three Americans will develop some form of anxiety disorder during their lives.
The natural reaction to anxiety is to try and get rid of it, to get unpleasant thoughts under control and to push what feels so disorienting aside. The trouble is that the more we want to suppress our fears, the more likely it becomes that they will come back with a vengeance. That´s the nature of anxiety attacks. If we are unaware of what causes us the anxiety, the more surprised we will be by its forcefulness.
The only way to effectively cope with anxiety is to take a good look at it and confront what scares us so much. If we are willing to deal with unpleasant thoughts and circumstances we understand better what is going on inside and the prospect of it becomes less frightening. That is the principle of psychotherapy as well as meditation: we take a good look at all the things that scare us in our daily life and get more comfortable dealing with it.
Social anxiety is one form of feeling uncomfortable with the environment. By very slowly exposing yourself to what seems threatening, and at the same time allowing yourself to determine your own pace and to withdraw when needed, we learn how to deal with unsettling social situations.
