Shyness

2 Pages 616 Words

10 Simple Solutions to Shyness written by Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., was the self help book reviewed. This book gave basic tips on how to overcome shyness, social anxiety, and fear of public speaking. This book was very specific in the topics covered and solutions on how to overcome them.
Dr. Antony (2004) believes the most common issues that lead to the aforementioned problems are that people feel the need to be perfectionists, we are afraid of being rejected by others, genetics and chemicals (neurotransmitters) secreted by the brain can be a contributing cause, and also that these behaviors can be learned because of teasing or the high social standards held by those that are close to us.
Avoidance behaviors are usually incorporated into our lives because of the feeling of anxiety and the contributing causes. Some avoidance behaviors are not very harmful, but these behaviors don’t allow the person with anxiety to learn and experience how to properly handle the feared situation. However, people with extreme social anxiety tend to integrate so many avoidance behaviors in their lives that it becomes a problem to function normally in society.
Dr. Antony suggests that for people with extreme cases to seek out professional help from a qualified individual. For people with minor cases of anxiety and shyness, usually revolving around one particular situation, there are two components that can be used by themselves or interchangeably to getting help and the needed skills to cope. One alternative is to use medications approved for anxiety disorders. Another suggestion is to face your fear and allow yourself some moderate immersion in the situation. He recommends that you intentionally put yourself into the feared situation, whether it be stumbling over a few words and mispronouncing them during a presentation to get over a fear of rejection or standing in a mall and asking numerous people over the course of an hour what time it is to l...