If you have social anxiety, you most likely face these types of situations with fear and dread or avoid them completely. This strategy can sustain your anxiety in the long term. Leaving situations in a state of panic also teaches you that they are to be feared. Ideally, you need to gradually introduce yourself to increasingly more difficult situations and stay in those situations until your fear subsides. This type of exposure training can be done in real life (in vivo) or in your imagination. Below is a list of articles with specific tips for carrying out exposure training for a variety of different fears. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts If you suffer with this fear, it is possible to use the principles of exposure therapy to gradually become more comfortable using restrooms in public. If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to consider exposure therapy for phone phobia. This common fear can easily be faced using a hierarchy involving telephone scenarios. Like other difficult situations, you can overcome your anxiety about being the center of attention by gradually facing those situations that you fear. You might choose to start by giving a toast at a party and eventually work up to taking a course offered by Toastmasters. A key part of this exposure is to also learn and practice assertive behaviors. In this case, it’s best to work with a mental health professional who can guide you gradually through the situations that you fear, being sure to first work on the thought patterns that keep you stuck.
