I believe I have already mentioned that I have generalised anxiety or some form of social phobia. I have read what the literature has to say on the matter - usually something about cognitive reframing and logical thinking - but the only real method I have found effective is practice.
One example I could list is phone calls, something I believe quite a few Aspies don't like. Before I really examined it, I didn't know why I disliked phone calls, and assumed it was just something to do with my generation (as in peer group, not the the song by The Who). The issue is that I didn't really know when it was my turn to speak. After receiving many calls, albeit mostly from sales companies, I came up with stock phrases and I suppose I mimicked my parents' phone style a bit. These were less useful when there were new situations, or I was making the call.
As with talking with strangers face-to-face, phone calls take more conscious effort. I've noticed this even when talking to friends on the phone - people I know and am comfortable around. Every phone call I make adds to my experience and therefore my confidence making new calls. How? It's simple. Having more things to draw on means I can take aspects from each and combine them effectively in ever new situations.
This can be applied to all social interactions, but you might have to start off small before building up to completely alien situations. Believe it or not, I feel generally more confident knowing there are things I can deal with now that I had issues with earlier.
One example I could list is phone calls, something I believe quite a few Aspies don't like. Before I really examined it, I didn't know why I disliked phone calls, and assumed it was just something to do with my generation (as in peer group, not the the song by The Who). The issue is that I didn't really know when it was my turn to speak. After receiving many calls, albeit mostly from sales companies, I came up with stock phrases and I suppose I mimicked my parents' phone style a bit. These were less useful when there were new situations, or I was making the call.
As with talking with strangers face-to-face, phone calls take more conscious effort. I've noticed this even when talking to friends on the phone - people I know and am comfortable around. Every phone call I make adds to my experience and therefore my confidence making new calls. How? It's simple. Having more things to draw on means I can take aspects from each and combine them effectively in ever new situations.
This can be applied to all social interactions, but you might have to start off small before building up to completely alien situations. Believe it or not, I feel generally more confident knowing there are things I can deal with now that I had issues with earlier.
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