Intentionally making social mistakes to overcome social anxiety

[sevenroses]

Ever get used to disapproval to help overcome social anxiety like intentionally making social mistakes on purpose and realizing that the outcome wouldn't be as bad as you expected it to be. I guess doing this would make you learn that mistakes usually won't lead to disapproval you would fear or not able to handle. It's nice to pick a mistake that you are actually worried about making and even make a list or a hierarchy of social mistakes and practice doing them. (Like tripping in front of someone, or pay for something with the incorrect amount of money, order something that isn't on the menu, greet someone with the wrong name, or dropping something, or buy something that you are embarrassed to purchase, or arrive late for an appointment on purpose, ask directions to a store, department in which you are located or which is close by, etc.) After doing these intentional mistakes, you may be surprised to find out that making a mistake isn't all that you feared it to be. If these mistakes are hard to do in real life it's nice to practice these mistakes through imagination first. There's a great chance that nothing major will happen and if you get criticized would you actually feel destroyed? Probably not. You can just tell yourself "maybe the person criticizing me is having a bad day" or "this person is criticizing me and very rude, but it doesn't mean I have to get down on myself for being human." I think this technique might help a bit.

 

[kihira]

I can remember seeing people do this for therapy on a tv show, cant think of the details but they had to say something aloud while waiting at the pedestrians lights with other people around. I will do things like put my elbows on the table on purpose to challenge those meaningless etiquette rules

 

[Enialis227]

-Deleted by Enialis227-

 

[hoddesdon]

This is part of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The idea is to show that the outcome is not as bad as the prediction of what would happen. Not attempting something means that, in the absence of real-life experience, the imagination fills in the gaps. The imagination oftens assumes a worst-case scenario. The result is usually worse than real-life.