Customer Reviews

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques (Overcoming Series)

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I haven't read other books on social anxiety, but I have read a number of books on anxiety disorders. This book is so helpful to me - it's practical and realistic. The author totally gets social anxiety - the causes, beliefs, behaviors, and effects - and suggests cognitive behavioral techniques to address and ultimately minimize the anxiety. It's a comforting relief to have someone understand, explain, and help resolve something that can sometimes be so difficult to live with.

The philosopher Baruch Spinoza once said "to understand is to be free". This book does an phenomenal job at understanding the causes of social anxiety and presenting strategies to counteract these causes. The book states that social anxiety(shyness too) is a natural instinct based on nature and nurture, and everyone suffers from it to a certain degree(or susceptible to it). and we can overcome it by understanding it and using cognitive behavioral techniques to ultimately cancel out our socially awkward behavior.

part 1 of the book is called "understanding social anxiety", in it defines social anxiety and how it works in terms of our assumptions and beliefs.

part 2 of the book lays out several proven cognitive strategies. these strategies really do work, to me it was like dumping a base into an acid.

part 3 is sort of a "bonus" chapter to help you be more assertive, on bullying , and relaxation.

This is the best book i have EVER read on the subject. The author truly understands where social anxiety comes from and knows how painful it can be. And the best part, the author knows what to do about it. and it really DOES work.

Social Anxiety can be a VERY painful experience, we can miss out on friendships and intimate relationships, become lonely, feel unwanted and different, feel like there is something really wrong with us etc. (you are not alone)

this book can help you change all of that, and help you live your life to the fullest. You CAN live a socially rich life. You CAN live a rich romantic life. You CAN live a life that fully and harmoniously expresses who you are to the world.

i wish you the best in your journey on overcoming your barriers to harmonious human relations.

the price for the book is a bargain for a new rich life. i highly recommend it.

During the last 5 years I read almost all self-help books which targets social phobia. This is the one which I only read recently even though I knew about it`s existence for a long time but misjudged it based on its title mentioning shyness. I knew my case is considerably worse than simple shyness so the book must be too superficial for me I thought. What a mistake!!!
This is definitely the best book on Social Phobia I ever read. This does not makes it perfect but if you are suffering from this debilitating disorder you can save to yourself a lot of time and money by starting with this one. You will learn a proper understanding about the vicious cycles which perpetuating your social anxiety and gives you strategise how can you approach the problem and start to break down the vicious cycles. Don`t misjudge this book like i did!

I am so thankful to have found this book!
I have dealt with a lot of social anxiety and self esteem problems in my past. I am the type of person who thinks a lot. Many times I've been told that my problem is just that I think too much.
This book encourages you to think, but to think more logically and more positively. It makes you aware of thought/emotion cycles that are harmful and that are not true. It walks you through changing these.
Again, SO grateful for this book. I have bought several copies to give to friends who deal with the same kind of thing. I highly recommend it.

This book is a great tool in helping to understand what is social anxiety and it symptoms and traights. It offers tools to help you with your roots of anxiety comes from and how to try and live a better life with coping skills. It lets you know that it is a common disorder when it makes you feel like you are going crazy or nobody understands when they do.

If you are sure that your only problem is social anxiety, than it is great book with a sharp focus on this topic. If you would like to receive a more general guide about your psychological problems (maybe you have not read anything in this genre yet) then I would recommend The Feeling Good Handbook. After that you will see if you need to study more and read this book.

As has already been alluded to in previous reviews, the author gets it. She understands the problem completely and how we keep it going. She provides a simple yet effective strategy for change: 1)change how you think using a thought record 2)do things differently and most important think about what actually happened and how it differs from your catastrophic expectations 3)stop being self-conscious and learn to focus externally instead of on yourself 4)test and learn to change your limiting beliefs by collecting new information that disputes those beliefs. It's that simple and as effective.

No fluff. This book is full of useful information. I've suffered from Social Anxiety since I was horrifically bullied as a little kid and am just now getting over it with the help of this book 33 years later.

Well let me just start by saying before I got this book I had reached the point of desperation with my social anxiety. Even the book mentions most sufferers get to their "breaking point" before they seek help. I tried going to the very costly therapists, and medications; but found that the best teacher is within me. This book is SO practical, and backed by really solid advise! I'm one of those people that needs proper guidance, backed with structure, to truly sort my way out of my issues. The first half details social anxiety and what it entails, and the second/last part of the book advises you on what you can do about it. And this is not just thoughtless advise, this is cognitive behavioral therapy. Which has been proven to greatly help anxiety sufferers. There is alot of personal work involoved (so worth it), about your underlying beliefs and how they translate to your thoughts, and how they eventually filter into your moods- thus begins anxiety. I'm no where near done investigating my skeletons, but I must say this book gives me hope, and it has already started to change me for the better. I'm really, really glad I bought this book because my mind is so complex (as is all of ours), and I truly believe with proper guidance I'm the one who can change myself for the better fully. Buy this book, and you won't be dissapointed :).

This book was exactly what I needed. It feels like I have been under this dark cloud forever and now the cloud is slowly starting to dissipate and I'm starting to feel the warmth of the sun. It makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In fact I have not been able to stop smiling for the last 2 days. I don't know if I am socially phobic, but darn near! Never been diagnosed or anything, but all my life I have struggled with extreme shyness. It is so painful. But as I read through the book it gives me so many NEW ideas. And as someone who thinks a lot, I've thought this dilemma over and over and read about it, this book is so enlightening! Articles and things I've read in the past say, "don't focus on yourself so much, but focus on the other person," or "Just be positive." Others have made comments, "Just lighten up, you take everything too seriously," "Just toughen up," "Just this...Just that." The articles I read don't explain HOW, and these well-meaning people actually make you feel worse about yourself because they make it seem like "What's the big deal?" Though I've always been somewhat shy, when I was younger, I used to be pretty social. As I got older is when the social anxiety really started to kick in. I've always wondered what's wrong with me? I have tried soooo many different things to make myself "better," feeling that there is something inherently wrong with me. As I am reading this, I am just wishing I could've read this 10 yrs ago, it would have saved me so much pain and doing the wrong things to alleviate the pain, although I know this book is not near that old, still though I feel that all that anxiety is kind of melting away. I'm not even done with the book, but it's already helped me ALOT! What I've realized in reading this is that I actually am a naturally fairly Extroverted person. Though that label "Shy" was always slapped on me, I naturally want to be around people. And so that is a huge realization! The author has so much understanding and the writing is factual and to the point, no more, no less. But written in such a way that helps you understand your problem and gives you the steps to reason with yourself. About everything else I am a very rational person, and know that my thoughts about social situations are irrational, but somehow, I just couldn't change them. This book has you do mini-experiments to test your existing beliefs, and helps you get to the root of your reasoning. Absolutely wonderful. I'm fairly certain that my confidence will come back quickly, as it already has started. Buy this book if you are really struggling with social anxiety/shyness, you will be so glad you did.