Overcoming social anxiety with a positive mental attitude
Life will not be all plain sailing. Indeed, hardship, trials and tribulations are part and parcel of being. Encountering difficulty is not a bad thing, what matters is the way we deal with it. A positive frame of mind is key for so many reasons. Positive thinking is proven to raise performance in efficiency and quality. We are usually more confident and perform better when we are feeling good and well.
I have found biological explanations of this. A positive frame of mind is because of elevated levels of neuro transmitters like serotonin that regulate the efficiency abilities of the mind. The knock results of a positive frame of mind also include better health not just improved mental health but better in the physical sense aswell. This is because of the boost to the immune system that a positive frame of mind can give you.
The reverse is also true, when we are depressed we are far more liable to getting other diseases and mental health issues. Our interaction with others decline, we begin to think irrationally and our confidents can reduce. In a nutshell this is a frame of mind that is best to avoid at all costs. Feeling unhappy ever so often is not unusual but how we choose to deal with a dilemma comes from our state of mind.
A positive mental attitude is also about giving you a can do attitude. Individuals who think positively are more likely to see challenges as opposed to issues or opportunities rather than difficulties. For example, entrepreneurs who are successful generally are because they are able to spot opportunities for growth in a sector which others only see problems in. The positive mental attitude of a successful person means that opportunity becomes a reality; because they also have the drive and motivation to ensure success and make their vision come true. So as you can see there is much to be gained from a positive mental attitude. The issue for most people is in developing one in the first place.
Developing a positive frame of mind is not some new aged trend. For centuries religious men and scholars alike sought out and developed techniques to harness an inner harmony. While this may have begun to make humanity closer to god the essence of this idea is just as relevant these days. That a positive frame of mind makes us closer to the divine while a negative frame of mind can only steer us in to ways of being which are a detriment to our lives. Monks realised this long ago which is why they devote themselves to a life of abstinence and mental and spiritual fulfilment.
Among the best ways to determine your frame of mind is to think about how you are with other people. A good way to do this is to picture how you behave towards people you do not know. Are you outgoing and open to meeting and talking with others? Or are you insular and terrified. Believe it or not one of the best ways to get over a negative frame of mind is to alter your mindset to the world around you and that means the people in it as well. If you are usually uneasy around others then try this experiment.
One night make yourself to strike up a conversation at random in a public place. Do not be concerned about how you look or appear or what you talk about. A reference about the weather or anything will do. Just try it and note how you feel afterwards.
You see, how you are with others will affect the opportunities you get presented. Consider it in this way who is the most likely to get a job between two people of equal ability and knowledge except for one difference, One is uptight and uncomforable with other people and the other is laid back and comfortable with other people. If I was the boss I know which one I would pick for the Job.
Do you find it hard to get into a positive frame of mind? If so check out Quentin’s free video on Overcoming social anxiety.