Dr. Julie Smith

So when you're socially anxious, your focus will be inward. It will be on how are other people perceiving me? Am I standing funny? Am I fidgeting? Am I saying stuff wrong? How am I coming across? And it will be all this kind of inner turmoil stuff that just keeps triggering more and more anxiety. Whereas someone who's confident and not socially anxious will not be focused inwards on themselves.

So when you're socially anxious, your focus will be inward. It will be on how are other people perceiving me? Am I standing funny? Am I fidgeting? Am I saying stuff wrong? How am I coming across? And it will be all this kind of inner turmoil stuff that just keeps triggering more and more anxiety. Whereas someone who's confident and not socially anxious will not be focused inwards on themselves.

They will be focused on the other person and trying to get to know them or find stuff out about them and And actually, I've sat in rooms with people who've really struggled with anxiety and paranoia. And we've had to have kind of big care meetings with all their different professionals. And I remember sitting with someone and getting them to take notes. about what the plan was.

They will be focused on the other person and trying to get to know them or find stuff out about them and And actually, I've sat in rooms with people who've really struggled with anxiety and paranoia. And we've had to have kind of big care meetings with all their different professionals. And I remember sitting with someone and getting them to take notes. about what the plan was.

They will be focused on the other person and trying to get to know them or find stuff out about them and And actually, I've sat in rooms with people who've really struggled with anxiety and paranoia. And we've had to have kind of big care meetings with all their different professionals. And I remember sitting with someone and getting them to take notes. about what the plan was.

And so all that was, was a focus of that spotlight of attention. So rather than thinking, who's looking at me? Who's thinking what? It was, who's just said something that is part of the plan? Let me write it down. And you just take control of that spotlight of attention. And then what you do is you get this experience that... it can go well. It can go okay.

And so all that was, was a focus of that spotlight of attention. So rather than thinking, who's looking at me? Who's thinking what? It was, who's just said something that is part of the plan? Let me write it down. And you just take control of that spotlight of attention. And then what you do is you get this experience that... it can go well. It can go okay.

And so all that was, was a focus of that spotlight of attention. So rather than thinking, who's looking at me? Who's thinking what? It was, who's just said something that is part of the plan? Let me write it down. And you just take control of that spotlight of attention. And then what you do is you get this experience that... it can go well. It can go okay.

And I can practice where I focus my attention and it influences how I feel. And that is the superpower starting to really open up this idea that I can take control of this one thing in this scenario. and it influences the feeling or it makes that feeling slightly more manageable. So it doesn't take it away. It still might always be a little bit awkward, a little bit uncomfortable.

And I can practice where I focus my attention and it influences how I feel. And that is the superpower starting to really open up this idea that I can take control of this one thing in this scenario. and it influences the feeling or it makes that feeling slightly more manageable. So it doesn't take it away. It still might always be a little bit awkward, a little bit uncomfortable.

And I can practice where I focus my attention and it influences how I feel. And that is the superpower starting to really open up this idea that I can take control of this one thing in this scenario. and it influences the feeling or it makes that feeling slightly more manageable. So it doesn't take it away. It still might always be a little bit awkward, a little bit uncomfortable.

The self-doubt might always be there in a little way, but you know what to do with it. And that's the key is you're not trying to take it all away. You're just showing yourself, proving to yourself through action that you can do something with it.

The self-doubt might always be there in a little way, but you know what to do with it. And that's the key is you're not trying to take it all away. You're just showing yourself, proving to yourself through action that you can do something with it.

The self-doubt might always be there in a little way, but you know what to do with it. And that's the key is you're not trying to take it all away. You're just showing yourself, proving to yourself through action that you can do something with it.

Yeah. And every time you get yourself through it, your brain clocks another bit of evidence that you can, that even when it doesn't go really, really well, you survive it anyway. And that's what you need is your brain learns through evidence of action. So you've got to kind of build up as many of those experiences as you can.

Yeah. And every time you get yourself through it, your brain clocks another bit of evidence that you can, that even when it doesn't go really, really well, you survive it anyway. And that's what you need is your brain learns through evidence of action. So you've got to kind of build up as many of those experiences as you can.

Yeah. And every time you get yourself through it, your brain clocks another bit of evidence that you can, that even when it doesn't go really, really well, you survive it anyway. And that's what you need is your brain learns through evidence of action. So you've got to kind of build up as many of those experiences as you can.

And then, you know, confidence is a sort of byproduct of doing that on repeat as much as possible. Yeah.

And then, you know, confidence is a sort of byproduct of doing that on repeat as much as possible. Yeah.

And then, you know, confidence is a sort of byproduct of doing that on repeat as much as possible. Yeah.