HOW I USED THE EMOTION OF "LOVE" TO OVERCOME MY SOCIAL ANXIETY... <3
I overcame really crippling social anxiety by applying a solution that I call "Honesty, Love, and Acceptance".
It was a very similar solution to the solution that Dr. John Nash found in the movie "A Beautiful Mind".
However, whenever I tell people about the "LOVE" part, they often have difficulty understanding what I'm trying to say.
They say things like... "If I love people, they will walk all over me."
.
It took me a while, but I finally realized that there was both a Behavioural and an Emotional definition of love.
The "Behavioural Definition of Love" seemed to mean something like... sacrificing our own needs and desires... not having boundaries... and endlessly giving of ourselves to others.
However, when I refer to "Love"... I am referring to getting out of our heads and feeling POSITIVE EMOTIONS towards other people, ourselves, and the world.
This has nothing to do with sacrificing ourselves... giving endlessly... ignoring our needs and desires... or having no boundaries.
In fact, in order to feel the "EMOTION OF LOVE", we MUST have boundaries! <3
The EMOTION OF LOVE is the best feeling in the world.
And THIS was the emotion that set me free!
.
Here was how the whole process worked:
1. It was HONESTY that helped me to reduce my SHAME as well as all those disruptive thoughts in my mind..
2. It was LOVE that enabled me to get out of my head and be present with other people... truly caring about them, being interested in them, and connecting with them in the moment.
3. It was ACCEPTANCE that allowed me to disregard my anxiety symptoms when they came for a visit... so that I could continue applying Love & Honesty without regressing back into the spiral of fear.
.
This emotion of LOVE is so powerful...
And together with HONESTY & ACCEPTANCE... it set me free. <3
Let me know if you'd like to know more about how I can help you overcome your Social Anxiety (no matter how crippling) using this simple but powerful approach.
With lots of love... :)
Marni Penner
A Kanadai Coach :)
Comments