Hello Air-Clinicians & Friends,
Yesterday was a glorious day. It is a day that we became truly relaxed. OUR DIRECTOR OF COUNSELLING @HopeHuggs was there to help us all conquer our fears on #AIR-CLINIC DISCORD.
In attendance were @nairadaddy, @amarbir, @adoore-eu, @ponmile, @nexrules, DR. @maureenaleyo, @samirich, @prince-opk, @pearlumie, @pangoli etcz. We all had a lot of fun as the TUTOR gave practical examples that made the topic sink in.
Shoutout to @HopeHuggs for being awesome.
She described a technique known as The COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY as a way to tackle such. Let's take a look at some of the teachings;
What is CBT?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that is the most widely used evidence-based practice for improving mental health. Guided by empirical research, CBT focuses on the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems and changing unhelpful patterns in cognitions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes), behaviors, and emotional regulation.
ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA
@HopeHuggs Said;
The most common way of describing CBT in action is the study ‘Pavlov’s dogs’. Here, Pavlov demonstrated that he could get a dog to salivate when it heard a bell, simply by ringing the bell every time it got fed. Eventually, this ‘classical conditioning’ taught the dog to associate the bell strongly with the experience of getting fed.
Therefore CBT is based on that our behavior and thought processes have been learned through repetition, association and observation and for many us been set in our minds for years.
Using the example of talking in public,The fear is because you are probably thinking of all the things that could go wrong. You maybe think ‘people will laugh at me’, or ‘what if I stutter’ or ‘what if I faint?’. Thinking these things – and visualizing them as we tend to do – can be enough to trigger the release of hormones or other hormones and this then makes us panic and possibly even causes us to make those mistakes! A self fulfilling prophecy.
TECHNIQUES OF CBT:
- She duely outlined 5 techniques of CBT namely;
1- MINDFULNESS
2- JOURNALING
3- THOUGHT-CHALLENGING
4- HYPOTHESIS-TESTING
5- EXPOSURE THERAPY
THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:
- FIRST KNOW YOUR FEARS:
It could be fear of public speaking (agoraphobia), fear of spiders, fear of driving, fear of being in an elevator etcz.
- THINK ABOUT YOUR FEARS:
Since the problem here is "fear of public speaking", you have to think about it.
Does it make sense? What exactly are you afraid of in public speaking? Is it fear of ridicule? Is it fear of stuttering? Is it fear of making mistakes? Is it fear that you will forget what you have learned?
- ASK YOURSELF SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS:
Are people usually that insensitive to laugh when you speak? Is there anyone that doesn't make a mistake? Do you normally stutter on a normal day if you aren't in public?
These will prove to you beyond reasonable doubt that your fears aren't real. They are just in your mind.
- PRACTICALIZE IT BY TESTING & EXPOSURE TO THE FEARS:
Eg. if you are scared of public speaking, @Hopehuggs suggested that you just go to an audience and stand. Don't say anything for a while and watch what they do. Infact you may actually end up making them more uncomfortable. You will see that everyone also feels what you feel because we are all humans.
Start exposing yourself to more public speaking opportunities. Practice they say makes perfect. You can start with audiences you are already comfy with like your family. Then graduate to your classmates and colleagues. Then larger audiences of random strangers.We have found that strangers are even the most sympathetic. SO try that out!
With these, I believe we have dealt a giant blow to your fear of public speaking causing you anxiety and panics. Try and try until you conquer!
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
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