Is Preparation Important?

Hi there,

So now that we know the 3 keys to social anxiety, I'll talk a bit about preparation. If you are like me, you have probably read through a bunch of websites talking about how preparation is the ultimate key to eliminating social anxiety.  The idea I suppose is that if we are getting ready to make a speech or go to a job interview etc, we will not be afraid because we know what we will say.  I will be the first to admit that I thought this was a load of BS.  Just because we have practiced what we will say does not mean that we will be comfortable facing tough social situations.  For myself, I still feel the terror in the belief that I will forget everything and just "freeze" during my interview or speech.  So in this post I will not tell you that preparation is the key to breaking the cycle of social anxiety.  I WILL tell you that preparation helps though!

Think about it this way: Say you have a job interview coming up.  Now a magic genie has taken your anxiety about the social situation away.  If you really look at it, you will probably find that you are worried about what you will say during the interview.  A more realistic example is an e-mail interview.  Say you have only 20 minutes to write an e-mail to an potential employer, who wants to know why you would be an assett for her company.  You are likely to still feel some anxiety about your response, eventhough the social aspect has been removed from the situation.  Thus, what I am arguing here is that preparing can help us to get rid of extra worries and anxietys such as "what will I say".  Preparing takes one more worry off the table and leaves us more energy and focus to work on our social anxiety.

Over the next few weeks, I have to go meet with potential practicum placements and tell them why I would be a great addition to their team.  This is pretty terrifying but a big part of my plan is to plan ahead.  My girlfriend and I are going to write up a basic "pitch" including a bit about me and why I am suited for a practicum position.  We are then going to do mock interviews where I will get used to responding with my prepared answers in a natural way.  That way, I will not just have memorized a set of responses like you would for a history test, but I would become accustomed to weaving these prepared responses into my natural way of talking and interacting. Like I said in the description of this blog, I have learned a lot but I am not some expert telling you what to do. I am in this struggle with you guys, working to break my own cycle of social anxiety.  Please wish me luck as I go into these interviews. I wish all that luck back to you as you face your own challenges!