One of the best ways to treat speech anxiety is known as CBT or behavioral anxiety therapy. It helps patients slowly lose negative thoughts over self-talk and replace them with realistic ones, thereby helping them gradually get better at dealing with their anxieties. It is a treatment that can take years off one’s life, but is definitely worth trying because it is not always likely to have serious side effects.
This anxiety disorder can be very debilitating and can prevent the sufferer from living a normal life. A person with this condition feels anxiety over even the smallest social interaction. They worry about stuttering and having an audience when speaking in public. People with this speech anxiety disorder are usually first diagnosed when they are in their early twenties.
For the social anxiety sufferer, CBT aims to attack the problem at its source. The belief that people who suffer from speech problems will become embarrassed or ashamed by speaking in front of others is treated in this therapy. Once a person is able to overcome this irrational fear, they begin to see the world in a new light. It is no longer feared or dreaded, but is seen as something that is exciting and fun to be involved in. The fear of being ridiculed or made fun of when speaking in public comes to the surface and is replaced with the fear of being judged by others.
For people with speech anxiety, the biggest hurdle to overcome is the irrational fear of stuttering while speaking in public. This is where CBT helps them overcome their social anxiety through teaching them how to control their breathing so that they do not get panic attacks during their presentations. Learning to breathe properly, will help them avoid having panic attacks while speaking in front of a large audience.
Another way for those with speech anxiety disorder to learn how to control their breathing is to enroll in an online speech anxiety therapy class. This class can be found online and teaches sufferers how to control their breathing so that they do not have to worry about their panic attacks while speaking in public. The online speech anxiety therapy class is easy to follow and does not take much time at all to complete. The materials are designed to teach sufferers how to get over their speech anxiety disorder and live a normal life.
Some people with speech anxiety disorder may find it helpful to attend an actual speech anxiety therapy class instead of taking an online speech anxiety therapy class. Taking an online class may be preferable if the person suffering from the disorder already has some exposure to speaking in front of others. Sometimes, attending a local speech anxiety disorder support group will better help the person overcome their disorder than taking an online course. Sitting with other people who share the same problem, can help the sufferer to understand how the disorder affects them and how they can overcome it. It is also possible that attending a local speech anxiety disorder group may be more beneficial to the person who suffers from the disorder than an online course.
If the sufferer does not want to go to a local speech anxiety therapy class, he or she may choose to enroll in an online course instead. Many online courses are given by certified speech therapists. The sufferer simply logs on to the website, clicks through a couple of forms, and takes a class. After the class, he or she will typically be able to submit assignments and answer questions from other students. Students will learn how to recognize symptoms of speech anxiety disorder, how to overcome their fears, and how to talk in front of others without becoming nervous or anxious.
Learning how to cope with stress is very important. Some of the best ways to reduce stress are through deep breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques. People with speech anxiety should learn how to deep breathe every few minutes throughout the day. They should also learn to relax their muscles so that they do not become tense. Anxiety can also be handled through proper diet and regular exercise.