209- CBT2017-17

Back from already 17th CBT session!  Still targeting my social anxieties, today was a check-up session, updating Liebowitz scale as follows. 

June 2016

March 2017

















My overall scores of anxiety went down from 65 to 58, and avoidance from 60 to 47! 
My therapist said it was encouraging and a logical drop first in the avoidance, because that's what we're dealing with each exposure task - am getting used to face all kinds of social situations, with incremental difficulty level. 

I notice that my avoidance in both social interactions and performance anxieties went down about equally (6 & 7 points, whilst my anxiety levels for them went down by 3 & 4, respectively. We hadn't calculated these precise numbers during today's session, so on the next one I can have my therapist's feedback. 

We are working on anxiety levels 90/100 in my exposure tasks, which were set as follows in session 16 :

• As usual, continue will my previous ones whenever possible.
• Propose my help to strangers (like I did a couple weeks ago)
• Shake hands/ do the customary French cheek-kiss (according to situation) 
• Geek convention (I just noticed that it'll be AFTER my next session, oops) 

I showed my exposure challenge  details, and mentioned my difficulties from last week and up to Sunday as well as the support I had and which helped me surpass my stress.

Overall, I managed some of my exposures, adding others. I'm pretty happy with those that I accomplished and could analyse the ones I couldn't (the Geek convention is this Saturday and am still quite unsure that I could even do it...).

Asking for help and support this past Sunday was a tremendous challenge for me, as I'm more prone to offer than ask. This time I did it, because I felt like I was crumbling. 
In this regards, even if I couldn't fully manage my exposures, this was still a massive progress for me. To come to terms not only with the fact that I needed help but was worth asking and receiving support in time of need. 

For session 18, which will be on 3rd of April, my exposures are to 

• Continue practicing past ones 
• Propose and ask for help from close friends as well as strangers
• Shake hands/ do the customary French cheek-kiss (according to situation) 
• Continue with my exposures in public transports, and manage excusing myself out of busy trams to avoid missing my stop. thus far, my success rate hasn't been high.

A friend who visited us last month for the 5000 day veganiversary party invited us to her second birthday party. Not only did I not back away this time, but added this as an exposure 

• go to a party where I don't know everyone, though I do know the majority of our mutual friends 
• If it occurs during the party, present myself 

My exposure challenge also continues for the rest of March, I'll keep you updated in the proper blog entries.