How to Be Yourself
Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety
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4.8 • 12 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Picking up where Quiet ended, How to Be Yourself is the best book you’ll ever read about how to conquer social anxiety.
“This book is also a groundbreaking road map to finally being your true, authentic self.” —Susan Cain, New York Times, USA Today and nationally bestselling author of Quiet
Up to 40% of people consider themselves shy. You might say you’re introverted or awkward, or that you're fine around friends but just can't speak up in a meeting or at a party. Maybe you're usually confident but have recently moved or started a new job, only to feel isolated and unsure.
If you get nervous in social situations—meeting your partner's friends, public speaking, standing awkwardly in the elevator with your boss—you've probably been told, “Just be yourself!” But that's easier said than done—especially if you're prone to social anxiety.
Weaving together cutting-edge science, concrete tips, and the compelling stories of real people who have risen above their social anxiety, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen proposes a groundbreaking idea: you already have everything you need to succeed in any unfamiliar social situation. As someone who lives with social anxiety, Dr. Hendriksen has devoted her career to helping her clients overcome the same obstacles she has. With familiarity, humor, and authority, Dr. Hendriksen takes the reader through the roots of social anxiety and why it endures, how we can rewire our brains through our behavior, and—at long last—exactly how to quiet your Inner Critic, the pesky voice that whispers, "Everyone will judge you." Using her techniques to develop confidence, think through the buzz of anxiety, and feel comfortable in any situation, you can finally be your true, authentic self.
Customer Reviews
So helpful!
i read this book not only for myself (I experience social anxiety from time to time like any normal person), but also for people I care about who have a much bigger problem with social anxiety than I. I wanted to understand the subject better for all our sakes.
This is a super helpful, very well researched book with plentiful examples that illustrate very well the mechanisms that hold us back. By the end you are sure to understand you are not alone in feeling socially anxious and that’s a very comforting thought.
I love the simple and relatable way Ellen tells the stories, there’s no jargon, just clear and real examples told from the perspective of someone who not only sympathises, but also understands what the problem is and how to approach it. Throughout the book I felt I was turning into that person as I stopped bashing myself over my own anxieties and started feeling more compassionate towards myself. I was now facing a very well defined problem to be solved, no longer a vast scary pit full of scary monsters that have no names and will totally get me, which is what social anxiety feels like to me.
The thing I liked the most were the simple yet very effective tools that help you overcome your anxietites (they already worked for me, I’d say I experience a slightly above average level of social anxiety). It’s a matter of a shift in perspective, things aren’t nearly as scary as they seem but you won’t know it unless you take the first step to find out.
Overall a great read and I’d say absolutely essential for those who feel their anxieties, even moderate, hold them back.