Ending 

Social 
Anxiety 
 
 
A Free, Short Guide 
 
 
 
 
socanxy@gmail.com 
 
paypal.me/socanxy
 1 

 
Contents 
 
Introduction 2
​  
Section One  3
​  
1A. Anticipatory Anxiety and Post-Event Evaluation 4
​  
1B. Negative Automatic Thoughts 5
​  
1C. Cognitive Distortions 6
​  
1D. Misdirected Attention 8
​  
1E. Safety Behaviours 10 
Section Two 12 
2A. Hierarchy of Fears 13 
2B. Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet 14 
2C. Likelihood and Consequence 18 
2D. The Rationale for Exposure 19 
2E. Metacognitive Therapy 21 
2F. Attention Training Technique  
And Situational Attention Refocusing 22 
Section Three 23 
3A. Meditation 24 
3B. Supplements 25 
3C. Exercise 27 
Donate 28
Further Reading 29 
 2 

 
 
Introduction 
 
 
Until now, the severity of your social anxiety has been 
dependent on a number of factors: strategies you’ve devised, 
advice you’ve been given, seemingly random periods of respite or 
of disimprovement. Now, however, that you’ve got your hands on 
this document, one factor in particular has become the main 
determinant of whether your social anxiety will improve or 
maintain itself: that factor is self-discipline. 
 
What I mean by that is that this document contains enough 
sound and research-backed information that anyone who 
diligently and repeatedly follows all of the steps will see some 
improvement. Not everyone, however, will have the willpower 
necessary to complete the exercises, including the complementary 
techniques described in Section Three.  
 
As you work on your social anxiety, it will be helpful to revisit this 
document at times. At first read it weekly: after a while, read it 
fortnightly. Whatever you do, you will need a Social Anxiety 
Notebook (you may use a word document as a digital alternative) 
to complete the exercises outlined here, as well as to take notes 
on what follows.  
 
 
 
 3 

 
 
Section One 
  
 
In order to tackle your social anxiety, it is important to begin to 
understand how it works. Social anxiety is caused by patterns of 
thought and behaviour which maintain each other reciprocally. This 
means that socially anxious thoughts strengthen our tendency to 
behave in certain ways⁠—and, conversely, that socially anxious 
behaviour reinforces and seems to justify our anxious thoughts. 
Social anxiety is, then, that hackneyed thing, ‘a vicious cycle’, and in 
order to alleviate it, you must tackle your thoughts and behaviour in 
tandem. Section One of this PDF will outline how social anxiety 
operates. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
1A A
​ nticipatory Anxiety and Post-Event Evaluation 
 
 
Anticipatory Anxiety ​(or A​ nticipatory Processing​) refers to worry 
experienced in advance of a social event or interaction. It may 
manifest in the form of picturing mistakes one expects to make, 
worrying about what one will say, or devising strategies designed to 
lessen one’s anxiety during the course of the interaction. Anticipatory 
processing primes the mind to regard the upcoming social event (as 
well as social interactions in general) as threatening, by focusing on 
the ‘mistakes’ one might make, along with the ‘dangers’ to be 
navigated. Anticipatory processing also tends to be self-focused, and 
so prepares the mind to focus attention on oneself rather than on the 
situation at hand. 
 
Post-Event Evaluation​ (or ​Post-Event Processing​) refers to the 
process of remembering a past event or interaction, either in order to 
identify where one ‘went wrong’ socially, or in order to establish 
what kind of impression one has made. Rumination of this kind is 
usually overwhelmingly negative, and has the effect of reinforcing 
two problematic ideas: (a) that social interaction is threatening, and 
(b) that one’s social resources are inadequate for coping with the 
situations life presents. Rumination of this kind usually focuses on 
one’s s​ ubjective ​negative experience of the event, and discounts or 
overlooks contrary objective evidence. 
 
It is important to become aware of the roles played by anticipatory 
processing and post-event processing in your thinking. Next time you 
find yourself engaged in either, adopt an attitude of curiosity: try to 
observe what the processes involve and how such thinking makes 
you feel. Record your findings in your SA notebook. 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
1B N
​ egative Automatic Thoughts 
 
 
Negative Automatic Thoughts​ are habitual negative judgements 
regarding one’s social abilities, the likelihood of social ‘failure’, and 
the consequences of ‘failing’ socially. They are often so ingrained that 
they have become reflexive, and they need not always be verbalised.  
If one sees a colleague at the supermarket and thinks, ‘I’ll have 
nothing to say to her, and I’ll regret it if I attempt to talk’, one has 
experienced two related negative automatic thoughts. ‘She definitely 
won’t like me,’ ‘I’ll say something stupid,’ and ‘I’ll seem boring,’ are 
examples of other possible variants.  
 
The general role of negative automatic thoughts in perpetuating 
anxiety is quite clear: they create the problem they seem to describe. 
When you experience such thoughts in the future, adopt a curious 
attitude, and try to identify in words any thoughts which initially 
seem non-verbal. Record your negative automatic thoughts in your 
SA notebook. 
 
 
 6 
1C C
​ ognitive Distortions 
 
 
Cognitive Distortions a ​ re inaccurate and unhelpful ways of thinking, 
which perpetuate social anxiety in a number of ways: they may be 
present in both negative automatic thoughts and in anticipatory and 
post-event processing. For people with social anxiety, cognitive 
distortions may have become so ubiquitous in their thought patterns 
that it can at first prove difficult to identify them. Below are some 
examples of cognitive distortions. (More can be found on this 
document​, created by Larry Cohen.) In your SA notebook, begin to 
identify the cognitive distortions which colour your thinking. 
 
Absolute Thinking​: black-and-white thinking which ignores 
ambiguity and grey areas in favour of a view which is unbalanced 
(and usually wholly negative) 
 
Mind-Reading​: assuming one knows what others are thinking (and 
usually concluding that their thoughts regarding us are negative). 
 
Over-Generalising​: concluding from particular negative experiences 
that such things will ​always h ​ appen, or that we are forever doomed 
to repeat the social ‘mistakes’ of our past. 
 
Fortune-Telling: ​assuming one knows what will happen in future 
social situations (and usually concluding that the outcome will be 
negative). 
 
Magnifying and Minimising​: emphasising one’s own ‘failings’ (and 
others’ successes), and trivialising or ignoring one’s own successes 
(and others’ failings). Connected to this is the habit of ‘upward 
comparison’, a tendency to compare oneself unfavourably to those 
who seem most socially adept, rather than to the majority of people 
who possess indifferent social skills. 
 
 7 
Personalising​: attributing sub-par social interaction solely to one’s 
own ‘deficiencies’ rather than to the myriad other reasons such 
encounters can be tricky. 
 
Having consulted Cohen’s document (linked above), see if you can 
identify which distortions play the greatest role in your own thinking, 
adopting once again an attitude of curiosity. 
 
 
 8 
1D M
​ isdirected Attention 
 
 
When suffering from social anxiety, one tends to focus one’s 
attention in unhelpful ways. There are two primary unhelpful 
directions of attention: towards oneself and towards ‘threats’. Each 
serves to maintain feelings of discomfort and unease. 
 
The mind of someone who suffers from social anxiety has learned to 
become hypersensitive to apparent ‘threats’. In social situations, the 
socially anxious person engages frequently in ‘threat monitoring’, 
estimations of how ‘dangerous’ and potentially painful the current 
situation is, as well as gauging the threats which may arise as the 
situation progresses. These threats are responded to by means of 
negative automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions, which leave 
the socially anxious person feeling certain that s/he will fail to behave 
in an appropriate manner. 
 
The effect of this is two-fold: the socially anxious person begins to 
direct attention ‘inward’, towards him- or herself, in an attempt to 
navigate more carefully the ‘perilous’ situation. However, because 
this inward-looking attention invariably encounters symptoms of 
anxiety (an elevated heartbeat, feelings of agitation, sweating, 
trembling, and so on), the initial sense of anxiety increases, as do 
feelings of self-consciousness and self-awareness. Psychologists 
refer to this as ‘processing oneself as a social object’. This tendency is 
particularly pernicious because self-focused attention prevents the 
socially anxious person from attending to the situation at hand, and 
from noticing the non-threatening, positive, and comforting aspects 
of the interaction. 
 
Try to think of a recent interaction during which you felt socially 
anxious. Try to identify and record in your SA notebook any unhelpful 
ways you focused your attention, whether on ‘threats’ or on your 
own ‘performance’ and discomfort. Also try to note down any 
 9 
comforting, positive or non-threatening aspects of the interaction 
which you were too agitated to attend to at the time. 
 
 
 
 10 
 
1E​ Safety Behaviours 
 
 
Safety Behaviours a ​ re the strategies one engages in in social 
situations in order to try to avert ‘threats’. These may work by 
concealing symptoms of your anxiety (e.g., wearing makeup to 
conceal blushing), by keeping the situation as familiar and 
‘non-threatening’ as possible (e.g., speaking only to known, close 
friends at a party, or sticking to ‘safe’ topics in conversation). Safety 
behaviours are insidious, however: as Dr Gillian Butler notes, ‘trying 
to stay safe makes you keep feeling the situation is risky. One thing 
feeds into another to keep the problem going.’ Safety behaviours also 
require increased self-focused attention, whose problematic aspects 
have already been discussed.  
 
Relying on alcohol to ‘loosen up’ is a particularly dangerous safety 
behaviour for socially anxious people. In your SA notebook, write 
down which of the following safety behaviours you employ (and try 
to think of any which are not listed here): 
 
● Asking questions of other people in order to distract 
attention from oneself. 
● Avoiding eye contact. 
● Mentally preparing what one is about to say. 
● Using one’s hair to conceal one’s face. 
● Sitting or standing in a marginal position. 
● Concealing one’s hands to hide trembling. 
● Requesting that friends come along to social events. 
● Drinking alcohol or taking drugs to alleviate anxiety. 
● Speaking quickly to shorten the time spent talking. 
● Sticking to safe topics. 
● Trying to look at ease. 
 
Avoidance i​ s the most blunt form of safety behaviour, by which one 
simply does not participate in the feared social engagement or 
 11 
interaction. Avoidance includes behaviours such as declining 
invitations, pretending not to see acquaintances, and avoiding areas 
where one is likely to encounter someone one knows. Like other 
safety behaviours, avoidance reinforces the notion that the situation 
in question is best avoided or is to be engaged in only very 
cautiously. 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Section Two 
  
 
Now that you understand the way your social anxiety operates, and 
perpetuates itself, you can begin to unpick the habits of thought and 
behaviour that constitute your problem. The following section will 
outline some of the techniques therapists use to do this, most of 
which are drawn from the field of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 
(CBT). The essence of these practices is to expose oneself to a feared 
situation (without using safety behaviors) and then to re-evaluate 
one’s thought patterns and beliefs on the basis of that experience. 
However, some methods, as you will see, take a different tack. 
 
 
 
 13 
2A​ Hierarchy of Fears 
 
 
For the purpose of ‘exposures’ (participation in anxiety-provoking 
situations), it’s important to create a ​Hierarchy of Fears​. While this 
sounds rather menacing, in reality it only consists of an ordered list of 
about 10 situations that make you feel socially anxious, in order of 
greatest severity. The first and most difficult item might be going on a 
date with a stranger, or speaking in front of a crowd: the last and 
easiest might be saying ‘hello’ to colleagues at work. As you gain 
social confidence, you will tackle progressively more ‘difficult’ 
situations, and ascend the hierarchy. As you do so, you might well be 
encouraged by the progress you have already made in overcoming 
social challenges.  
 
A Hierarchy of Fears can also prove useful if one encounters a 
set-back in one’s progress. In that case, the Hierarchy can help with 
cementing and refreshing one’s achievements, by illustrating the 
foundational steps that need to be re-traced. Use your SA notebook 
to create your own Hierarchy of Fears. 
 
 
 
 14 
2B​ Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet 
 
 
A ​Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet​ is one of the most effective 
methods of bringing about cognitive change. It consists of a table in 
which one first outlines, in detail, one’s current attitude, before 
proceeding to challenge and re-appraise that (harmful) attitude on a 
number of grounds.  
 
The following two schemes are modelled on Dr Gillian Butler’s (in 
Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness​). As the first table tackles 
harmful thinking patterns, we will call it the ​Thought-Challenging 
Table. T
​ he table below has been completed as an example, but 
entries are abbreviated for the sake of formatting: you should copy 
the table and its headings into your SA notebook, and try to expand 
more than I have done below. Try to identify and challenge both 
negative automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions in your own 
thoughts. 
 
Situation  Upsetting  Alternative  Change in  Plan of 
Thoughts  Ways of  Feelings   Action for 
  Thinking  (-10 to  Future 
+10) 

John’s  I’ll have  ‘Absolute  Improved.  I should go to 

Party  nothing to  thinking​’. I  Maybe +3.  parties, even 
say.  usually think  if I feel a little 
  of s​ omething  anxious. I 
  to say.  know it’s 
    good for me 
    overall. 
   
I’ll be  If I am, I can 
awkward in  live with 
conversation feeling a little 
.  awkward.   
 
 
 15 
The second table, again adapted from Dr Butler, specifically tackles 
safety behaviours. Butler writes, ‘Changing your behaviour and doing 
things that you found difficult is important, but it is most effective if 
you stop and think about what you have done afterwards. A change 
in behaviour does not change your expectations and predictions 
about what will happen next time unless you work on these too.’ 
 
We will call the following table the B
​ ehaviour-Challenging Table 
because it helps us to identify the ineffectiveness of safety 
behaviours, and thus helps us to stop relying on them. Again, copy 
the table into your SA notebook, bearing in mind that your own 
entries should be more detailed than this truncated example. 
 
 
Situation:  Predicted  What happened?  Conclusions  
  consequences of 
Behaviour  eschewing 
behaviour 

John’s Party:  If l talk to  I thought of things  Despite a little 

    strangers, I’ll be  to say m ​ ost​ of the  awkwardness, I 
Only talking  awkward and run  time, even though  can make 
to friends.  out of things to  I felt a bit  conversation 
say.   uncomfortable. I  with strangers, 
I’ll regret even  don’t regret it on  and I think I’ll 
trying.  the whole.  get better with 
time. 
 
 
The third and final scheme is borrowed from Larry Cohen. Cohen 
condenses thought-challenging and behaviour-challenging features 
into one worksheet. In your own work, you may use either the 
separate tables above or the combined one below, depending on 
which you find more effective.  
 
 
 
 16 
DATE and SITUATION 
5/11. Going to John’s party, where I know few people. 
 
FEELINGS (emotions) include intensity percentages before/after 
completing CRW 
Nervous (90/60). Tense (75/50). Ashamed (80/50). Sad (65/35). 
 
THOUGHTS i​ nclude percentage belief 
I’ll run out of things to say (90). People will avoid me (80). I’ll want to 
leave (90). I’ll sweat and blush (100). 
 
SAFETY-SEEKING BEHAVIOURS​ to be avoided 
Not starting conversations. Drinking wine to ‘calm down’. Sticking 
with friends I already know. Trying to script what I’ll say. Leaving 
early. 
 
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS ​in your thoughts 
Fortune-telling. Over-generalising. Absolute thinking. 
 
CHALLENGING QUESTIONS t​ o debate your hot thoughts 
What would be so bad about seeming a little inhibited? Couldn’t I 
handle that? What good things might I experience? Would it really, 
objectively, be so catastrophic if things were slightly awkward? 
 
CONSTRUCTIVE ATTITUDE ​a more realistic, compassionate and helpful 
alternative 
I know I don’t s​ eem a​ s anxious as I feel, and I know conversations go 
better if I direct my attention outward. Even if one conversation 
doesn’t go so well, I can be proud I tried, and move on to someone 
else. I have no real reason to think people have avoided me at past 
parties, or that they will this time. I can deal with a little awkwardness. 
 
POSITIVE MOTIVATORS ​benefits (long- and short-term) of persevering  
 17 
This is good practice for making small talk and meeting strangers. I’ll 
feel proud of myself for making an effort, no matter how it goes. I’ll 
probably enjoy some of the conversations. It’ll help me overall. 

 
BEHAVIOURAL GOALS h
​ elpful alternatives to safety behaviours 
Attend party for two hours. Greet 5+ new people, and start 2+ 
conversations. Try to direct my attention outwards during interactions. 
Try to keep each conversation going for 15+ minutes. 

 
REVIEW after the event, identify t​ he benefits of attending 
Decreased my anxiety regarding future parties. Met and had a good 
chat with old friend from school. Realised I can enjoy a party without 
sticking to known, safe friends. Got more comfortable making 
small-talk. It was still a bit awkward but I know I can make 
improvements. I also learned my anxious thoughts can be inaccurate. 
 
 
 
 
 18 
2C​ Likelihood and Consequences of Social Mishaps 
 
 
People suffering from social anxiety often exaggerate the likelihood 
of committing social ‘mishaps’, as well as the consequences of doing 
so. The result of this is to create the impression that social situations 
are far more perilous than they really are, an impression which results 
in anxiety and inhibition. Imagine how difficult it would be to enjoy a 
walk if one thought the chances of tripping were very high, and that 
tripping would certainly lead to debilitating injuries! 
 
In advance of a feared social situation, complete a ​Likelihood and 
Consequence Evaluation Sheet ​in your SA notebook. Briefly describe 
the feared situation and the dangers you think it poses, and then 
answer the following questions: 
1. How likely is it that these mishaps will occur, from 1-10? 
2. What would be the worst outcome of this situation? 
3. Why would that be so catastrophic? 
4. How would your life actually change as a result? 
5. Could you deal with a little discomfort, as you have in the 
past, if things go ‘wrong’? 
 
In order to counteract distortions in likelihood and consequence 
evaluation, you may wish to try S ​ ocial Mishap Exposure​. This a 
technique which can seem daunting but which is highly effective: it 
consists of committing a feared ‘error’ (e.g. dropping your pastry in a 
café and asking for another for free) in order to reveal that the feared 
social repercussions—in this instance, say, the server’s expression of 
disapproval or anger—(a) do not materialise, or (b) are not 
particularly grievous if they do. 
 
 
 19 
 
 
2D ​The Rationale for Exposure 
 
 
The point of exposure to feared situations is not to learn how to 
avoid ​anxiety, and entering situations with such a goal will only 
handicap your progress. The point is to accept one’s anxiety and to 
do one’s best a​ longside​ one’s anxious feelings, in the knowledge that 
repeated exposure will render such interactions less troubling. 
Exposure also helps us to realise that our safety behaviours are in 
fact doing us no favours (see the B ​ ehaviour-Challenging Table ​in 
section 2B, and S ​ afety Behaviours, 1​ E) and that our estimation of the 
likelihood and consequences of subpar social performance is 
unhelpfully skewed (2C).  
 
Through performing exposures we learn that anxiety need not 
prevent us from performing feared acts, and realise that the anxious 
thoughts we feel are, in a sense, dishonest and therefore not to be 
believed. Realising and proving to yourself that anxiety is tolerable 
leads—in a seeming paradox—to an eventual decline in feelings of 
social anxiety. The images below (drawn from ​Cognitive Behavioral 
Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder, S ​ tefan G. Hofmann and Michael 
W. Otto) illustrate this well. 

 
 20 

 
 
 
 21 
2E​ Metacognitive Therapy 
 
 
Metacognitive therapy​ (MCT), devised by Dr Adrian Wells, is a 
method of treating anxiety and depression, which differs from 
traditional CBT in a number of ways. Most of the methods outlined in 
Section Two of this guide have been drawn from CBT, and frequently 
involve the interrogation of anxiety-inducing thoughts (e.g. the 
Thought-Challenging Table​, section 2B). MCT, on the other hand, 
emphasises non-engagement with individual thoughts (cognitions), 
and stresses instead the modification of ​metacognitions​, meaning 
‘thoughts concerning thought’.  
 
Maladaptive (or harmful) metacognitions can be classed as positive 
or negative1. ​An example of a ‘positive’ metacognitive belief in a 
socially phobic person might be, ‘Paying close attention to the way I 
behave helps me to avoid doing something embarrassing.’ A negative 
belief, on the other hand, might go, ‘Anxious thoughts always make 
me so inhibited,’ or ‘I can’t control my anxious thoughts’. All three 
metacognitions, both the ‘positive’ and the ‘negative’, perpetuate 
social anxiety: the former by reinforcing self-focused attention, the 
latter two by increasing one’s sense that anxiety is harmful and 
uncontrollable.  
 
Challenging such metacognitions is especially important for 
disorders such as OCD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and PTSD. Of 
more immediate use in the treatment of social anxiety are two other 
techniques drawn from Wells’ metacognitive model: the Attention 
Training Technique and Situational Attentional Refocusing. 
 
 
 

1
‘Positive’ metacognitions are not ‘good’: they simply express approval of a 
certain style of thinking. Similarly, ‘negative’ metacognitions simply express 
disapproval of thinking patterns or thoughts. 
 22 
2F​ The Attention Training Technique and Situational Attentional 
Refocusing 
 
 
The ​Attention Training Technique​ (ATT) is an auditory task which 
has been designed to strengthen one’s control over the focus of one’s 
attention. Originally manually administered by a therapist, it is now 
available online as an a ​ udio file​. It consists of clashing simultaneous 
sounds, and instructions to focus one's attention on individual noises 
alternately. It is to be practised twice daily (though Wells 
acknowledges once daily is more likely).2 Keep a log of every time 
you practise in your SA notebook. 
 
In the case of social anxiety, increased attentional control means an 
improved ability to direct attention outwards, onto others and the 
interaction at hand, rather than focusing on oneself and one's 
inhibition or apparent 'vulnerability' (see M ​ isdirected Attention​, 1D). 
This dovetails nicely with another metacognitive technique, 
Situational Attentional Refocusing (​ SAR). SAR helps to reduce 
self-focus and allow attention to be directed in a more helpful 
manner. It consists merely of making an effort to focus one’s 
attention externally in social situations, on the people to whom you’re 
talking and on the social encounter at hand—that way you will learn 
that the feared social situation in reality contains no threats. In 
addition to this, it is important to cease anticipatory and post-event 
processing (Section 1A): if you notice yourself beginning to ruminate 
about a past or upcoming social situation, try to focus on neutral 
aspects of the past or imagined environment. What was the weather 
like? What top will your friend wear? Once you have done this, 
disengage with the remembered or imagined scenario3. 
 

2
​It is important, when practising ATT, that one does not use it as an acute 
coping strategy, either in order to avoid unwanted thoughts or to ‘prepare’ 
for a social situation. 
3
​In the case of anticipatory anxiety, consider completing one of the 
worksheets provided in Section 2B.  
 23 

 
 
 
Section Three 
  
 
The techniques described in Section Two constitute the core 
methods involved in overcoming social anxiety. In Section Three, 
however, we will turn to examine complementary ways of dealing 
with SA, which will not solve the problem on their own but which 
may help you in your efforts to treat the problem: namely, meditation, 
supplements and exercise. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24 
3A​ Meditation 
 
 
Meditation has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety 
generally, and has proved effective in alleviating social anxiety. 
Clinical studies tend to follow the Mindfulness-Based Stress 
Reduction (MBSR) paradigm developed by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, which 
is outlined in layman’s terms in his book F ​ ull Catastrophe Living​. It is 
not necessary to read this book before beginning to reap the benefits 
of meditation, however: Headspace and similar apps can help you 
start to establish a routine, as can the FAQ at ​/r/meditation​. 
 
A ​2012 study​ found that ‘post-MBSR patients had decreased social 
anxiety, depression, rumination, and state anxiety, as well as 
increased self-esteem’. It went on to state that ‘mindfulness training 
might attenuate avoidance’, a fact which ‘may be an important 
mechanism that contributes to the success of exposure therapy for 
SAD’. Meanwhile a ​ nother study​ found that ‘MBSR completers 
showed (a) increased self-esteem and decreased anxiety, (b) 
increased positive and decreased negative self-endorsement, (c) 
increased activity in a brain network related to attention regulation, 
and (d) reduced activity in brain systems implicated in 
conceptual-linguistic self-view.’  
 
Another​ wrote that MBSR was ‘associated with reductions in social 
anxiety and depression and increases in subjective well‐being, both 
immediately post‐intervention and at 3 months post‐intervention’. 
And finally a ​2007 study​ recorded that MBSR ‘produced clinically 
meaningful changes on measures of social anxiety, mood, disability 
and quality of life’. 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
3B​ Supplements: Ashwagandha and L-Theanine 
 
Please consult a medical professional to ensure that supplements will 
not interact with medication you are currently taking, or adversely 
affect you in any other way. 
 
The following is based on information available at examine.com. 
 
 
Ashwagandha​ is a herb that has been used for centuries in 
Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medicine of India. It has been 
shown to provide a range of health benefits, some particular to men. 
It is of significant use in the treatment of social anxiety. ‘In stressed 
humans given 300mg of ashwagandha daily for 60 days, there have 
been reported improvements in social functioning … which reached a 
68.1% reduction in “social dysfunction”’ (​examine.com​).  
 
Furthermore, ‘In chronically stressed persons, symptoms of 
depression … have been noted to be reduced with 300mg of 
ashwagandha daily over the course of 60 days by 77-79.2%.​ ​[10]​‘ 
Examine.com concludes, ‘In regards to social interaction (a 
mechanism related to serotonin neurotransmission and anxiety), 
Ashwagandha appears to both inherently promote social interaction 
as well as attenuate the negative effects that prolonged isolation has 
on social function.’ Not all supplements are equal, however, and some 
are entirely ineffective: look for KSM-66 Ashwagandha, which is the 
gold standard. The wiki at /​ r/nootropics​, and the whole sub, in fact, 
are your friends4.  
 
L-Theanine​ is one of the active ingredients found in green tea, and it 
helps to promote relaxation. In order to consume the amount of 
L-Theanine found in a 250mg supplement, however, one would need 
to drink dozens of cups of tea. A research summary on ​examine.com 
writes that people ‘with high baseline anxiety note benefits 

4
They give a handy overview of reliable suppliers. 
 26 
associated with relaxation’—but others do not. It concludes that 
‘reductions of perceived stress have been reported in human subjects 
given oral theanine at the standard dosages’. 
 
 
 
 
 
 27 
3C​ Exercise 
 
 
In addition to the widely-known benefits of exercise, regular 
workouts have been shown to reduce anxiety in general, and social 
anxiety specifically. A 2​ 012 study​ concluded that aerobic exercise 
‘was associated with reductions in social anxiety and depression and 
increases in subjective well‐being, both immediately post‐ 
intervention and at 3 months post‐intervention’. A ​meta-analysis 
determined that exercise programmes need to last 10 weeks in order 
to be effective in the reduction of anxiety, and that individual sessions 
need to last over 21 minutes.  
 
However, in the reduction of ‘anxiety sensitivity’ (fears of 
anxiety‐related sensations), ​one study​ found that a ‘​2-week​ protocol 
consisting of six brief sessions that involved 20 min of exercise at 
70% of HRmax [maximum heart rate] yielded large reductions in 
anxiety sensitivity.’ ​Another​ concluded that ‘exercise has been shown 
to be an effective and cost-efficient treatment alternative for a variety 
of anxiety disorders.’ Although any exercise is better than none, 
‘cardio’ work (exercise that gets you out of breath and increases your 
heart-rate significantly) is best. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28 
Donate 
 
 
As someone who has struggled with anxiety myself, I knew I didn’t 
want a ​ nybody​ to be unable to access this document. Even though I 
knew 95% of people could afford to pay a small price of a few dollars 
or pounds or euro, I couldn’t bear to think that some people might not 
be able to: and as a result, I’m sharing this freely online. 
 
The thing is, I’m a really very broke college student and I’ve put a 
huge amount of time into this: I’d be a grand or two richer if I’d spent 
my time working a minimum-wage job instead of writing this for you. 
 
So if you can spare ​anything​—if you found this helpful or just 
appreciate the effort I’ve made—please, please send some money my 
way, at p ​ aypal.me/socanxy​. Think of how much a single session at a 
psychotherapist’s office—not to mind a whole session of 
treatment—would have set you back. So thank you all, and best of 
luck! 
 
 
d
​ onate at 

paypal.me/socanxy 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29 
Further Reading 
 
 
Self-Help 
● Gillian Butler, ​Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness​. 
● Larry Cohen, ​Social Anxiety resources​. 
 
Overview of Treatment for Social Anxiety 
● Stefan G. Hofmann and Michael W. Otto,​ Cognitive 
Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder. 
● Aaron T. Beck and David A Clark, ​Cognitive Therapy of 
Anxiety Disorders: Science and Practice. 
 
Metacognitive Therapy 
● Peter Fisher and Adrian Wells, M ​ etacognitive Therapy: 
Distinctive Features. 
● Adrian Wells, ​Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and 
Depression. 
 
Meditation 
● reddit.com/r/meditation 
● Jon Kabat-Zinn, ​Full Catastrophe Living. 
● Bhante Gunaratana, M ​ indfulness in Plain English​. 
 
Supplements 
● examine.com 
● reddit.com/r/nootropics