Dear friend,
When I feel Social Anxiety, there are usually two outcomes: overcome my thoughts or get overcome by my thoughts.
And if the second happens, it doesn’t matter what my plans are. I’m already running away.
Our thoughts, for better or worse, direct our lives.
So if we want to overcome Social Anxiety, we have to get victory over negative thoughts. It’s easy to say, but hard to do. Here’s how it works in Roadmap.
1. Recognize Your Thoughts
Thoughts happen instantly and can send us down a dangerous path. Sometimes I’m busy planning how I can run from people before I realize my thoughts have already served me an ‘L’.
When you feel Social Anxiety, just open up Roadmap and swipe to find the thought that matches yours. I included a few common paths, and in the future people will be able to add their own.
2. Find Where Your Thoughts are Headed
When I look at my thoughts, they’re always chasing approval of something -- my ideas, personality, opinions, intelligence. The list goes on. It’s fine to want people to like us, but when we obsess over it, we get anxious and hide.
Roadmap will tell you what you’re chasing approval of after you tap your thought.
3. Choose a Better Thought Path
Negative thoughts chase; positive thoughts appreciate. I've found that appreciating what I have is one of the best ways to combat approval-seeking thoughts.
It’s not a magic bullet, but it is like changing your diet for your brain. You’ll feel a little better in the moment, and over time, it’ll become a habit.
Roadmap makes this really easy by giving you a prompt to help you remember what you have.
I Need Your Feedback
Sometimes I have to change my thoughts tens of times per day. So my goal was to make this flow super quick and delightful. But I’ll need your feedback to make it better. Below is a link to a first draft of mockups.
And here are three burning questions I have:
- How would this help you change negative thoughts? If not, why?
- What was the most confusing part of the flow?
- What else would help you overcome negative thoughts?
Drop your feedback in the comments. I can’t wait to make this something that helps you overcome social anxiety!
Love,
-T.O
