1. Before and after - this was a CBT technique that I was taught. Still to this day, I struggle with health anxiety and even asking for things. To overcome such irrational thoughts that I would become ill with eating certain foods, or do something utterly stupid when I asked for something, I first wrote down before what I thought would happen if I was to ask for something, or to eat something and give it a rating out of ten as to how anxious it made me. After the event, I would then write down how it actually went and an anxiety raiting out of ten. It made me realise that we often think things to be worse than they actually are.
2. Mindfulness - I bet you hear this everywhere, right? But it can help. Mindfulness helps to clear your mind and just focus on the here are now to bring your anxieties down calmly. if you feel that your head is racing away, try some simple breathing techniques and focusing your mind to one place.
3. Reality - often it's hard to split what is rational from what is irrational. But, if we really take the time to think about the scenario, we will often find that the chances of the dreaded situation happening is few and far between. If I eat a yoghurt, the chances of me becoming ill from it, is very slim and if I ask for something and stutter, the ground isn't going to fall from beneath my feet. No one is perfect, and yet we expect ourselves to act in that way. This is simply not the case; we all stutter and make mistakes. It's all part of being human.
I know it's not easy as the battle in our minds can be a huge challenge. But with time and will power you will be able to see the difference.
Best Wishes,
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