Cognitive Therapy for Children

Adulthood is that phase in your life when you are expected to be independent. It is therefore important that you are equipped with adult social skills. You may be living alone or considering marriage right now. But at this point in life, you are very dependent on the past training you have learned at home and acquired in school.
You now have your own set of beliefs and values which may dictate the kind of friends and acquaintances you will have. However, there are many skills you need to function as adult. For example, being able to maintain interpersonal relationships is one form of adult social skills that employers consider when hiring people.
There are 7 categories to consider in adult social skills. Check and know which area you need to develop in yourself.
1. Environmental Skills. This covers the area of being independent in terms of doing household activities, from simple washing of dishes, cooking, to making your bed. Included in this is also how you keep your home a desirable place to live in. Simple trouble shooting of electrical equipment or assembling something according to instructions are part of environmental skills. Skills in driving, reading maps and following traffic directions also belong to this area.
2. Financial Skills. It is said that you attract independent people when you yourself show independence. This much desired independence we are talking about is concerned with financial skills. Financial skills include the ability to enter into a contract, put up a business, hire an attorney and to be able to pay bills and dues on time.
3. Social and Civic Skills. This skill includes the ability to consider the feelings of others, to be sensitive about their moods, intentions and motivation. This area is most concerned with how developed your self esteem is. This means you know yourself, can face rejection and defeat yet still rise from any negative experience. If you have this, you are capable to participate in civic activities or even run for public office.
4. Employability skills. In this area, you know your adult social skills and can use them. You know how to conduct presentations during meetings and thus can be an asset in the company. The education you acquired from school are the basis of the skills you would present to your future employer. Social skill is important because you have to get along well with your officemates.
5. Friendship and Intimacy Skills. At this level, you are most likely at the stage of looking for a lasting relationship that could lead to marriage. However, it is natural that you may have to look everywhere before you get to meet the right partner. By this time, you must be able to set for yourself the level of intimacy you want from your partner. You are now capable in entering into a relationship like marriage and be able to keep if.
6. Parenting Skills. This does not mean that you should have already experienced parenthood yourself to have this skill. Knowing the need of youngsters from different age levels is where this skill is applied. Likewise, the ability to understand the elderly also falls in this area.
7. Life Planning Skills. You are now expected to be able to plan for your life. Plan for a family, especially the number of children you wish to have. This includes planning for the future of your family and who will be your partner for life.
The above mentioned skills comprise the adult social skills you need. If you fall short on some of it, then it is about time to look into improving it. Stand up, and socialize – there are lots of people around who can become your real friends. Do not be afraid of letting your adult social skills stand out.

Shyness and social anxiety can develop even from infancy. Everyone can remember a time when they felt shy or embarrassed at school. Perhaps you have a bad memory of being told off in front of the class? Or perhaps a time when you had to perform on stage with your parents watching you?Even babies can feel shy and embarrassed. Often babies are much more reserved around people they are not familiar with. As children grow up, they frequently face criticism and new experiences that can be daunting. Going through puberty can be a difficult period and can greatly change the behavior as well as the physiology of a child.Teenagers start feeling things physically and mentally, that are new to them. They become self-conscious around their peers and more attention to their appearance. Everyone knows what it feels like to be shy. Situations such as talking to someone important, going on a date and attending a social event can make a person feel nervous and shy.When a person has constant anticipation of doing something embarrassing in front of others they might have social anxiety disorder. Sufferers fear social situations because of possible humiliation and embarrassment, which makes everyday life hard to cope with. They may even feel anxious walking down a street.Physical symptoms include blushing, profuse sweating, shaky voice, shaking and dizziness. Symptoms of social anxiety can worsen if the sufferer is in an emotional state or in poor health. Fatigue, worry and stress can exacerbate their condition. Each social experience might also produce different levels of anxiety. For instance, visiting a family member would not create feelings of anxiety compared to going on a first date.Social phobia can often be seen as shyness but they are not the same. Sufferers of social phobia will do anything to try and avoid being in the spotlight of others. When a person experiences negative social situations frequently, shyness can become a learned response that can further develop into social anxiety disorder.Fears and anxiety only intensify when similar bad experiences arise and only reinforce a mental association. Most sufferers develop fears from one bad experience that is followed by others. Now when a similar situation arises they immediately link it to their past bad experiences and that’s when they start to panic.Facing your fears can sometimes work in overcoming certain fears but when it comes to social phobia it needs to be gradual process. In addition deep subconscious changes to a person’s behavior are needed. Therapies such as hypnosis and CBT deal with the aspect of adjusting thought patterns and behavior.One overlooked aspect of reducing social anxiety includes improving physical health. Taking care of your body through exercise and eating well can help reduce stress and anxiety. More energy and better health will only help boost self-confidence and positvity.