By now, however, you have realized that the pattern of avoidance produces relief in the short term, but tends to cause more fear and restriction down the road. One simple way to shift your pattern of eye contact is to consciously walk with your head held up high and your eyes on the level of the horizon. It is so common for us to walk and move with our eyes cast slightly downward, lost in our own world of thoughts. Instead, you can practice walking with your eyes directly ahead, taking in the world around you. After all, putting yourself out into the world involves looking at the world-directly in the eye.
In "The Solution to Social Anxiety," Aziz Gazipura emphasizes that while avoiding eye contact may provide temporary relief from anxiety, it ultimately leads to greater fear and limitations over time. To counteract this pattern, he suggests consciously altering our behavior by walking with our heads high and our eyes level with the horizon. This encourages us to be more aware of our surroundings and engage with the world rather than being...
