How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety

Ellen Hendriksen

Mar 2018 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Ellen Hendriksen

About this audiobook

This program is read by the author

How to Be Yourself is the best audiobook you'll ever listen to about how to conquer social anxiety.

“...a groundbreaking road map to finally being your true, authentic self.” —Susan Cain, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Quiet

Up to 40% of people consider themselves shy. You might say you’re introverted or awkward, or that you're fine around friends but just can't speak up in a meeting or at a party. Maybe you're usually confident but have recently moved or started a new job, only to feel isolated and unsure.

If you get nervous in social situations—meeting your partner's friends, public speaking, standing awkwardly in the elevator with your boss—you've probably been told, “Just be yourself!” But that's easier said than done—especially if you're prone to social anxiety.

Weaving together cutting-edge science, concrete tips, and the compelling stories of real people who have risen above their social anxiety, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen proposes a groundbreaking idea: you already have everything you need to succeed in any unfamiliar social situation. As someone who lives with social anxiety, Dr. Hendriksen has devoted her career to helping her clients overcome the same obstacles she has. With familiarity, humor, and authority, Dr. Hendriksen takes the listener through the roots of social anxiety and why it endures, how we can rewire our brains through our behavior, and—at long last—exactly how to quiet your Inner Critic, the pesky voice that whispers, "Everyone will judge you." Using her techniques to develop confidence, think through the buzz of anxiety, and feel comfortable in any situation, you can finally be your true, authentic self.

More praise for How to Be Yourself:

"How to Be Yourself will let you rest easy knowing that your anxiety is completely normal. As a clinical psychologist, Ellen has spent years helping patients conquer insecurities. With her help, you can go from asking yourself, 'Why can't I do this?' to knowing 'I can do it.'" — Mignon Fogarty, New York Times bestselling author of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

"Ellen Hendriksen is the real deal. This book cuts through the noise to help you overcome those big, dark anxieties and doubts that hold you back so you can live your best life." — Lewis Howes, New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness

Ratings and reviews

This book is great to listen too. the author shows how she relates and makes the experience better with the funny quips within the reading. I have already suggested it to others. Great book for anyone with Social Anxiety.

I love this book. I have social anxiety and the tools in this book are helping me to overcome it, though it's a tough challenge. Thank you for writing this book.

I really like the format and ideas throughout the book. I'm actually going to use this book with my small group we are forming at school. They are teenagers and I would suggest coming up with possible activities to do in small groups. Great read !!

About the author

ELLEN HENDRIKSEN is a clinical psychologist at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD). There, she treats everything from depression to trauma to hoarding, but has a special place in her heart for anxiety disorders. She graduated from Brown University, earned her Ph.D. at UCLA, and completed her training at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hendriksen is a regular contributor to Psychology Today, Scientific American, Huffington Post, and Quiet Revolution, and is the host of the Savvy Psychologist podcast on Macmillan’s Quick and Dirty Tips network, which has been downloaded over 5 million times.