About

Hi, it’s Alex Barker here.

This site is all about helping YOU overcome your fears, doubts and social anxiety from home. Through my courses, blog posts, videos and other content, my aim is to guide you through making true changes to your life without expensive therapy or medication…and to get the confidence, friends, partners and career success that you want.

This doesn’t mean I think medication or therapy is pointless – far from it. But what I DO think is many people with social anxiety could greatly improve their condition using simple techniques from home. This is how I overcame my social anxiety, and I believe it can work for you too (disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or medically trained – more on that in a minute).

Whether you can never think of something to say, sweat when nervous, dread social events, hate public speaking or find it difficult to make friends, I want this site to help you every step of the way.

What Should You Do First?

To start with, I recommend downloading my free guide to the “Squeeze and Breathe” method. This technique only takes a few minutes, but has been proven to reduce anxiety and even sweating or blushing.

It won’t cure your social anxiety on its own. But it’s a VERY useful “tool” for when you’re in a social situation and start to feel anxious. Click here and enter your email to get the report delivered via email for free.

My Story

I know most stories on “About” page are pretty boring – but I want to mention a few things so you know my background (I’ll be quick!).

Firstly, I’m not a psychologist, doctor or in any way medically trained. I don’t claim to give medical advice. I certainly don’t recommend people stop taking medication, going to therapy or any other medical treatment without first consulting with whoever is providing their professional care (that would be extremely irresponsible).

So you might be asking, why did I make this site?

The simple reason is I suffered with social anxiety for over 10 years. It was originally caused by bullying, but affected me for a long time after I left school. I couldn’t talk to people. I could barely go out. I missed out on career opportunities, friends, romantic partners and hobbies. Social anxiety came close to ruining my life.

Eventually I decided to do something about it. While I didn’t try therapy, I tried a range of other techniques – from self-hypnosis to exposure therapy. Some worked, some didn’t. In the process, I learned a lot about social anxiety, why it happens and what can be done to overcome it.

More importantly, I also realised that there aren’t many guides out there for people who want to try and overcome social anxiety without therapy or medication. There are lots of therapists…and there are lots of books about conversation skills…but none targeted at people with social anxiety. That’s why I created this site – to share what I’ve learned and help you deal with your fears.

Contacting Me

You can get in touch at any time via email. Just send questions, concerns, comments or feedback to alex [at] socialanxietyshortcuts.com. You can also use the contact page. I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. You can also contact me on social media: