We continue the series of articles about uncertainty and ways to work with it. In the previous two articles, I talked about how to carry out effective exposure and what symptomatic exposure is. And today I will describe another important point - the hierarchy of exposure. If you are an alarmist and Have you already tried to make a list of frightening situations, I think you noticed that the result was a list, and not just one event. And since there are several situations, a logical question arises: which one to start with? Which situation should you apply exposure to first? This is where the hierarchy of exposures comes to the rescue - the technique is not very complicated, but it makes life a lot easier. So, you have a list of frightening situations. For example: - speak at a planning meeting; - strike up a conversation at a party; - sing karaoke; - ask to change a dish in a restaurant; - refuse a task that is not part of your job duties. 5 pieces in total. Rank (number) these situations according to the degree of anxiety. 1 – for the most emotionally easy situation. 5 - for the most disturbing. The ranked list will look like this: 1. Start a conversation at a party. 2. Speak at a planning meeting. 3. Sing karaoke. 4. Ask to change the dish 5. Refuse a task that is not part of your job duties. Choose the simplest situation (with rank 1) – and make an exposure to it. As many times as needed. Move on to the next situation only when the first one becomes quite easy for you (your level of anxiety in it will drop to 3-5 on a 10-point scale). We do the same with frightening symptoms - we rank them, choose the easiest one, make an exposure. It is also possible a more complex version of the hierarchy. For example, the point about karaoke can be divided into several sub-points: 1. Sing with friends with a small number of people. 2. Sing with friends with a full hall. 3. Sing alone with a small number of people. 4. Sing alone with a full hall. With these sub-items we do the same as with the main list - we rank and carry out an exposition sequentially with each sub-item. Now, no matter what social situations worry you, it will be easier for you to understand what can be done about it and where to start. I believe in you. Antonina. You can get to know me better on my website