Social anxiety is very painful to live with, leaving many people isolated and alone. If you have ever wondered if you are shy or have social anxiety, and aren’t sure what to do about it, you are not alone. Shyness and social anxiety are often mixed up with each other. Shyness is a milder form of social anxiety which can definitely be uncomfortable, but is not disabling.
BIPOC carry additional risk factors compared to the average white American impacting onset of anxiety. Top that with certain stigmas that are carried as well; it can be hard to navigate and feel very lonely. Learning how to manage anxiety when it occurs is key to getting through it. Here are some ways to start.
Many of us were taught not to listen to our emotions or our bodies, and that we were supposed to rule them with our minds. This cut many of us off from these sources of wisdom, guidance, and protection. Women are often told we’re too emotional and that’s why we can’t be in leadership. Men are often taught that being too emotional is a weakness. But from this perspective, couldn’t we take being emotional as a compliment?
When you’re living with a chronic illness, it is natural to begin to have anxiety about the future. What will progression look like? How will symptoms evolve? Will there be a burden on your family? How will you afford to manage your health and daily activities? Worrying about any of these things can cause you to feel anxious, let alone worry about multiple factors. Treatment options exist to combat any anxiety you may have and allow you to be as mentally focused as possible to push through your chronic illness and find joy in living your life.
Unknown anxiety present one of the main threats to our nervous system regulation, so learning to companion and soothe ourselves in the face of unknowns can be hugely supportive to our well- being. Unknown anxiety show up in all kinds of ways. One type is the relational unknown, such as feeling uncertain about how our partner feels, how to communicate with our friend, or how others might feel about us. Another is the unknown about the future of our own lives
Nighttime anxiety can be super frustrating because it’s the exact opposite of sleep. It can rob you of much needed rest and relaxation. And unfortunately, the anxiety can be self-perpetuating once you associate attempting to sleep with anxiety. The good news is, there are a few steps you can take to lessen the intensity of nighttime anxiety and build bedtime routines that work for you.
Girls, queer and trans kids were often passed over because they didn’t exhibit these stereotypical behaviors, while BIPOC students who weren’t passed over were likely treated with disciplinary measures rather than exploring the why behind their behaviors. Systemic racism, sexism, trans- and homophobia all show up in the public school system. Autistic people in these groups likely learned to mask from a young age to avoid being further targeted for bullying, discrimination, and harassment.
Finding and choosing a therapist can be an exciting proposition. Therapy is also a great place to learn about our boundaries, our needs, and requests. Remember, your therapist is working for and with you, not you for them. If you have particular goals, needs, desires, or anything important to you you’d like for a therapist to know, the consultation is a great place to share.
There are a lot of stress factors that have to do with why you have bad ADHD days. Maybe you have trouble managing your stress levels or are experiencing several symptoms at once. While bad ADHD days can be draining, you can control what to do about them. Do not allow yourself to suffer when there are several ways to cope.
If you feel like people in your life are excessively involved in your life, this is enmeshment. Whether this is your romantic partner or a family member, enmeshment is when people are involved in your activities and personal things to an excessive degree. If you do not know if your partner is being excessive, it helps to know what the behavior patterns entail.
Here are the five telltale signs of enmeshment.
Relationship anxiety is when you experience more times of excessive worrying about the relationship than actually enjoying it. You could be really scared that the relationship will end as soon as it starts. Out of fear, you may even go so far as to end the relationship. To avoid doing something you will regret, here is how anxiety can affect your relationship.
