Anxiety

I think it's a great idea that you are asking this question now while it's early on. The first thing I wonder is what age you are. At different transitions and stages in life, it's really common for anxieties to come out of the woodwork. First time this takes place at a greater level is during... more

Thanks for reaching out and asking this question. Social stuff is hard. Even for people that don't have diagnosed social anxiety. Some research outlines that our fear of public speaking is greater than our fear of death. That's hefty! Shame is often the culprit for social anxiety because we... more

You are so not alone in that. There's many, many people that struggle with feeling stuck with the combination of depressive and anxious symptoms. You are right though--it is a miserable thing to go through.The most important thing I usually start with for clients (upon learning about their... more

We all experience that to a different level, depending on who you ask. It's actually born out of a good quality---prosocialness. When we care what others think of us, we are also attuned to how we are treating them and what's socially right vs wrong. It definitely does feel like it's more about... more

Hello. What you are experiencing is entirely reasonable for someone that is still trying to adjust to a new life and also leave behind a long term relationship. It sounds like you lost touch with who you were as a person and need to start exploring that side of you again. Spend time doing things... more

It appears to me that you feel unmoored as a result of the break and the experience has triggered some self- doubt and anxiety. Your lack of self- belief seems to further propel you to seek validation from the person you are casually involved with. One of the ways to find peace within yourself... more

There's SO much help for repetitive thoughts in the counseling world! The one thing I'd for sure ask if we met in person is what those repetitive thought patterns look like. Some repetitive thoughts are more like obsessive thoughts. For example, that may mean that every time you leave a room... more

That must feel heartbreaking to you. Where do you think that anxiety comes from? I would try some self-reflecting to see what comes up there. Maybe you are worried about losing your best friend, or something completely different. It's understandable that you would have a lot of feelings in this... more

Give yourself credit here! It sounds like you are liked and people want to get to know you! I would wonder with you, what is the self-talk going on when you get too scared to talk to people? Those statements are probably connected to some core beliefs (I'm __________, I'll never __________, I'm... more

Starting counseling, and bringing in a lot can feel overwhelming; like you've brought too many full suitcases and it's scary to think about opening them all. My strategy would be to help you take inventory of all the areas you'd like to eventually work on and then prioritize what you'd like to work... more