munch the scream

Anxiety

I tend to be a good fit for clients who view themselves as socially participating at the edge of a crowd, engaged in intimate conversations rather than speaking to many at once. You might think of yourself as introverted and likely have a rich inner world. Perhaps you do not like this about yourself and wish you were more comfortable engaged in the center of attention. I do not believe that discomfort with being the focal point is a personal deficit. I think of this simply as a way of being that can be positive and enriching and should be honored. If, however, you are anxious to the point of withdrawing from social situations that you would like to be part of or are missing career opportunities, then anxiety may be playing a much bigger role in your life than it needs to.

Social Anxiety

Do you ever think that social situations seem to be one disaster after the next? Does deciding to go to a party or social gathering evoke significant stress? And when you summon enough courage to go, do you spend the next two days analyzing everything that went wrong? Perhaps you have decided you just won’t put yourself through the emotional expense of trying anymore, but you don’t feel very good about that either.

Social anxiety can be very damaging to a person’s mental and physical health. It’s particularly concerning because of the isolation that tends to accompany it. Isolation from others can cripple a person’s growth trajectory, primarily because human beings tend to grow and heal in connection with others. Social anxiety can also undermine a person’s self-esteem. Damaged self-esteem, coupled with isolating behaviors, often results in inaccurate thoughts about the self and situations and can be fodder for the inner critic. Overcoming anxiety can be challenging to do on your own.

Therapy can help you learn to view yourself in a more positive and realistic way. It can also help you identify thinking errors that perpetuate the cycle of rumination and negative thinking patterns that are damaging to your self-esteem. By learning to reject these hurtful statements you say to yourself, you will become the nurturing advocate that you deserve and need to move forward and engage effectively in life. EMDR for anxiety can be a helpful tool for healing. For more information, see our EMDR page.

“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”
~ Buddha