Language is a powerful force, and in Australia, the overuse of the term Psychologist when referring to Counsellors/Therapists/Mental Health Clinicians is detrimental to our community. It comes packed with assumptions. Assumptions that can be damaging…
Read MoreAlmost everyone gets a little anxious or embarrassed in front of other people now and then.
Sometimes, though, the anxiety can be so intense that it stops us from doing the things we enjoy, or starts interfering in our daily lives. Social anxiety is used to describe feelings of anxiety and fear that occur in response to social situations. Even the most confident of people can get a little anxious before a presentation, or when they’re meeting new people, but in social anxiety this distress can be so overwhelming that it feels as though it‘s difficult to cope.
That overwhelming anxiety is often experienced even when just thinking about the situation or remembering a previous event.
But with social anxiety, the fear tends to be much more severe and it’s often a fear of being judged or being criticised and how we come across to others that is really worrying other people. So when social anxiety tends to happen, people sometimes blush, they sometimes get very sweaty because they’re feeling anxious. They often will avoid social situations.
There are three kinds of thinking processes that maintain social anxiety. We will explore these further in this blog.
Read MoreOften I work with people who have anxiety about being in social situations. One of the things that they worry about the most is not having enough to say and how people will judge them based on that.
“What if people think i’m too quiet or too shy?”
“What if people think I’m boring?”
In society being seen as shy or introverted can be assumed to be a negative trait and being loud and having a lot to say can be seen as a positive trait. Obviously I don’t agree with this assumption!
What if we actually viewed shyness as a positive thing and something that is a good trait to have? That’s right being quiet and a good listener can actually be a strength!
If you are struggling with your sense of self in social situations reach out and seek help.
Read MoreHealth anxiety (sometimes called hypochondria) is excessive worrying about your health, to the point where it causes great distress and affects your everyday life.
Most of us worry about our health from time to time, and some of us have to manage serious medical conditions. But for some people, health worries become overwhelming and a problem in itself.
The most important thing to know is that there is effective therapy available to treat health anxiety. CBT is known as one of the most effective ways to treat health anxiety.
Read MoreI wanted to share a poem with you that has a lot of significance for me. It’s one that I like to share with my clients, as it so beautifully illustrates the therapeutic journey that I see many people taking. Whenever I read it, I can’t help but be moved by the very real emotion behind each part of the journey, and perhaps you will feel the same way too.
Read MoreAt different times in life we will all struggle with stress. It’s a pretty normal experience in life. The problem is when we are stressed we often loose perspective. and our unhelpful perspective triggers an increase in our emotions becoming a VISCOUS cycle. I outline 3 steps to help you gain a more helpful perspective to cope better with daily stress.
A certain amount of stress can even be helpful but when our stress levels get too high or we experience stress over a prolonged period of time we can become vulnerable to burn out and are certainly going to have difficulty thinking clearly.
Read MoreSharing 3 Tips to reduce feeling overwhelmed during the festive season.
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