By One of the most insidious and painful aspects of social anxiety many of my clients describe is the feeling of being alone, disconnected, and different from others. These feelings, and the perceptions and beliefs associated with them, can both contribute to and be the result of high levels of distress and suffering in social situations. Over the years,… Continue reading
By While the idea of introducing yourself to someone new is a very common challenge for those who struggle with social anxiety, for many the greater and often overlooked pain comes from difficulty deepening relationships to a more meaningful level. Many clients I have had the honor of working with have reported making some progress with initiating contact… Continue reading
By Many people are using marijuana (THC) or CBD (which is derived from cannabis or hemp) to help with their anxiety symptoms. What does the research show? Should I be using marijuana or CBD for my anxiety? Robert Yeilding, PsyD. (NSAC Bixby Knolls, Long Beach) discusses what the current evidence shows and explains the rise in use of cannabis products to… Continue reading
By Learning to hide
One of the most common social anxiety concerns is the fear that one will appear anxious to others: being anxious about your social anxiety itself! Of course, it’s not just that some sign of one’s anxiety will be visible, but that it will be followed by some form of negative evaluation or judgment that can greatly exacerbate the… Continue reading
By I still remember a seemingly trivial moment while volunteering and travelling in New Zealand during my college years. After a hike through the rolling green hills with some travel friends, we stopped in a local shop with some custom design T-shirts. As I was about to leave without being inspired to purchase anything, I got stuck staring at a silly… Continue reading
By As of 2019, 33 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing marijuana in some form. 11 of those have laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use, in addition to the country of Canada.
A Turn of the Tide for Cannabis in the USA
Social norms and the stigma of cannabis use are beginning to shift nationwide, particularly in places… Continue reading
By To see one in all and all in one is to break
through the great barrier which narrows one’s
perception of reality.
-Thich Naht Hanh.
The illusion of the self and learned beliefs
If you have ever experienced social anxiety intensifying to the point of significant distress or interfering with your goals in life, you are all too familiar with the… Continue reading
By Approach or Avoid?
If you have ever noticed your body tense up as you enter a social situation, your thoughts become focused around your self as an object of social evaluation and judgment, your attention scanning for possible signs of danger in the form of negative evaluation, and your emotions telling you to escape or inhibit your behavior, you are… Continue reading
By The Cost of Misperception
One of the key components that maintains Social Anxiety Disorder over time is a pervasive negative self-image and related self-critical thoughts that are activated in social situations. Once activated, this negative self-image often leads to overly negative misperceptions of how one is coming across to others during social… Continue reading
By Understanding Social Anxiety and CBT
One pattern of thinking that is central to the maintenance of social anxiety involves a consistent overestimation of the likelihood of a negative social event occurring. Common examples include the estimation of likely being rejected, judged negatively, or being the focus of negative attention. This overestimation… Continue reading
By Work and Stress
Work is stressful. We all have had jobs that, as a matter of course, caused our anxiety levels to spike and brought a general sense of being overwhelmed. But in the workplace, there are several things that can be ameliorating factors: one of which is our peers, co-workers, and managers. The literature seems to suggest that the… Continue reading
By “What do I do with these upsetting thoughts that make me socially anxious?”
In a pair of previous blog posts, I explain the role of two strategies used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for dealing with upsetting thoughts that help cause our social anxiety: mindfulness and cognitive restructuring. Now I get into the nuts and bolts of… Continue reading