(Untitled)

[quasigeek]

I never considered that I had anxiety. All my life everyone convinced me that I was "shy," and that was my excuse for not talking in public or clamming up when people spoke to me. But here's the clincher: I never felt shy. I always wanted to talk and be part of a group, but my profuse sweating and nervous stomach got the better of me. When I got

Comments

[livethlfe]

You have two brains (well, we all do): The logical brain that tells you the right answer, a la this-is-silly-get-over-it, and the emotional brain that makes you feel like shit when the right answer doesn't feel right. What you're describing is textbook anxiety, or what happens when your two brains have a fight.

Medicine's not the answer. Don't see a psychiatrist or your primary doctor for this. A therapist is not a doctor and does not prescribe medication.

I'm biased, yes, but I also know the research, and I can tell you that a GOOD therapist will be able to guide you through this. There is a specific kind of therapy that is proven to be very effective at decreasing anxiety (which is important since not all therapies are created equal). I can tell you all about the process from the inside out (since this is what I do with my clients every day). If you do decide to go the therapy route, please please PLEASE talk to me first so I can match you with a good one. Not all therapists are created equal either, and I wouldn't trust 75% of the ones out there.

Of course, part of going to therapy is overcoming the anxiety of talking to a new person about it. You know I'm happy to do anything I can to try and ease that. A good therapist will take the time to talk to you over the phone or via email so you can essentially interview him/her to see if you feel like they'd be a good match.

No matter what, I love you and I miss you. Every time I drive by the SAI headquarters I think of you :)

*Hugs*

[quasigeek]

It fascinates me that there are people who don't have constant brain-fighting. Like, you can actually go into a social situation or work or anything and socialize without overanalyzing things? What is this sorcery?

You know that I saw the on-campus therapist/whatever they are for a while and we really didn't work well together. He'd be like, "well, try to look people in the eye when you talk to them!" and it only made it worse because I was trying too hard and I couldn't even walk down the sidewalk with my head up. Bah. (That's gotten better, at least.)

Talking to people is hard :P

And it's funny you mention SAI-those are the only functions were I actually feel comfortable, even if I don't know anyone in the room. Must be a common bond thing. Or being an alumni that everyone looks up to. I have no idea, but when I went to province day it was fun because I wasn't stressing out over everything. And that's when I realized, hey, some people feel this comfortable all the time and I'm jealous.

When I do get down there, we must visit HQ, of course :)

[livethlfe]

It makes me so sad that there are so many bad therapists out there. We're not all like that, I promise!

I don't do big groups either because I never know what to say. If I get a person one-on-one, I'm usually ok. But if I'm expected to mingle, I'm in trouble. For me, it's easier when I know I have something in common. Oh, tell me about your chapter! When did you pledge? Did you do musicales? Instant connection!