PsychSense: Sensible Psychological Solutions

Dear Dr Duffy, 

 Can you help me?  I am a 35-year-old man with a responsible job as a Sales Coordinator in a leading Company.  I have a problem with unwanted fear (Social Phobia) for example when I see my Boss I am feeling very frightened with shaking in my body. In
meetings I am not able to reply properly to questions even though I am well prepared and know the exact answer. Sometimes when I answer phone calls I can’t ever speak properly.  However my work is quite good. I want to get rid this problem at any cost as I know it will effect my future.

 Are you one of those people who ruminate after you said or did something you regret? You know, you can’t get it out of your mind, replaying it over and over in your head. You spend lots of time thinking what you should have done or said. 

I find self-talk to help me with a reality check when I am over-worrying and can’t let go of something I regret having said or done.  A sense of humor helps to keep a reality check and goes a long way to relieving your angst.  Try these suggestions they work better the more often you use them. 

Are you ready to come out of your hibernation or do you have the urge to run back in your home and hide?  Because of the cold winter and what feels like constant bad news about the economy, many of us continue to feel like staying inside and avoiding the whole thing. It’s not so hopeful out there and we are barraged with so many things that can bring us down. Anxiety about money and our economy tops the list. When I say our economy I mean our personal budgets, how to pay rising bills, deal with less income and stretch our dollars. This constant worry about money seems to be there all the time, even when we are thinking about other things. Are you experiencing that feeling in the pit of your stomach (anxiety) whenever the issue of money arises (which is often)?

Right now I am going through some major changes in my life, retirement, relationships traveling, finances, what else is there?  All change, no matter how planned or positive brings some anxiety along with excitement. This article came to me just in time to give me a needed boost. Thanks to my terrific financial advisor Jay Cappon who wrote it.  Check him out at his great website

                                                  Change: How Best To Deal With It

The NY Times Had a Great magazine issue This Past Sunday on Environmental Issues.

In it there was a brief mention of “eco anxiety”. This is identified as a “generalized worry about the environment”

Eco anxiety is not new, it is just reaching a threshold where it is becoming recognizable. People are talking more about the environment and realizing the importance of protecting it, even if they don’t believe in global warming.

The question is what do you do about Eco-Anxiety and about protecting the environment. Many people feel powerless to do anything or and don’t know what to do, they become immobilized.