Disclaimer❗️ Feeling socially anxious and nervous is COMPLETELY NORMAL! Especially during the pandemic, people have been experiencing and feeling this more than ever before. ✔️Not all anxiety or fear is an anxiety disorder. Many people will have some anxiety or shyness at initially, but they will soon acclimate to and enjoy greater socialization. Where does social anxiety come from? ⇨ A history of abuse, bullying, or teasing has been linked to social anxiety. Shy children, as well as children with overbearing or controlling parents, are more likely to grow up to be socially nervous adults. Feeling like this resonates with you? ⇨ Check out the coping skills page! Don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick 1 or 2 skills to try to incorporate into your lifestyle. ✔️Drop a comment if these tips help you overcome your social anxiety!

✨ Many people experience what is commonly known as morning anxiety. You are not alone here! • Morning anxiety is the unsettling feeling of waking up with the feeling of anxiety becoming the first thing we notice. Excessive stress, worry, and dread are some examples of these symptoms. • If this resonates true for you, consider journaling first thing in the morning. This does not imply that you should write an entire essay before drinking your first cup of coffee. Open your phone's notes app and scribble down a few spiraling thoughts you're experiencing first thing in the morning. It's possible that by doing so, your anxieties will feel more manageable. • Add one action you can do to address these pressures under each of your worries. This might be something as simple as attempting a new grounding technique, going outside, or listening to soothing music. You may find that even the smallest changes can help you feel less anxious in the morning! ✨A healthy and mindful morning routine always helps... Do you have one? If so, share below what makes you feel grounded when you wake up in the morning! ✨

🤍 To my fellow Social Workers and mental health professionals - happy national Social Work month! Thank you all for being here and for doing such amazing, powerful work. You all inspire me everyday! 🤍 ••• #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #selfcare #selflove #love #anxiety #mentalhealthmatters #motivation #depression #health #mindfulness #wellness #healing #fitness #life #loveyourself #inspiration #therapy #happiness #positivity #positivevibes #mindset #quotes #meditation #mentalillness #psychology #wellbeing #socialwork #therapy #nationalsocialworkmonth

✨It’s everyone’s favorite…social anxiety! ✨ In certain social circumstances, everyone can be a bit uncomfortable. However, if you struggle with social anxiety or social phobia, everyday life experiences can be extra tricky. You may be more self-conscious and afraid than other people in social situations, and you may have low self-confidence and self-esteem.  ✨ Identifying the social skills that could use some work is a useful first step in managing social anxiety disorder. It may help you cope with the thoughts and emotions that occur with a social anxiety disorder if you concentrate on strengthening those skills. This is also a helpful tool in identifying our negative cognitions about ourselves. 1. Think back to a recent social situation in which you felt anxious. Write down what your negative thoughts were before, during, and after the situation 2. Ask yourself questions to challenge your negative thoughts. For example, if your automatic negative thought was "People do not care about my opinion,” ask yourself "Could there be a different explanation?" In this case, your alternative thought could be "It probably had nothing to do with my opinion, they may not know I feel differently.” 3. Trying to identify the automatic thoughts that we have before and after an uncomfortable situation can help us reframe the way we see and feel our social anxiety ✨ Let me know if you try it out, and remember, everyone experienced some type of social anxiety throughout their lifetime! ESPECIALLY in the COVID-19 era! Xoxo

🚨 Self Check-In 🚨 🤍 Regardless of your relationship status, Valentine’s Day is not everyone’s favorite. Let’s use today as a check in for yourself. How am I sending myself love today? What do I need today? How can I start my day off with giving myself kindness? (I started mine with buying an iced coffee instead of making one) 🤍 Our mental health is invaluable, and our self-care cannot afford to wait. If you keep putting others ahead of yourself, you'll find you will eventually run out of things to give others. Sometimes the best gift you can give is to take care of yourself first 🤍 We can't pour from a cup that isn't full. Before we can properly give love, attention, and care to our loved ones, we must first give it to ourselves - you can't give what you don't have! 🤍 Be kind to yourself today and give yourself the same love and compassion you would want to receive from anyone else Xoxo #loveyourselffirst #valentines #selfcare #selflove #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #peoplepleaser #therapy #therapistsofinstagram #therapyforwomen

📢 Calling all my people pleasers ✨Many people-pleasers confuse pleasing people with being a good friend, or being kind ✨Some people pleasers will say things like, "I don't want to seem selfish," or "I just want to be a good friend or peer," when describing their difficulty to reject someone's request for a favor. As a result, they allow others to take advantage of them, whether that be intentionally or not ✨If you grew up with a difficult, emotionally unavailable parent, you may have picked up on the pattern of people-pleasing unintentionally in an attempt to engage the detached parent. 🤍This weekends goal is to say no just 1 time to something that you would usually say yes to. Hold space for yourself and don’t do things you don’t want to do 🤍 #peoplepleasing #peoplepleaser #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxiety #socialanxiety #pandemicanxiety #therapy #therapymemes #psychotherapy #weekend

‼️Attention: Free group! And you’re invited! Britney, Gabriella and I are very excited to launch our free zoom group called “ladies who lunch.” Realistically we wanted to call this group “therapists who lunch” but we didn’t think it would be inclusive enough to the women we want to help which are – the ladies of New York City! This concrete jungle is rough but the ladies of NYC sure are tough! Every Wednesday at noon we plan to meet on a closed zoom link (so please email [email protected] for the link!) to discuss various topics that women of NYC are facing. February’s schedule is as follows: 🤎February 2nd: How to Create Standards and Boundaries in Dating Objective: Whether you’re single or in a relationship, we’ll discuss the power of creating and upholding your standards and boundaries in your relationships 🤎February 8th: How to Stop Over-Giving and Put Yourself First Objective: We’ll discuss how to create gentle boundaries and how to start caring for yourself more 🤎February 15th How to Increase your Self-Esteem and Learn to Accept and Value Yourself More Objective: Whether you struggle with low self-esteem or just want to learn how to love yourself more, we’ll discuss the power of self-love and how it can help you accept, value and trust yourself. 🤎February 22nd: How to Better Handle Anxiety in a High-Paced Environment Like NYC Objective: We’ll discuss the different methods and resources available for living with and managing Anxiety in a city like NYC. We hope that you will find some time over your lunch break to learn how to put yourself first, become better at managing the stresses of NYC living and SPILL THE TEA with us! 🫖 Email: [email protected] for the zoom link! ✨ See you on Wednesdays at noon! ✨

While it's natural to want to do our best, perfectionism can lead to us being too judgmental and critical of ourselves. So, what exactly is reframing? Cognitive reframing is all about looking at a situation, thought, or feeling from a different perspective. Reframing is a technique for interrupting anxious thoughts by giving them a new meaning or truth. Because there is so much fear of the unknown, especially when living through a pandemic, it is EXTREMELY crucial to employ this skill. ••• Continue to try to change your inner dialogue with me by reframing your "what ifs" 😊🤍 #reframing #therapistsofinstagram #therapymemes #psychology #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #therapyworks #restructuring

There's a distinct line between anxiety and stress. Both are emotional responses, but stress is usually triggered by something outside of one's control. A work deadline, a homework assignment or a dispute with a loved one can be a short-term triggers. Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by persistent, overwhelming worries that linger even when no stressor is present. Anxiety causes similar symptoms as stress, such as insomnia, difficulty concentrating, exhaustion, muscle tension, and irritability. Feelings of everyday stress and mild anxiety typically respond to similar coping mechanisms. How do you cope with mild stress and anxiety? • • • #therapistsofinstagram #therapysession #mentalhealth #anxietysupport #anxietyrecovery #therapistmemes #mentalhealthmatters

This past year has been a whirlwind, that I know we can all agree on. As we go into the new year, it is important to first take the time to reflect on 2021. Specifically, how we have grown, evolved and changed. These journal prompts can be a simple, yet effective approach to best prepare yourself to bring in the new year as your best self. Be proud of yourself for simply getting through this past year — that is more than enough! Happy new year everyone and take care of yourselves🤍 Let me know if you try any of these out! #reflection #selfreflection #mindfulness #journaling #journalprompts #therapistsofinstagram #selfcare #2022

This self-fulfilling cycle leaves you trapped in your anxiousness - we end up sabotaging ourselves in order to avoid having to deal with the unpleasant emotions that come with anxiety. Consider how you can apply this to your own life. Are you able to recognize your personal anxiety cycle and your triggers? What makes you feel better? What makes you feel worse? Asking ourselves these questions can help us live a less anxious life. #anxietycycle #anxietyrelief #therapistsofinstagram #avoidance

This is a topic I can't emphasize enough! It's so important to concentrate on what you can control. There are many unknowns in life, especially when dealing with a pandemic. Now more than ever we must remind ourselves of what we ARE in control of. What you do have control over is how you interpret a situation, react to it, and respond to it. When we concentrate on what we have control over, our thoughts become more powerful and we experience more positive emotions! You got this. #therapistsofinstagram #therapy #control #reminder