Freedom from Fear: Freedom to Live the Life You Want

My last blog on The New ABC of Managing Difficult Emotions outlines a simple process that many of you have told me is really helpful. Many of you emailed me asking for the downloadable graphic. Many of you shared how you were going to use this process: with your children, to manage your own emotions and to help your clients. I am so glad. There is one story I want to share with you, because it is so clear and inspiring — and so helpful for others to consider as well. A young woman wrote to me about how her fear of rejection has interfered with her life. How it has prevented her from creating lasting friendships, how it gets in the way of her sharing what is going on in her own life with others, and how it cripples her attempts to love her partner with an open heart and be loved in return. It makes her feel too vulnerable, too fragile and she feels that it is just too risky that she will be hurt. Again. She feels trapped. So, she avoids joining activities that sound fun and takes people’s unavailability for catch ups personally, rather than seeing that it might just be that they are busy at that time. When she does find herself in new social situations she feels excruciating self-consciousness, high anxiety and usually leaves without making eye contact or speaking with anyone new. When she read about the New ABC of emotions she used the steps to be honest with herself about her fear of rejection and for the first time, could let herself send that feeling kindness and u...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Friends Personal Relationships Self-Help Stress Desire Emotions Failure Feeling Friendship Loneliness needs Rejection Self Consciousness Social Anxiety Source Type: blogs