by Sheryl Paul | Jan 17, 2021 | Anxiety, Empty Nest, Intrusive Thoughts, Parenthood transitions |
I was driving into town one evening last week and as I drove down our local highway I flashed on a time over twenty years ago when I drove from Los Angeles to San Diego. As my body sank into the somatic memory, a wave of nostalgia surged up that said, “I miss... by Sheryl Paul | Jan 10, 2021 | 20s, Anxiety, Divorce/Calling it Off/Break Up, Empty Nest, Health anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts, Job/Career Change, Relationships, Transitions - General |
Piggybacking off the post I shared a few weeks ago, I wanted to expand upon the statement that there are many ways to heal. What I see in the field of psychotherapy, as I see in many other fields and areas in our lives, is that at we’ve divided the mind, body,... by Sheryl Paul | Dec 13, 2020 | Anxiety, Health anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships |
Some people are called to explore the vicissitudes of depression; Johann Hari comes to mind. Other are tasked with uncovering the underpinnings of eating disorders, like Anita Johnston, author of the exquisitely wise book, Eating in the Light of the Moon. For a myriad... by Sheryl Paul | Nov 29, 2020 | Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts |
We talk a lot about big T traumas in psychological circles these days, which are the moments or experiences that overload our capacity to cope and cause us to go into fight, flight, freeze or fawn. These might be: growing up with addiction or abuse; repeated bullying;... by Sheryl Paul | Nov 8, 2020 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships |
Every week for almost two years I’ve met with a small group of the most lovely people to talk about relationship anxiety. Like you, they’re highly sensitive, deeply empathic, analytical, and conscientious. Like you, they found me because they were... by Sheryl Paul | Oct 18, 2020 | Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships, Sexuality |
An intrusive thought arrives… What if I harm someone? What if I’ve harmed someone in the past and I don’t remember? What if I’m with the wrong partner? What if I’m gay/straight? What if I left the stove on? What if I have a terminal... by Sheryl Paul | Sep 27, 2020 | Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts |
“It is a terrible punishment to be banished from the web of reciprocity.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass When I read this quote in what has become one of the most influential books of my life it took my breath away. I stopped reading, put... by Sheryl Paul | Jul 12, 2020 | Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts |
“Just right” anxiety is a common yet rarely discussed anxiety theme wherein the anxiety sufferer tries to attain a “just right” feeling motivated by a sense of incompleteness. Whereas the need for certainly lives at the center of most anxious themes and... by Sheryl Paul | Jun 21, 2020 | Anxiety, Dying/Death, Health anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts |
As I recently wrote about on my blog, I approach what we refer to as obsessions and compulsions (OCD) from a different, more depth-oriented model than is currently seen in psychological culture. Mental obsessions arise from anxiety and compulsions erupt as a misguided... by Sheryl Paul | Jun 14, 2020 | Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, HSP, Intrusive Thoughts, Transitions - General |
As a nation, as a world, as individuals, we’re coming unmoored. Our familiar tethers are dissolving. Our anchors are rising to the surface. We’re in a new sea, and it’s a tumultuous one. As I wrote about when covid-19 first hit, we’re in a time...
