by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jan 22, 2023 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Health anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts |
At the core of most, if not all, intrusive thoughts and obsessions is the question of enough. It can show up as: • Do I love my partner enough? or • Did I wash my hands enough? But what you’re really trying to answer is: Am I enough? I love what Jon Hershfield... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jan 15, 2023 | Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Relationship Anxiety Collection, Wedding/marriage transition |
Note: I first published this post in 2011 and it remains one of my most popular blog posts. I’m updating it now to include more relevant language and also concepts that have evolved in the last twelve years about relationship anxiety. *** One of the most common... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jan 8, 2023 | Sexuality |
The way Hollywood sells it, kissing should happen effortlessly. We should long to kiss our loving partner all the time, and we should be in instant ecstasy the minute the kiss begins. When our partner approaches for a kiss, we should tilt up our head like a young... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jan 1, 2023 | Sexuality |
One of the most common statements I hear from women about their sexuality is, “I’m often stuck in my head during sex. Sometimes I’m planning the dinner menu or thinking about what we need from the grocery store. I have a hard time staying in my... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Dec 25, 2022 | Sexuality |
On the last round of Sacred Sexuality, we had a Zoom call that dropped us into a space of such tenderness and vulnerability that there were many tears coming from the Zoom squares. This happens sometimes, especially around the topic of sexuality. It’s what... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Dec 11, 2022 | Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Health anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts |
An intrusive or unwanted thought arrives… What if I don’t love my partner enough? What if I’m a different sexual orientation than I thought I was? What if I’m trapped here forever? What if the world ends? What if I don’t love my baby?... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Nov 27, 2022 | Intrusive Thoughts, Parenthood transitions |
Ever since our son, Everest, earned his private pilot’s power-plane license a few months ago I’ve been wanting to fly with him. Maybe “wanting” isn’t quite the right word; it’s more like I’ve been wanting to want to fly with... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Nov 6, 2022 | Dying/Death, Intrusive Thoughts, Trust Yourself |
I had planned to share about something else this week for the podcast. I was going to tell a story about a moment in a corn maze with our family, Victoria, and her boyfriend when we were in New Jersey a few weeks ago. As you can hear in the video below (click on the... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Dec 12, 2021 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships, Wedding/marriage transition |
There is often a predictable arc to relationship anxiety that includes three stages.* The first stage is characterized by typical symptoms of anxiety and panic: Trouble sleeping Difficulty eating Tearful Depressed Bolting awake in the middle of the night Difficulty... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Nov 18, 2018 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships |
People often ask me why they’re struggling with relationship anxiety or social anxiety or any other kind of anxiety when other people seem to glide through life more effortlessly. The subtext embedded in the question is, “Is there something wrong with...
