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 | Oct 31, 2021 | 20s, Self Trust Collection, Trust Yourself |
On a recent group call, a participant asked one of the most common questions for those struggling with anxiety and intrusive thoughts is: “So if I don’t trust these anxious thoughts then what can I trust? If my truth is really that we are not right for... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Aug 15, 2021 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Relationships, Trust Yourself |
As humans in an uncertain world, we seek certainty in a variety of ways. We ask questions that are fundamentally unanswerable. We ruminate and obsess on a single thought (otherwise known as intrusive thoughts). We Google and text and seek reassurance in a variety of... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jul 4, 2021 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Dying/Death, Highly Sensitive Person, Relationship Anxiety Collection, Relationships, Wedding/marriage transition |
One of the most challenging elements of anxiety is to understand is that the anxiety is projection. This means that the parade of intrusive thoughts that tortures the anxious mind and sensitive soul are actually pointing to areas inside of you that are crying out for... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Nov 11, 2018 | Anxiety, Dying/Death, Highly Sensitive Person, Holidays/Holy Days/Seasons |
My son and I are driving into town for our weekly Friday morning special time and Suzanne Vega’s song “The World Before Columbus” comes on. It’s a song she wrote for her daughter that I used to sing to Everest when he was a baby, and these... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jul 29, 2018 | Anxiety, Lack of Attraction Collection, Open Your Heart, Relationships |
Love is a verb. This is one of the great truths about love that our culture fails to teach, one that, even when we understand the principle, we need to remember it and practice it over and over again. I think of marriage or any long-term, committed relationship with a... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jul 8, 2018 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Intrusive Thoughts Collection |
A coaching client recently said to me, “You talk a lot about doing “the work”, and I wondered for so long what “the work” was. I thought that if I understood anxiety intellectually I would feel better. And the first time I went through... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | Jun 24, 2018 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person |
Shame is often a placeholder for powerlessness and a protector against grief. Instead of feeling the rawness of grief, the mind latches onto a shame story that says, “I’m broken.” Instead of surrendering to the powerlessness of painful situations... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | May 13, 2018 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships |
Projection is one of the most important concepts to understand when you’re stuck in relationship anxiety or any manifestation of anxiety. It’s a psychological term that essentially means we’re stuck in a story about someone or something else with the... by Sheryl Lisa Paul | May 6, 2018 | 20s, Anxiety, Dying/Death, Job/Career Change, Moving, Relationships, Transitions - General |
Transitions, as breaking and renewal points, offer choice-points that determine how we unfold into the next stage of our lives. Many people find me during their wedding transition when when they’re broken open not only by relationship anxiety but also by the...