What's the best treatment for social anxiety?
The older I get, the more I realize how social anxiety has affected my life. I created a life that feels safe to me but now I realize I missed out on a lot of opportunities. I want to work on fixing my social anxiety so I can build a bigger life but that would require a lot more social interaction. What's the best way to overcome social anxiety?
I lost my job and I'm having trouble staying mentally strong. What can I do?
I was unexpectedly let go from my job three months ago. I'd worked there for about 10 years and was blindsided. I thought I'd be able to find a new job pretty fast but it's taking a lot longer than I imagined. I'm a professional with a lot of good experience. I've applied for a lot of jobs and only had a few interviews but no luck. I'm discouraged and starting to feel panicked as I need to get a job soon. I've been meditating every day, exercising, and trying to take care of myself but I still feel awful. I have an interview next week for a job I don't even really want but I'm starting to feel a little desperate. How can I stay mentally strong when I'm out of work and can't get a new job?
How to deal with strange, subtle rude comments?
The best way to describe my brother-in-law is that he has a chip on his shoulder. He makes weird statements that I find incredibly rude and annoying but the stuff he says is so strange I'm not even sure how to call him out. Here's an example. I bought a new car. He said, "That's what all middle aged people do when they start to panic that they're getting old." For the record, it's not exactly a flashy sports car but I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure how to respond. Another day he saw me loading my kayak onto the car and he said, "Your life is even more boring that I thought. You think floating in a plastic boat is fun." If he were joking or just having fun, I'd be fine. But he says these things completely serious. He's not really a fun or funny person. Instead, it's mean spirited. But comments like this often drive me crazy for days as I'm thinking about what he meant or what I should have said for a comeback. Should I ignore his comments or speak up? And what would I even say?
Tips for coping with a breakup?
I have been through breakups before but this one feels different. I had thought we would eventually get married. Some things happened that we disagreed on and then we just couldn't come up with a plan or get on the same page for the future. She broke it off and I'm feeling heartbroken. I am not really interested in dating anyone else at the moment and I admit I keep checking to see what she is up to on social media. We agreed no contact was best but I'm struggling with that decision now. What can I do?
What to do about an adult child who isn't interested in joining the real world?
Our 28 year old son seems content to live in our basement forever. He plays video games all day, hangs out with his friends who are also dependent on their parents, and do nothing. We tell him to apply for jobs and he occasionally seems to put in a half hearted effort. We know we need to set boundaries with him but how do we do that now? He's been living with us for 4 years -- he went to college and briefly lived with roommates before coming back here. He originally moved in with us because of the pandemic but now he seems content to stay here forever. It's not good for any of us and we want to know how to set limits without just kicking him out. What do we do?