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By Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMSTherapy sessions are conducted in the privacy and convenience of your home. Don't spend another minute trying to appear calm and collected when you are really struggling internally. Bree is a licensed professional counselor who provides mental health counseling in Atlanta, GA.
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 By Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMS
People confide in me every day. They share their deepest secrets, fears, worries, and embarrassments. They are seeking empathy, reassurance, and guidance. It’s my passion and my job to listen confidentially, give support, and offer help. Overall, I’ve been a great therapist (and friend). Because of this, I know that asking for help and trusting others is effective for healing. So, why is it so difficult for me to ask for help and trust others??? One definition of TRUST is “confident expectation of something; hope.” Hope and expectations can breed fear if not met with support and commitment. I spoke to other Type-A, independent professionals and they agreed with my concerns. There are a lot of reasons why people fear asking for help:  Do you ever notice how easy it is to slip into disrespect – via tone of voice, actions, and/or words? We all want respect, but what do we do to earn respect? The Golden Rule is “treat others the way you want to be treated.” However, the selfish mentality is “I’ll treat them with respect when they treat me with respect.” You Want the Respect before you Give them Respect.
Choosing the later causes several problems:  I recently attended a conference on child sexual abuse (at CHOA). The information was well presented, but the topic and content was disheartening. Current statistics show that 1 in 10 children will experience child sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. (www.D2L.org) However, one amazing fact was shared: due to media awareness, prevention, and legal actions, child sexual abuse has decreased significantly for this generation (from 1 in 3 children in previous generations).
Child Sexual Abuse is defined as any sexual act between an adult and a minor or between two minors when one exerts power over the other; forcing, coercing, or persuading a child to engage in any type of sexual act, including non-contact acts such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, voyeurism, and communicating in a sexual manner by phone or Internet. The physical act of being abused is painful and scary. No one wants to be exposed to this kind of crisis. However, the emotional component of sexual abuse causes the lasting and ongoing trauma.  I was at a church service recently, listening to a powerful message by Annie Downs. She asked “what if today is the best God has for you?” The auditorium full of thousands of people went silent.
What IF today is the best it will be for me? What if all the things I hope and dream for are not in the plan, in the cards, or fate for me? I’m waiting, just as I’m sure you are too, for something. If I wait to see if A will happen before I made a choice between B and C, then I am stagnate. I’m in limbo. I’m stuck. Where do symptoms of anxiety and depression come from? From being stagnate… being in limbo… being stuck! Life isn’t about waiting, it is about LIVING! We hope for lots of things, we dream, we wish, and we desire: love, happiness, laughter, money, fame, or fill in the blank with your dream(s). Hope is necessary for motivation and goal setting. However, lack of decision making and forward movement is a sign of depression. Worry and agitation are symptoms of anxiety. Both problems arise when you stop living for today and, instead, wait for the unfulfilled promises of tomorrow. No one knows how their story will end. We don’t even know how today will end. No good comes from fear. A person shows fear when he or she is scared to move their life in one direction because it might prevent them from having other options. What if the original option is the path of success in reaching all your desires? BUT, you hope and pray that waiting on this other path will guide you to your dreams. If a door opens for a change, big or small, then check it out! Make a choice – to try this option or return to the previous option. Don’t stand still.  <---- Can you relate?
Social Phobia is defined as “strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed.” Fears and anxiety can get in the way of everyday events and interactions. Symptoms include: |
Bree Winkler, LPC, Ed.SMy goal is to help you use coping skills, change thoughts, and manage behaviors in order to decrease anxiety and depression symptoms. Archives
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