Pets and Social Anxiety

For anyone suffering from social anxiety, you know all too well about the fear of rejection. That is why pets are great! They miss us when we are gone, they love us unconditionally, and they forgive our mistakes.

I posted previously that I had to put my Sasha down a couple of weeks before Christmas, and although it feels like yesterday, and some days are still hard to get through without tears, I have a new baby that I just had to show off.

Her name is Bandit, and she is a little spitfire! At the time of this picture, she was only 3 pounds, but acts like she is 10 feet tall...

She keeps me extremely busy, which is good. But, she gives me more than that. When I am hurt, she knows. At only 10 weeks old, she is smart as a whip. She tries my patience, but makes me laugh at the same time.

I'd like you to meet my Bandit...

Until next time...

Social Anxiety and Resolutions

I want to wish everyone a happy and successful New Year! So, what could a post about Social Anxiety and Resolutions have in common? Maybe nothing.

I don't necessarily make resolutions, but I do look back on the year and ask myself what I want to change or work on for different aspects of my life.

The one thing that stands out most of all, and you may be experiencing this in your life, is that I have people in my life who may not think too highly of themselves, so they feel the need to belittle me and everyone else. These people end up in our lives because we care too much about others' rather than ourselves.

We need to stop and think about that for a minute. We need to start putting ourselves and our feelings first. No one knows what is going on in our lives, nor may it be any of their business, so the things they say to us may be hurtful.

I will give you an example. From my previous post, you read that I had to put my dog down after having her for 15 wonderful years. She was my baby; she was a huge part of my life.

On top of that, I only sleep 3 to 4 hours each night. So, the stress level is extremely high. When people say things that maybe are disrespectful or just plain hurtful, I go off. Politely, but I still go off. So, I've had people tell me to just get over it. I've had people tell me that I'm too touchy, and one even used the term "hair trigger."

No matter what you are going through, you still need to demand respect. You need to either stand up for yourself, or distance yourself from these people. You don't have to be rude, but you need to let these people know that you are not happy with what they said and why.

The other thing that stands out is that I can easily be used by people. Because I am so caring, there are people in my life that feel the need to take advantage of that. They tell me everything I want to hear, whether they mean it or not. I have found out that most people don't mean what they say... at least the people in my life.

So, for 2007 I will make changes in my life regarding the company I keep. I suggest you do the same if need be.

Until next time...