Every time you open your news or social media feeds, do you see headlines about economic instability? It’s either stories on how inflation is rising, markets are crashing or totally unpredictable, and words like recession pop up frequently too.

All these things get tossed around with alarming frequency making us feel like the world is doomed! It’s no wonder many of us can feel fear creeping in, what with all this economic uncertainty. We can’t help but wonder, what’s going to happen to us all?

This fear you have isn’t irrational! Economic downturns have very real consequences.

Now although economic uncertainty sounds like it is a global thing, or government thing, and doesn’t necessarily affect us directly, it actually does! It shows up everywhere. Continue reading →

You’ve been invited to a party and there are going to be lots of people there, and lots of people you haven’t met. How does this make you feel? Meeting someone new can stir up a mix of emotions. You may be curious, excited, or you may be someone who experiences dread.

For some of us, even if you don’t suffer from social anxiety, you may still have an underlying sense of fear in meeting new people. It’s not because you dislike people or dread the interaction itself, but rather, you’re cautious about whether this new person can be trusted. Are they safe, or will they harm you emotionally, financially, or even physically?

As I said, this fear doesn’t always stem from social anxiety. It’s actually a self-preservation fear. Trusting someone new means opening yourself up to the unknown, and that vulnerability can feel risky. Are they friend or foe, we don’t know. So our survival mechanisms jump into action. Sometimes our instincts serve us well and other times they don’t. That’s why the fear remains. Continue reading →