Becoming Less Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
Guest:Michele Cooley-Strickland, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Project Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA; Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins
Why do we get in our own way? And why is it so easy to grow comfortable with what is uncomfortable? You may know what it feels like. You’re about to go into a meeting, and out of nowhere the thought that you will be evaluated and scrutinized for doing what you do every day paralyzes your mind and instantly activates your exocrine glands. The only response you can muster is to sweat. Profusely. Soon, the anxiety gets too overwhelming, so you stop in your tracks. You skip the meeting because it’s much more comfortable to not move at all than to push through the discomfort of what you think might happen. You simply get in your own way.
So how do you get past the sweat and anxiety and become empowered? Having experienced social anxiety herself and now working in psychology, Dr. Michele Cooley-Strickland offers many tips and strategies for gaining the confidence needed to “become less comfortable with the uncomfortable.” She empowers. And she does so for women, especially. Her philosophy? “If you help women, you help society.” Find out what she means in this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters with Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW. And let’s get moving!
