Emotional Risk And Fear About Video Calls
Do you ever get anxious about joining a video call? Maybe you get “too invested” and the internet feels more important than the real world?
When you talk to people online, it’s easy to feel emotional risk. You’re sitting in front of the camera and the technology blocks out all other distractions. You might go into “stage fright.”
For a lot of people, talking online can cause chest tightness anxiety or even shortness of breath anxiety. When they talk to other people online, they can feel a real fear of loss. Good thing if you’re ready to work with an anxiety therapist, you can truly change the way you experience challenges like this.
Anxiety Can Give You Fear Of Loss
Maybe you feel more anxious the closer you get to starting the call, which could make you nervous about messing up. You might even worry if you mess up you’re going to lose out on something important.
But pause and reflect. Is that really true? And let’s ask this in the form of a classic question from cognitive therapy…
Where’s Your Evidence?
In other words: How can you prove that, if you make a mistake on Zoom, you will face negative consequences?
Most of the time when people interact online and someone makes a mistake, it’s really no big loss. Most people aren’t going to make a big deal about it. However, it could be that person believes it’s a big loss because they also feel emotionally vulnerable and at risk.
So what’s the evidence against this idea there’s something to lose? Have you overlooked any evidence you might have a successful Zoom experience? Cognitive therapy recommends we look for “evidence” to back up our logic because if it doesn’t make sense upon closer look, it’s best to let go and focus on moving forward.
If a person thinks talking to someone online is going to provoke anxiety, could this make them feel anxious? What you’ll find is, for most people, your feelings validate your thoughts and together they build on each other. And that is why an anxious person will take negative thoughts to mean there’s got to be something to fear. Fortunately, anxiety therapy can help an anxious person learn the potential for happiness that exists when you know how to manage anxiety symptoms. And also:
Remember that a possibility is not a probability.
Just because you might have a bad Zoom call doesn’t necessarily mean you will. The next call might be a gain, not a loss. And the same is true about any other experience!
Your feelings are valid, which is exactly why it’s to your advantage to back up and support the feelings that are most important to you. If you focus on this in anxiety therapy, you’ll process how you experience life differently and you’ll start to heal. If you’d like to get started on this with me, please reach out.
Find out more about Anxiety Treatment.
About The Author
John Younes, JD, MA, LPCC, NCC is a trained counselor who owns a private practice in Denver, CO. In general, he specializes in depression treatment and anxiety treatment using existential and cognitive therapy practices.
Before I go, if you’re thinking about suicide and are in immediate danger, please call your local emergency number… so for Denver, Colorado, call 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.