Hello! 

I am wondering if anyone has advice on this topic. I have social anxiety, and have recently started therapy (I’ve only had one session). I talked to the therapist about my crippling anxiety, and how I can’t seem to stop worrying about what others think. 

She told me to use the “personal fable” method, where I just keep telling myself that people don’t ACTUALLY think about me that much, and that I am tricking myself into thinking that I’m under everyone’s microscope, when in fact they are just living their lives. 

The problem is that anxiety (at least for me) is not logical. My brain does not listen to that logic. I know someone is not talking about me, but I still feel anxious about it. 

I also find that most of my anxiety is triggered by particular people. I am a good judge of character and I can tell when somebody doesn’t like me. For example, my fiancé has 3 sisters and they all hate me. Every time I go there, they don’t even smile. If I try to say something funny, they don’t laugh. I have become so nervous and anxious around them that I am trembling. I know they don’t like me. 

How do I stop caring when I know that someone doesn’t like me? Because that is going to happen in life. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated!