to help readers cope with their anxieties in these stressful times toi has launched talk it out a series under which our panel of expert counsellors will answer your mental health queries this weeks advice is from psychologist pragya lodhai dont feel like leaving home i forget stuff soon i am always in a different world and dont notice anything around me i procrastinate a lot i feel anxious before meeting anyone including my closest friends i want to know how to help myself anonymousthe prolonged period of staying at home as a result of the pandemic has led to us feeling too comfortable at home and consequently also feeling social awkwardness this can be normal acknowledge your feelings and dont resent them or fight them start speaking with your friends over audio and video calls and making short visits outside the house you may do so without motivation as well it is not always necessary to feel motivated in doing the tasks we need to do take it up as a challenge for yourself if you think that will help you accomplish it better remember to start small but start somewhere should the anxiety be beyond manageable do reach out to a mental health professional i am 87 i am retired and on medication for hypertension my problem is sticky song mania my subconscious mind catches a bit from some song a sentence or words they keep repeating so much that i am mentally exhausted the song keeps going even during sleep i have tried to meditate and sit silent sing the song aloud substitute another tune but all in vain kindly advise anonymousearworms can be a common challenge for many you must not resist or curb the song in any way but ironically try singing the song till the end and repeatedly engage in singing till the end every time it comes up in your mind this may help induce boredom and eventually relief you may also try chewing gum or eating any chewy food engage in some alternate repeated exercises of fast counting calculation etc this may help replace the repeated song you may try focusing on your breath to relax should this not settle consult a mental health professional im a 13yearold struggling with sleeping anxiety for the past few months it started one day when i was sleeping but suddenly woke up since then ive had trouble sleeping again for 34 days after this i was unable to sleep at my normal time i usually sleep at 9pm but i was falling asleep at 2am i consulted a therapist and it worked for some time but even today i have trouble falling asleep please help anonymouscould you have any underlying troubling thoughts and emotions that could be worrying you if yes consider journalling the thoughts down as is about one hour before you go to bed you could speak about these issues with your therapist remember therapy is a continuous process give it some