On-Demand Webinars

Understanding and Overcoming Relationship Anxiety

 

 

In this Webinar: 

While the notion of falling in love can sound blissful, interpersonal relationships almost always challenge us in ways we don’t expect. Relationship anxiety can arise at various points in a relationship from the moment we first start dating to when we decide to make a symbolic commitment, like moving in together or getting married. In large part, this anxiety has to do with our past. Circumstances and dynamics in our closest relationships often trigger old feelings such as insecurity, fear, rejection, or abandonment. They challenge long-held, often negative self-concepts and threaten defenses that made us feel safe early in our lives but actually hurt or limit our current relationships.

In this Webinar, Dr. Lisa Firestone will shed light on why we experience relationship anxiety. Where do our fears come from? She will introduce the concept of attachment theory and explain how our early attachments styles can shape our feelings and actions in our adult relationships. She will further explain the influence of the “critical inner voice,” a negative thought process we internalize early in life based on hurtful attitudes and experiences. This critical inner voice goes on to perpetuate our anxiety by filling our heads with critical, shaming thoughts about ourselves, and even our romantic partner or potential partners.

Dr. Firestone will introduce methods that can help individuals overcome their relationship anxiety by making connections to their past, creating a coherent narrative, and identifying and challenging this destructive inner voice. She will explain how practicing mindfulness and self-compassion are valuable tools to help people cope with the anxiety that comes with change. The Webinar will reveal how, when armed with these introspective tools, individuals can create more secure attachments and enjoy closer, more fulfilling and more enjoyable, loving relationships.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify clients’ negative thought patterns/ attitudes that influence relationship anxiety
  2. Discuss a cognitive/affective/behavioral approach for challenging critical inner voices
  3. Describe strategies to help clients tolerate anxiety associated in making changes
  4. Help clients identify their early attachment style.
  5. Recognize how early adaptation patterns shape a client’s attachment style and adult relationships.
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Ordering Information

Once payment is received, you will be emailed a full video recording of this webinar along with all presentation materials.

Optional CEs (2) may be purchased through R. Cassidy Seminars. A link to purchase CE Credits will be included in the email containing all your webinar resourcesMore Info Here

Continuing Education Information

Optional CEs (2) may be purchased through R. Cassidy Seminars. A link to purchase CE Credits will be included in the email containing all your webinar resourcesMore Info Here

About the Presenter

Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. Dr. Lisa Firestone is the Director of Research and Education at The Glendon Association. An accomplished and much requested lecturer, Dr. Firestone speaks at national and international conferences in the areas of couple relations, parenting, and suicide and violence prevention. Dr. Firestone has published numerous professional articles, and most recently was the co-author of Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships (APA Books, 2006), Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice (New Harbinger, 2002), Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: The Wisdom of Psychotherapy (APA Books, 2003) and The Self Under Siege (Routledge, 2012). Follow Dr. Firestone on Twitter or Google.

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15 Comments

confused

i have this problem ,,,,, not sure how to deal with it just reading about helped me know that this is a really feeling that i bring on myself ……thx for the info

Carol Camarillo

Yes explain this to him. Get help and ask him to be patient and back off a bit but not completely. FOLLOW THROUGH

Precious Joy Balaba

I have been relationship with a man for 5 months and his a muslim and im non-muslim.Despite we had differences but we still respect each other he also accept me for who I am and completely accept me even I have a daughter.Were comfortable each other but sometimes I can’t even control myself to think negative about him when he couldn’t able to answer my call and respond my message immediately.For few days I felt uncertain things happen in our relationship lack of trust with him and felt anxious so many things tend to our relationship.How can I able to overcome this kind of feelings I’m overthinking acting paranoid lately.

Caroline

Hey joy hopefully everything worked out with you and your significant other. I’m also dealing with the same thing my boyfriend is mutism and imp non muslin , this could be one of my fears because he comes from different background . But I’m trying to fight for this relationship because , I truly love him but somehow I’m constant thinking that we are not going to be able to stay together for any longer .

Mel

Hi Caroline, i am in the same boat but i am the muslim boyfriend to a Christian girl.. i also have some fears and worries despite loving her immensely.. it is going perfectly for now (5 months in) but i keep getting that feeling that it’s not gonna work out despite my pure intentions..
Can you elaborate more from your side of the fence why you think that could be the case?

gladys

i feel like i lost myself, and my boyfriend. i still love him, but i guess in a way, i feel like i lost interest, but i haven’t. i still cry from the thought of losing him. i mention him in my prayers. i’ve been dwelling on the past a lot, and i hate thinking about my ex. lately, i’ve been really jealous, and i’ve been feeling fear of losing him. i really really love him! my boyfriend is not a big fan of the jealousy i acquire. he gets really fed up with how i act, and that just aggravates the feeling of him falling out of love with me. (i assume) he always says he’s not losing interest, but i find that hard to believe. i’m just so annoying, and i’m mentally exhausted. i’m telling myself i won’t give up. i really don’t want to lose him. i want to keep him. i just need help, please.

Blessy

Maybe you’ve been through something in your past which made you suffer from such thoughts …. You can look for the positive aspects of being in a relationship ( having someone who’ll listen to you when no one else will, will love your flaws) which may help you to believe in a long term relationship ….. Without any fear and bad thoughts…

lexi

i’ve been seeing someone for 5 months now and started feeling anxious at the beginning of this month. I’ve never been in love before and am honestly scared of it. I’m scared to lose myself to someone else or have them come into my life and mess it up somehow. But this guy, he’s so incredible so idk why i’m so scared?? I’m so anxious over losing him and also anxious to get more serious with him. I find myself self-sabotaging and constantly questioning my feelings for him. Anyone else feel this?

John Riggs

My wife is Australian and lives with me in the UK. She goes to visit her sons every few years, and upto now, I have accomopanied her. But this time, I couldn’t get a visa. I begged her to just book a two week visit, but despite my pleas, she booked a full calendar month. We chat every evening on Messenger, and I miss her so much. But I’m seething with anger because she ignored my pleas…. I’m scared I may say something and cause an argument, whilst we’re 10,000 miles apart, and these negative thoughts, like “If she cared about me, she would have never ignored me…” type thoughts keep crowding out the love I feel for her. She’s due back next week and I hope I can keep my anger and hurt under control.

V

I have been feeling this for quite some time now. When he is near I’m scared, I get anxious when I have to meet him. But I’m comfortable when we maintain a distance between both of us. This has started recently. When we started dating there was no limitation we can talk about anything and felt like both of us could understand. But it went down drain after we started a long distance relationship. I’m scared to talk, see him. I start feeling nervous even at the thought that I’m gonna see him that day.

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