RealPositiveGirl - Weekly Encouragement & Mental Health

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Wednesday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety affects people all over the world in different ways & to different degrees, but the core thought that so many people are affected by social interactions still brings a sense of unity when figuring out how to go about overcoming its symptoms.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on how to overcome social anxiety, challenge it on the regular & understand more about the disorder, in general.

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Dr. David Moscovitch came up with the idea that there are 4 types of Social Anxiety to exam, as opposed to thinking of the disorder in terms of the fear types it creates.
• And that the biggest fear for someone with social anxiety is that a fatal flaw will be revealed to others.
• Author of the book, How To Be Yourself, Ellen Hendricksen, said that this fear of the “big reveal” is the fear of someone figuring out what is wrong with you.
• The four types are: Social Skills, Fear of Anxiety Symptoms Being Noticed by Others, Flaws in your Appearance, and Flaws in Your Personality/Character.
• The fear of your problem with Social Skills being revealed relates to not knowing how to act in social situations, not knowing how to interact with others or fear of possibly making a mistake. 
• This type of fear usually arises when there is a fear of being judged or rejected. And will lead to not speaking in social settings or feeling the need to prep ahead of time.
• Next, having Anxiety about your anxiety is the fear of symptoms slipping through & being revealed when others are around or a situation you have to perform. It tends to happen when you are in the spotlight & worry about shaking, sweating & looking nervous.
• The problem with this fear is that your attempts at trying to hide your symptoms just make everything worse. The ideal is to learn how to calm yourself in those moments & sort of fake it until you make it to get through it. Ideally over time, learning to become calm & slowly face & accept the fears & phobias head-on will help in the long run of overcoming it.
• Research tells us that those with social anxiety suffer more than likely have issues with distorted body image. And this is the third type I want to discuss, anxiety about how you look.
• All in all, no matter what others tell you, only what you tell yourself is going to matter, so if your thoughts do not change, this fear will not get any better.
• Lastly, anxiety about your personality and/or character is rooted in thinking you are boring, stupid, not cool enough to hang with others.
• And the place you are more often than not going to experience this fear is in direct conversations with someone else, at parties, on dates, those sorts of experiences. In those types of situations, you may feel the pressure to reveal something about yourself, leading you to feel like you won’t be up to snuff.
• This also leans towards perfectionist tendencies. And just remember that if someone isn’t willing to accept you for who you are, then that’s fine. There are others who will.

Please share this podcast with anyone that

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Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
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Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Tuesday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety affects people all over the world in different ways & to different degrees, but the core thought that so many people are affected by social interactions still brings a sense of unity when figuring out how to go about overcoming its symptoms.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on how to overcome social anxiety, challenge it on the regular & understand more about the disorder, in general.

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Research shows that parents who have social anxiety have a 30-40% of passing it along genetically to their children. But it’s tough to know how much of that is actual genetics & just parenting style.
• And there is a connection between negative parenting styles & the development of anxiety, including social anxiety. With behaviors like being overcontrolling, quick to criticize, lack of showing affection, a child’s view of the world & self-image can be poorly shaped & developed.
• What can happen is children raised like this will become more fearful & less trustful of others, with their self-esteem, self-worth & self-confidence negatively affected, as well.
• In addition to developing social anxiety during childhood, it can occur from a variety of environmental factors. Some examples are being bullied, physical/sexual/emotional abuse, divorce, domestic violence, family distress, death or leaving of a parent, and many other traumatic events.
• It’s those traumatic events that reinforce that the world is a scary place & unreliable to be in that causes social anxiety to develop. 
• Also, a serotonin imbalance can contribute to this disorder. Serotonin is the chemical that regulates mood in the brain. In addition to that, an overactive amygdala, which is a structure in the brain that controls fear response & feelings or thoughts of anxiety, can also cause the disorder. When we encounter a perceived threat & anxiety, focus shifts to the prefrontal cortex, which is supposed to calm those reactions by assessing the situation & tell the amygdala to chill if there is no real threat. But for those suffering from social anxiety, the prefrontal cortex actually gets the amygdala all jacked up instead of calmed down, therein interpreting social experiences as threats & not being able to rationally evaluate the situation.
• For me growing up, I had an isolated upbringing, being left alone constantly & tons of fear instilled into me from a young age. Also the ways my parents parented me was not the best at all. Raised by a drug dealer, a narcissist & a bunch of random people along the way gave me a difficult childhood. But there were a few bursts of hope in there, helping me to become the person I am today.
• But whether your social anxiety has to do with how your parents treated, trauma you experienced growing or an imbalance in your brain, it still isn’t something that reflects truly who you are & everything about you. 
• You are not defined by your struggles or illnesses. Those things shape us into who we are & help us grow, but aren’t the end all, be all.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Monday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety affects people all over the world in different ways & to different degrees, but the core thought that so many people are affected by social interactions still brings a sense of unity when figuring out how to go about overcoming its symptoms.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on how to overcome social anxiety, challenge it on the regular & understand more about the disorder, in general.

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Let me start this episode with some stats. Approx. 18% of Americans suffer from it, which equates to over 15 million Americans & probably many more with those that are undiagnosed. And only approx. 37% of people affected are actually getting treatment, which is only 6 out of every 10 people affected.
• In all psychological diagnoses, almost 7% of those have Social Anxiety Disorder. And did you know that 50% of all diagnoses happen by age 11 & 80% of all diagnoses happen before age 20. And 60% of all cases are women.
• Now, let’s talk about what social anxiety is: It’s a chronic mental health condition that causes irrational anxiety within social interactions. And I don’t want you to be put off by the word ‘irrational’ because it’s not meant to be something offensive, but to describe your feelings lacking sound judgment, lacking mental clarity & general reason.
• Social anxiety generally affects those in social interactions & causes fear, self-consciousness, & embarrassment. Some symptoms include fear of situations where they will be judged, be worried about embarrassment, offending someone else or being humiliated.
• The negative connotations of possibly being judged by others can be a crushing fear. I experience this on the regular. And it can cause the avoidance of social situations all together because the fear of embarrassment or feeling awkward is too overwhelming.
• Social Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed generally when these feelings impede on your daily life.
• It was psychologist David Moscovitch that came up with the idea that social anxiety fears can be broken up into 4 different parts, rather than it being based on the type of situation you are in, like public speaking or direct conversations with someone else. Dr. Moscovitch proposed that those suffering from social anxiety are suffering more from a big flaw of theirs being revealed, not the situation itself. I think this is true.
• The four parts are 1. Flaws in Your Social Skills, 2. Fear that Anxiety Symptoms Will Be Noticeable, 3. Your Appearance, & 4. Your Personality & Character.
• Social anxiety is different for everyone, which means it could just be a public speaking fear, or so much more. It could be having the fear of showing your anxiety, of people finding out you have social anxiety, of not knowing what the right thing to do is in gatherings.
• It varies by person, as most mental health conditions do & most importantly, it doesn’t define you. It’s a part of you & may feel like it defines who you are because the feelings are so overwhelming, but you can gain control & overcome the power you feel it has over you.

Please share this podcast wi

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Friday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: How To: Rest

Taking the time to rest is SUPER important to prevent personal break down & burn-out. It's something we all need to accept as a necessity & start implementing into our lives.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on why rest is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are valuable!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Rest can really help you better serve others in your life, but do not forget how important rest is for you alone.
• It can be tough as a people pleaser, perfectionist or just normal person to do something that is solely for yourself on the daily, but you have to know that it’s crazy necessary.
• Someone else is not going to rest for you or probably push you to take rest when you need it or before you get to the burn out point.
• Don’t wait until you are super overwhelmed & stressed & almost or at burn out point for you to rest. Yes, it will help to do it then, but engaging in rest before those things happen will prevent it & keep you going on your journey.
• The basic lesson here is to do things for yourself & know that it’s ok to do so. 
• You have to take care of yourself to have the ability to accomplish all your goals & dreams.
• And don’t let anyone tell you caring for yourself & resting is selfish or unneeded. They either are jealous or misunderstanding the importance of rest in everyone’s lives.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Thank you again for listening & I hope this episode was helpful.

Come visit me on my Instagram page @sabrinajoyperozzo to say hi!

Have any questions, comments or feedback?  Send me an email at [email protected] or visit my website: www.sabrinajoy.com

See you for Next Week's episode!

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Thursday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: How To: Rest

Taking the time to rest is SUPER important to prevent personal break down & burn-out. It's something we all need to accept as a necessity & start implementing into our lives.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on why rest is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are valuable!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Taking rest is great, but if you don’t recover your energy while engaging in rest you are missing out on an important opportunity.
• First, when you decide to take rest, make sure you know why you are taking rest & what you believe you are gaining from resting & how that will impact everything else in your life.
• Also, if you are someone that feels guilty about taking rest, just think about how much better you are able to serve everything & everyone in your life after taking necessary rest.
• Some really good ways to recover & restore your energy are first to take some time sitting in silence & quiet. Sometimes just taking the time to sit still & let any negative feels sort of release & your mind clear. Deep breathing can also be very calming & soothing.
• I find that hugging my pets really helps me to feel restored with energy. I don’t want to go on too much about this because I know not everyone has pets, but it does help.
• And a classic activity that will help re-energize you is exercise. I know that most people, including myself gain so much energy after working out & pushing your body to perform.
• Taking naps is also a very traditional way to feel energized & restored. I know this might not have the same effect on everyone, but it can be something to try if you aren’t already a nap person.
• Trying something different will also help. Switching things up can be really refreshing & help create new energy for yourself by just doing something a different way & changing the way you think about different tasks & experiences.
• To add onto that, getting more sleep will really help, especially if you change your sleeping schedule to get more sleep if you are currently lacking.
• Gratitude will always restore you. Practicing gratitude will humble you & set your mindset & perspective in the right direction if you are getting bogged down by negative issues & distracted by nonsense.
• Do something that will expend some of your creative energy or get you out into nature to appreciate the world around you.
• Accomplish something that will make you feel free, like emptying your email inbox, cleaning up that pile or room you have put off for so long or finish planning something you have procrastinated doing.
• Lastly, spend some time with people you love & enjoy, not people that suck away all your energy.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Thank you again for listening & I hope this episode was helpful.

Come visit me on my Instagram page @sabrinajoyperozzo to say hi!

Have any questions, comments or feedback?  Send me an email at [email protected] or visit my website: www.sabrinajoy.com

See yo

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Wednesday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: How To: Rest

Taking the time to rest is SUPER important to prevent personal break down & burn-out. It's something we all need to accept as a necessity & start implementing into our lives.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on why rest is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are valuable!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• Today I wanted to drop some reminders about rest that you may not think about often or ever. It’s just some simple tips about how to think about rest & small things to remind yourself when you want to take rest.
• Remember that rest is time away that you actually need. 
• Remember that taking rest can be seen as permission to not be helpful.
• Remember that rest can for sure be doing something that is unproductive.
• Remember rest can be considered changing your focus & deciding to focus more on creativity, art & nature.
• Remember that taking rest & being alone & in solitude can recharge & re-energize you.
• Remember that rest can mean taking a break from responsibilities and that’s ok.
• Remember rest can be time used to decompress & de-stress from daily life.
• And lastly, remember that rest should be a safe space for you & that whatever way you want to do it is right.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Thank you again for listening & I hope this episode was helpful.

Come visit me on my Instagram page @sabrinajoyperozzo to say hi!

Have any questions, comments or feedback?  Send me an email at [email protected] or visit my website: www.sabrinajoy.com

See you for Thursday's episode!

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Tuesday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: How To: Rest

Taking the time to rest is SUPER important to prevent personal break down & burn-out. It's something we all need to accept as a necessity & start implementing into our lives.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on why rest is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are valuable!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• With rest comes taking the time to slow our lives down & really enjoy what we are doing.
• It’s important to take the time to actually enjoy the life we are building for ourselves.
• I want to give you some quick tips on how to slow down, enjoy life & really see the benefits of doing so.
• First, you should actually acknowledge how productive you are & know that taking small breaks or not getting things done quite as quickly as normal is totally fine.
• A lot of times we think that by slowing down we will not be as productive, when we should be reminding ourselves of how much we have already done. Something that might be helpful is to create a list of things you have accomplished or been productive in to look back on & remind yourself of how hard you have worked & how much you could benefit from a slow down or break.
• Next, it will be really helpful to pencil in your slow down time so that it actually happens. We all have good intentions to do what is best for ourselves, but a lot of the times it does not happen because other things get in the way. Schedule it to ensure it happens.
• Something I love to do to really enjoy life is to just sit still & observe what is around me. Some may call this people watching or just being out in nature or the world enjoying the environment, and it will be different for everyone. I truly enjoy even doing this in my own home. 
• Take deep breaths, listen to the everyday noises you may miss while constantly wearing headphones or blasting the television & take notice of small details you may not pay attention to normally. This will help you enjoy the very present.
• And don’t forget to have fun! I spoke on flexibility last week & I want to reiterate that it’s an important skill in life to have. Maybe you feel like having fun will take away from possible productivity, but by switching up your routine a bit, being flexible & just trying something different, it could help your mind think better, problem solve better & just have pure enjoyment in life.
• Now you may find it difficult to achieve this in the beginning, which is why it is important to give yourself grace & patience. You may stumble a bit & not fully slow down or really live in the moment appropriately, but just keep trying. That is what will help you the next time you try. Don’t ever give up on yourself.
• Lastly, remember to tell yourself, especially if you are a perfectionist or people pleaser, that busier is not better. That is such a negative societal norm that needs to be done away with. We are not here to work ourselves into the ground. We are here to be grateful for what we have & continue to work for & receive. We are here to live life fully & with joy.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Monday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: How To: Rest

Taking the time to rest is SUPER important to prevent personal break down & burn-out. It's something we all need to accept as a necessity & start implementing into our lives.

I hope this week's episodes are helpful on why rest is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are valuable!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• We all need rest. If we don’t get it, we will break down.
• Rest isn’t just taking a nap or relaxing, it’s actually taking the necessary break from something for both your mind & body. I’m sure you’ve taken a nap & woken up just as or even more tired than you were when you went to sleep.
• You need to be able to get revived & restored so you can move onto the next thing with enough in you to actually accomplish it. You need to replenish your energy sources.
• Not only are you restoring your lost energy with rest, but you are ensuring you will be able to tackle your projects with the same intensity as before or more.
• There are many types of rest that we will discuss more in the coming episodes this week, but to name a few there is: mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual & creative rest that you can take.
• There are also many ways you can activate & engage in rest in your life, like finding self care routines that would work for you, changing your mindset, creating your own ideas on how to make your life easier & schedule less.
• One of the biggest things to take away from this week’s episodes is that you need to learn how to let yourself rest. Allowing yourself to rest without feeling guilty or lazy will be the key to accomplishing more in your life & being fulfilled.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Thank you again for listening & I hope this episode was helpful.

Come visit me on my Instagram page @sabrinajoyperozzo to say hi!

Have any questions, comments or feedback?  Send me an email at [email protected] or visit my website: www.sabrinajoy.com

See you for Tuesday's episode!

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Friday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: The Importance of Self Care

I know Self Care is talked about a lot on the internet, but I am here to breakdown the misguided thoughts & assumptions some have about self care being important to your overall wellbeing.

I hope my break downs on why self care is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are helpful!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• I thought it would be fun to end the week with something very different than I normally talk about here on the podcast.
• Some of us have no problem with getting our self care into our routines, but others may struggle with that task & sometimes doing it as a challenge can be a fun way to work it into your life!
• But, my only disclaimer is that if you do start doing this challenge and it becomes too stressful to keep it up, please take some time to evaluate why adding in something so beneficial is causing you stress & maybe modify the challenge to fit your life for right now.
• Now, normally challenges are already built out for you, but I am encouraging you to create your own so that it fits you best. But I am going to give you some ideas & categories to include so that you have an idea of where to start.
• Make sure you include tasks that involve getting your body moving & some sort of exercise.
• This could be going for a walk, trying a new exercise routine or spending more time stretching. 
• Next, include activities that cause you to slow down & reflect on life, like meditation, reading, journaling, or stepping away from socials & emails for a day.
• It’s also important to include tasks that will push you to learn new things, like listening to podcasts, learning new hobbies, or maybe a documentary online or tv.
• I always talk about gratitude because it’s crucial to everyone’s life & keeping the best mindset, so I suggest taking time to create gratitude lists, volunteering & helping others & reflecting on all the positive things in your life rather than any negative in your life.
• Something you may not think about adding, but that would be very beneficial is to prioritize your sleep. Change your bedtime if you need to get to bed earlier to get more sleep or wake up earlier if you find yourself sleeping the day away or feel better when waking earlier but don’t currently make it happen.
• The last category I want to mention to add to your challenge is regular chores you can add in that will help you feel accomplished, more organized & less anxious. This could be making your bed everyday, track your spending, clean up before bed, saving up for special treats & gifts for yourself, and get better about consuming enough water.
• Creating a daily gratitude list of at least 4 items every single day, drinking a gallon of water every single day, taking walks with my dog, committing to a healthy breakfast, taking time to read for pleasure, saying ‘no’ to something I truly don’t have time for, taking care of my skin with a daily routine, not feeling guilty for taking naps when needed and not obsessing about mistakes I have made.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]

Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to the RealPositiveGirl Podcast!

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Happy Thursday!

This week's theme for the podcast is: The Importance of Self Care

I know Self Care is talked about a lot on the internet, but I am here to breakdown the misguided thoughts & assumptions some have about self care being important to your overall wellbeing.

I hope my break downs on why self care is important & suggestions for how to implement it into your life are helpful!

Here are some notes from today's episode:

• I’m sure that everything I am going to mention here you already know & have heard about for how to practice self care, but I thought it would be important to include some examples of self care that I believe (based on research & personal experience) are most helpful & should be included in your self care routine.
• First, I want to mention getting in exercise or some sort of physical activity.
• You don’t have to be some fitness buff or dedicated to a strict workout routine, you just need to get out and move your body. This could be walking, yoga, weight lifting, dancing, or whatever you enjoy doing that will get your body moving for a bit.
• You want to take care of your body, which will help you be able to continue doing everything else in your life & you truly will feel better doing everything else in your life.
• Next, take time to do activities that will pull you away from technology, allowing you to decompress & enjoy some quiet both around you & in your mind. Try doing meditation, journaling, reading or just go about your day not constantly using your phone or computer.
• Doing this will allow you to have a reset because a lot of times we get caught up in what everyone else is doing online & comparing ourselves to them when we need to turn the focus on ourselves & realize how awesome our own lives are & be grateful for that.
• Another one is, take care of your emotions. Make sure you are not diminishing your own feelings or downplaying anything you are feeling. There is a reason you are going through the emotions that you are & even if you don’t know the reason yet, it’s still important.
• Staying on top of your emotional health will keep you connected to who you are & who you want to keep working towards being & not get lost in overwhelmingness of whatever is going on in your life.
• And I know I have mentioned this before, but I want to remind you that it’s important to recognize what you are feeling, reflect on it & know the reasons & importance of your emotions, but you don’t want to dwell & get too lost of those.
• It can happen so quickly & rabbit holes just appear out of nowhere somehow, so you have to be aware of not letting yourself obsess.
• Lastly, something fun. Make sure you are out there doing things you really enjoy. And if you decide to do things in groups, make sure it is with people that are uplifting & positive influences. You want to make sure those you are spending time with are encouraging your self care, not dragging you down for it.

Please share this podcast with anyone that may need this encouragement!

Thank you again for listening & I hope this episode was helpful.

Come visit me on my Instagram page @sabrinajoyperozzo to say h

Support the show

Watch the Video Version of RPG: https://www.youtube.com/@realpositivegirl/podcasts
Buy the Planner on AMAZON!: https://amzn.to/3WwthT2
Visit me on Instagram or TikTok: @sabrinajoyperozzo
Email Me: [email protected]