Those of us raised in homes where free self-expression was not supported may find ourselves overly focused on what others think or feel about us. This was a common experience for many of us, and I believe it is one reason why social anxiety is such an epidemic today. We see social anxiety and an overfocus on appearance playing out in the new virtual arena of social media that many of us engage with daily—our obsession with “views” and “likes” being driven largely by our unmet need to be seen and heard. Most of us spend loads of mental energy trying to be understood.
