Anxiety Treatment NYC: Why Your Online Life Keeps You Worried and Upset 

Once upon a time, life under a microscope used to be something to avoid. Constant exposure, invasion of privacy, and unmitigated attention were unwanted and unsolicited. But those were the “before times.”

Before search engines, selfies, social media, internet dating, online shopping, and a pandemic made online life a necessity.

Now, being seen, heard, and scrutinized online feels inescapable and complicated. And if you’re like many others online day in and day out, internet anxiety is a very real thing.

Anxiety Treatment NYC: Why You Feel So Anxious About All Those Online Posts & Pictures 

Persistent online exposure isn’t natural. It’s something we do and feel compelled to continue for a host of reasons. It is hard for most of us to resist the call to connect socially, vocationally, or recreationally online. Yet, the pressure to lay your image, life, and opinions out for all to see can have a major influence on your mental health and self-perception over time. 

Before you know it, your real life and relationships can become skewed and a source of strain as you try to reconcile what you’ve created online and in your reality.

To protect your mental health and ease your internet anxiety, consider the following:

Watch Out for Online Stranger Danger

The truth? The internet is a place where strangers matter. This can be wonderful, as it can connect us in unique and beneficial ways.

Until it doesn’t.

Another unfortunate truth about our online lives today is that we’ve given over our privacy and emotional safety to huge numbers of viewers we don’t know well or at all. After enough comments, likes, and subscribers, this can start to feel like a major sacrifice.

Soon, this kind of exposure to strangers is stressful. You fret because you don’t really know if these strangers get you. You may place all kinds of pressure on yourself to make people you don’t know “like” you. It can become unreasonably important to be appealing and acceptable as a means of soothing the uncertainty of not knowing what kind of impression you’re making to strangers online.

If you’ve surrendered your privacy to the persistent judgment of online opinion, it’s likely time to seek out the love and attention of the people you really care about.

Your Virtual Image May be Fueling Fight-or-Flight

Does “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” feel like an everyday experience online?

You aren’t alone. For legions of internet users, influencers, and personalities creating an online persona no longer feels like a fun and creative process. It feels like a job… and a dead-end one at that. Why? Because their image, content, and perspectives leave little room for growth or change. 

In other words, the platform or opinions that gained you a following may be smothering your ability to share and express yourself freely. 

Perhaps you find that fear drives your online interactions now. You fear being rejected for views that deviate from your followers. Or you fear that they will misinterpret your silence on a topic. Or you fear that someone else will replace you online if you aren’t living up to your followers’ expectations. 

Things can feel out of control when anxiety about your own thoughts (and whether it’s safe to express them) plague you with every keystroke. You may feel overwhelmed by thoughts like: “How will readers respond? Why haven’t my followers responded yet? What will viewers say?”

You may even experience shame or a crisis of identity, as you try to stoke support and validation while avoiding judgment or backlash. Is your online persona driving such chronic stress and hypervigilance? If so, it’s time to delete accounts, unplug, and focus on real-world relationships.

Anxiety Treatment NYC: How Therapy Can Help

So, what’s next? Reach out to a therapist who understands the link between your online habits and your mental health. There is no shame in needing support as you sort out the ways online interaction impacts your moods and emotions.  

Learn more about our Anxiety Treatment counseling services for help.  

The Relationship Suite

We are a group of skilled therapists specializing in individual and couples counseling. We work with couples both in person and Online in New York, and New York City including Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island, Port Washington, Manhasset, Roslyn, South Hampton, East Hampton, and Montauk. To schedule a complimentary consultation, click HERE.

We also provide Virtual Counseling in New Jersey, Hoboken, Jersey City, Princeton, Chatham, Morris, Westfield, Union, Bergen County, Colts Neck, and Tenafly. Schedule a complimentary consultation by clicking HERE.