Ask Kati Anything

“Am I an Introvert or is it Social Anxiety?” | ep.215

May 9, 2024

Licensed therapist Kati Morton discusses being honest with therapists about depressive episodes, understanding the difference between intellectual and emotional comprehension, introversion versus social anxiety, body appreciation, getting in touch with emotions, and recognizing physical reactions to emotions. She addresses audience questions on navigating setbacks in mental health progress, exploring emotional expression and trauma work, and embracing body appreciation and functionality.

40:55

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Episode guests

Kati Morton

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Quick takeaways

Admitting relapses to therapists aids in understanding triggers and patterns, enhancing support and treatment plans.

Distinguishing introversion from social anxiety helps in recognizing when to recharge and confront discomfort in social interactions.

Deep dives

Navigating Depressive Episodes with your Therapist

Admitting to slipping into depressive episodes to your therapist can be difficult due to fear of disappointing them. However, therapists don't expect continuous progress and value effort over perfection. Sharing relapses helps therapists understand triggers and patterns, allowing for better support and adjustment of treatment plans to mitigate future episodes.

Introduction

4min

Navigating Setbacks in Mental Health Progress

6min

Exploring Emotional Expression and Trauma Work

19min

Practicing Gratitude for Your Body's Abilities

2min

Embracing Body Appreciation and Functionality

4min

Exploring Anger Through Collaging

6min

This week licensed therapist, Kati Morton shares some ways we can be more honest with our therapist about our depression, the difference between understanding something intellectually versus feeling it emotionally, and introversion versus social anxiety. She then offers some insight into the ways we can appreciate our bodies, how to get in touch with our emotions, and how to tell where you are feeling them in your body.

Audience questions: 1. I find it hard to tell my therapist I feel like I am slipping into another depressive episode. We have done so much work and she has been so proud of me that I feel bad having to say I am slipping. I feel like she will be disappointed in me - even though she'd never admit to it. I want to be honest instead of mask but it's so hard. Why is this so hard for me? 01:10 2. Why is it that intellectually I can understand my adverse childhood experiences and trauma, but emotionally I am an absolute mess? I have been reading many books about ACE's and trauma including both of yours. I bounce between ah ha moments to being unregulated. I can understand why learning was so hard as a child/teenager, my teacher comments that I was "lazy," "not living up to my potential'' or a "daydreamer" are not true, or that I can tune out loud noises or someone talking... 10:46 3. I'm very introverted plus have social anxiety. How can I tell whether I actually need alone time at the moment or am just avoiding it because of the anxiety, but it would be good for me to step outside my comfort zone? 25:11 4. How can I learn to love and appreciate my body? I feel like my body is just this inconvenient attachment I have to lug around all day. I’m irritated when it needs something like food or the bathroom. Sexuality is a completely foreign concept. I’ve done the work to figure out how I got here and obviously there’s many reasons for this. But now I don’t know how to get myself back... 28:09 5. Hi Kati, my question is about getting in touch with your emotions and working through the difficult ones.. for example my therapist told me depression is anger turned inward but everytime I try and get in touch with my anger it doesn’t want to talk to me. I try to work through it during therapy and it doesn’t want to come out. 34:37 6. My therapist tells me that I need to feel my emotions in my body but I can never pinpoint where in my body I feel my emotions, especially positive emotions. 37:38

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