I'm Maura Aronsmeli, and this is The Anxious Achiever.

We look at stories from business leaders who have dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges,

how they fell down, how they pick themselves up, and how they hope workplaces can change in the future.

One thing about us humans, we are adaptable. If you've been working remotely from your house for the past year,

chances are you've gotten used to it. I hate using this

phrase new normal, but after over a year of working remotely, being stuck inside, away from

friends and loved ones, away from a lot of the normal, outward focused, performative stuff that we successful human

beings do to get ahead in the society. We not just persevered. We made it work. And a lot of us,

frankly, have gotten used to not having to dress up.

I feel scary to leave the nest.

But now we have to go gear up for another change, going back out into the world,

back into the office, the boardroom, the conference, the bar, the mixer, the airport.

And for many people who struggle with social anxiety, this in itself is scary. So joining me now is Dr. Jenny Tates. Dr. Jenny Tates

is board certified in cognitive behavioral therapy, and she's one of the first psychologists to merit

the Linnehan Board Certification in DBT, dialectical behavior therapy. She practices in Los Angeles

in private practice, and she's an expert in helping people working and living with social

anxiety.

So, Jenny, what are you thinking about when you think about social anxiety right now?

We're hearing a lot about sort of this post-pandemic social anxiety syndrome.

What do you think that's really about? Well, social worries make sense.

I mean, we've been away from socializing in the ways we conventionally socialized for a year. And so it especially makes sense if you're someone who has struggled with social worries or who has

had a hard year emotionally. But I also want to highlight that this is,

...