How do I stop feeling like I'm always walking on eggshells?
Communication & Conflict
Walking on eggshells often indicates unhealthy relationship dynamics or anxiety; assess whether the environment is truly unsafe or if it's internal hypervigilance.
Feeling like you're always walking on eggshells suggests that you're constantly monitoring your behavior to avoid triggering negative reactions from others. This can happen in genuinely toxic or abusive Interpersonal relationship where someone's mood is unpredictable and their reactions are disproportionate or harmful. In these cases, the hypervigilance is a protective response to real danger, and the solution often involves setting Personal boundaries or removing yourself from the unhealthy dynamic. However, sometimes this feeling stems from your own Anxiety disorder and past experiences rather than current reality. If you grew up in an unpredictable or volatile environment, you might have developed hypervigilance as a survival mechanism that now gets triggered even in safe Interpersonal relationship. You might be reading threat into normal human emotions or conflicts, expecting catastrophic reactions that don't actually materialize. Social Anxiety disorder can also create this feeling by making you hypersensitive to signs of disapproval or rejection, even when they don't exist. The key is assessing whether the eggshell feeling is proportionate to the actual situation. Are the people around you genuinely unpredictable and reactive, or are you projecting past experiences onto current Interpersonal relationship? Do others seem to navigate these Interpersonal relationship without the same level of Anxiety disorder? If the environment is genuinely unsafe, focus on protecting yourself through Personal boundaries, support systems, or exit strategies. If the hypervigilance is coming from within, work on developing a more accurate assessment of actual threat levels. Practice distinguishing between your Anxiety disorder and reality. Consider Psychotherapy to explore where this pattern originated and develop skills for feeling safer in Interpersonal relationship. Remember that healthy Interpersonal relationship should generally feel safe and predictable, not like you're constantly at risk of triggering an explosion.