Seems I misunderstood the directive -- a very common problem I have. I didn't visit a psychiatrist today; she was a psycholoGIST. I've generally had good experiences as a social worker with the "gists", so this put me much more at ease.
Of course, this is the quintessential problem with anxiety -- so often I get all worked up over nothing!! In my mind's eye, it has to be this way, though. I find that I react to different situations better if I worry about them ahead of time as opposed to not worrying about it and then facing a situation I'm not even slightly prepared for. Generally, when the latter occurs, my reaction is very similar to that of a deer caught in the headlights!
The interview still was interesting and a bit nerve-wracking. As someone who used to be a social worker, it's hard for me not to analyze what kind of response each question is looking for. Mind you, I'm not saying that I wanted to say what I thought she wanted to hear, but I always try to figure out the underlying purpose of each query.
Aside from talking about my various physical and psychological issues, the later portion of our 2-hour session focused on my ability to remember numbers (which I did so-so at) and my interpretation of words and parables.
One section dealt with the psychologist stating a word and then I was to offer its opposite. This was very easy, except when we got to the word, night. Initially, I said nothing. I then stated that I realized she would expect me to say "day", but I personally don't consider day as being the opposite of night. They are each one portion of what we commonly call a day. My wife later remarked that, as is my penchant, I was being too literal!
Another section dealt with the psychologist offering an axiom and for me to say what it means. The first one was "All that glitters is not gold." I said that this was another way of saying don't judge a book by its cover. The second one, however, stumped me -- Still waters run deep. I've never really understood that one and so I said nothing.
All in all, the experience was not as bad as I had expected or maybe it was and I just didn't realize it.
Of course, this is the quintessential problem with anxiety -- so often I get all worked up over nothing!! In my mind's eye, it has to be this way, though. I find that I react to different situations better if I worry about them ahead of time as opposed to not worrying about it and then facing a situation I'm not even slightly prepared for. Generally, when the latter occurs, my reaction is very similar to that of a deer caught in the headlights!
The interview still was interesting and a bit nerve-wracking. As someone who used to be a social worker, it's hard for me not to analyze what kind of response each question is looking for. Mind you, I'm not saying that I wanted to say what I thought she wanted to hear, but I always try to figure out the underlying purpose of each query.
Aside from talking about my various physical and psychological issues, the later portion of our 2-hour session focused on my ability to remember numbers (which I did so-so at) and my interpretation of words and parables.
One section dealt with the psychologist stating a word and then I was to offer its opposite. This was very easy, except when we got to the word, night. Initially, I said nothing. I then stated that I realized she would expect me to say "day", but I personally don't consider day as being the opposite of night. They are each one portion of what we commonly call a day. My wife later remarked that, as is my penchant, I was being too literal!
Another section dealt with the psychologist offering an axiom and for me to say what it means. The first one was "All that glitters is not gold." I said that this was another way of saying don't judge a book by its cover. The second one, however, stumped me -- Still waters run deep. I've never really understood that one and so I said nothing.
All in all, the experience was not as bad as I had expected or maybe it was and I just didn't realize it.
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