I have social anxiety and OCD, and the combination means I always ruminate after any social interaction I have, including online. Sometimes I'll text my friend, and the message will say "seen," but she doesn't reply. She does eventually, but in the meantime, seeing that the message has been read gives me really bad anxiety. I think, "did I say something wrong?" "is she mad?" There have actually been times where I have said "did I do something wrong?" This can be a lot for people, constantly having to reassure me. It can also put a lot of pressure on people, making them feel like they always have to respond to me. I don't want that at all. In fact, that just fuels the cycle, because then I worry about that. Plus, I can't depend on other people to reassure me. I have to actually deal with this anxiety on my own. Now, I know that the reason my friend doesn't always respond to my messages immediately isn't because she doesn't like me. We've talked about it before, and she's really busy. Sometimes she'll read the message when she's out and about, and wants to sit down while she gives me a meaningful reply. Despite knowing this, my mind always goes to that "she hates me" place. I've been doing better as far as asking for reassurance goes. I no longer say "did I do something wrong?" and I let her reply on her own time. That doesn't change the fact that I'm still anxious on the inside though. Does anyone have any advice on how to calm myself down/reassure myself the next time I'm left on read?