Anxiety

Having a toolbox of anxiety relief coping skills to use when you need them is critical. Getting through each day calls for having more than one skill handy since you'll likely face different situations that may occur unexpectedly. And not all of them can be handled using the same method. Aside from "emergency" relief, though, these skills can also help you to thrive, even while living with anxiety. That's an important consideration. After all, you don't just want to respond to sudden onsets of anxious moments or trigger, you want to remedy your overall state of anxiety. Consider how these following [...]

Perhaps you’ve always known that you are a worrier. Ever since you were little you may have had worries or fears that kept you up at night. And during the day, they may have lingered in the back of your mind, even when you went to school. Maybe you thought that those worries would eventually go away. Yet, as you got older, you might have found yourself carrying all those fears around as an adult. And so, you may have simply accepted this as a normal part of your life. But now, it seems as if those feelings have only gotten worse. [...]

Maybe you find it hard to understand the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack. After all, aren't they the same thing? Actually, not as much as you would think. While people can struggle with either—or both—the reality is that these are two separate problems with distinct differences. Understanding these differences and how and why panic and anxiety attacks happen can be useful when you're looking for ways to manage these problems day-by-day. Let's take a closer look. When You Feel Panic The key thing to keep in mind when it comes to panic attacks is that there is an [...]

Recently, I've had a handful of clients who told me some version of the following: "My friend forwarded me an article about high functioning anxiety. It sounded exactly like me." This piqued my curiosity. 25 years of experience in psychology has familiarized me with the fact that there are waves of symptom clusters that mysteriously find their way through my front door. So too, there are catchphrases that suddenly burst into popular usage. Is the phrase "high functioning anxiety" this years "gaslighting" I wondered? For those of you who don't get this allusion, suddenly in 2019 it became common to mention [...]

When it comes to stress management, it’s important to take advantage of all of your options. You probably have heard about lots of tips and tricks for managing anxiety and stress in your daily life. However, stress therapy may not necessarily have been mentioned. Though, it should also be included in your overall plan to overcome the emotional strain related to anxiety. Why? Because in therapy we can take advantage of specific tools that allow you to not only manage stress but to overcome it as well. If you have been struggling with stress, consider how stress therapy can help you. Finding Understanding [...]

Right now, stress is running very high. With the arrival of the Covid 19 public health emergency, there are so many unknowns, and so many sudden unforeseen pressures.  Surely everyone is being impacted in one way or another.  You likely have had to make dramatic changes to your work and home life. Recently, my clients have reported a host of dramatic changes that upended their lives. These include: Suddenly losing work Working dramatic amounts of overtime Having the kids home all the time Spouses working from the same home as they are Fear of being around others bccause of underlying health [...]

Anxiety Disorders are on the rise globally. In fact, about 30% of all adults will suffer with one during their lifetimes. But what's normal, often isn't what's optimal. Everyone struggles with anxiety sometimes, so how can you tell whether you could benefit from anxiety treatment? Let's begin with the basics. What Are Anxiety Disorders? It's normal to worry sometimes. We all have times when we feels stressed out. And as humans, there are times we face frightening situations. But how do you know if your struggle with anxiety goes beyond that?  What exactly are anxiety disorders?   Two Signs Of Anxiety [...]

When you struggle with anxiety, it can seem as if it will never go away. That's because you're always feeling anxious, to one degree or another, every day. Over time, this can really wear you down, making it hard to enjoy life and get any relief. Perhaps you’ve tried to get help—but nothing seems to work. And maybe you'd rather avoid medication. Don't despair. There are ways to find relief without drugs that you might not be aware of. These natural anxiety treatments, including neurofeedback and EMDR, can help you with finding lasting relief. The trick though is not relying on just [...]

There are two significant consequences of anxiety to consider. The first, of course, is the mental effects of stress on your psyche and well-being. Irritability, sadness, and not feeling in control are all symptoms of mental anxiety and stress. However, does emotional stress affect you physically too? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Stress isn’t just something that can impact you mentally. It is a problem that causes harm throughout your body. And when combined, both the mental and physical symptoms of stress can feed off each other. That makes the problem worse. Here’s how emotional stress affects you physically, and what you can [...]

There is a strong connection between anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome. One of the problems with stress and anxiety is that you can develop physical problems or ailments.  And often, symptoms can be made worse by emotional distress. For instance, we know that anxiety can cause persistent and painful headaches. Moreover, gastrointestinal problems are often linked to anxiety and stress as well. In fact, you may remember being a little nauseous or having a stomachache yourself when feeling stressed.  However, stressful situations can also bring about massive intestinal upset. For instance, an extreme example of how anxiety and stress can affect [...]