College. It’s either the greatest time of your life (so far) or absolutely terrifying. Or both. Mostly both. But with anxiety issues, something is guaranteed to go wrong. Freshman year is one of the riskiest years of your life in regards to mental health. So if you already know that you have some sort of disorder, or even if you don’t think you do, you should go see a … [Read more...]
Get Away from Anxiety and Stress
If there’s one thing that is most helpful when you’re having an anxiety attack or even just feel the anxiety building up inside of you, it’s the knowledge that there is always an escape. Having somewhere to go when you really need to get away from all of the things that bring up those bad feelings of stress and anxiety is extremely important and can save you from losing … [Read more...]
Test Your Boundaries with Exposure Therapy
It’s true that everyone has something they are afraid of or might cause them some stress. But for individuals with anxiety disorders or phobias that fear can become paralyzing. Phobias are strong and irrational fears of object ts and situations that realistically pose little to no danger. Some common phobias include fear of snakes, fear of heights, and fear of social … [Read more...]
Distraction is the Name of the Game
Night time is when my anxiety attacks seem to peak. My brain is just sitting and thinking about anything and everything in the world, especially things that I am able to avoid thinking about throughout my day. These thoughts are usually the worst case scenario and the hyperbolic worries that are really emotionally damaging. “What if?”. When these two words come up, I know that … [Read more...]
Anxiety and Shame: A Lesson in Courage
Oldie but goodie, this post was originally written by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D in her Psychology Today blog, the Dance of Connection: Finding your voice in an unequal power arrangement-especially when the more powerful person (a teacher, doctor, boss) is shaming you-takes a great amount of courage. Consider my therapy client Margot, whom I first met when she was a high school … [Read more...]
Pet Rocks and Other Stress Relievers
Everyone in the world seems to have the remedy to cure stress. Hot tea, soft music, scented candles and so on. I for one happen to prefer coffee over tea and singing harmonies over the sound of a wave maker. That’s not to say that these well-known remedies don’t work—I happen to thoroughly enjoy my after-finals-week bubble baths. But there are some unspoken truths about stress … [Read more...]
The Power of Affirmations for Anxiety
Many of us want to feel better about ourselves, want to start living a different way, and/or want to just feel comfortable about ourselves. But there are many experiences in life that do the opposite. Maybe during our childhood years, we were told that we weren’t good enough for our parents or were told we were bad kids from our teachers. And these negative statements created … [Read more...]
Support Groups: Moving Treatment Beyond the Dress Rehearsal
EATING DISORDER HOPE, Candice Hershman, MA., LMFT, New Dawn’s Eating Disorder Recovery Center, JULY 30, 2012 Therapists aim to provide clients with an authentic experience: not a dress rehearsal, but rather the actuality of relationship. This experience includes support and positive regard, and also disagreements, misunderstandings, and the necessity to remain engaged in a … [Read more...]
Is Anxiety Overdiagnosed?
Lindsay Abrams, THE ATLANTIC, August 1, 2012 Overlooking socioeconomic conditions and jumping to a psychiatric diagnosis can prevent us from addressing the real issues behind anxiety. The list of practical and existential worries that keep mothers up at night runs long. They worry about their children getting hurt or killed in an accident. They worry that their children will … [Read more...]
CBT Psychotherapy Best For Anxiety Disorders
JANICE WOOD Associate News Editor, Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 29, 2012 A University of Houston researcher has found that patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) — in conjunction with a “transdiagnostic” approach, which allows therapists to use one kind of treatment no matter what … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Improve Depression and Anxiety without Meds
Sheenie Ambarder, M.D., HUFFINGTON POST, May 29, 2012 As a psychiatrist trained in psychopharmacology, it would be easy for me to rely exclusively on psychiatric medications as the be-all, end-all treatment option for patients with mood disorders. Psychiatric medications work, and they work fast, and I use them regularly in my practice to treat a host of problems and … [Read more...]
Yoga for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Yoga Journal, Dr. Timothy McCall, May 7, 2012 Many of the principles discussed in my last column,Yoga for Stress and Burnout, are applicable to anxiety and panic attacks, as those are in many ways exaggerated forms of stress. Both conditions are marked by a rajasic (agitated) state of mind and by what is known in Ayurveda as vata derangement. And both respond to various yogic … [Read more...]
3 Ways To Find The Best Therapist For Your Teen
When faced with the adversity of a Mental Health Illness, finding the “right” therapist can be just as demanding and draining as the illness itself. In times of need, the most important and first step should be finding someone to help. Not everyone is fit for helping. Your teen needs a therapist who can create a welcoming client-to-therapists’ atmosphere which often times is a … [Read more...]
Smells like a Good Idea to Me: Aromatherapy for Anxiety
Smells like a Good Idea to Me When I was younger I used to love buying scented products which what my brother thought was stupid, so he deemed these items “smelly stuff”. While I was a fan of orange sherbet glitter lotion, but I also noticed so called aromatherapy offerings that made claims about helping people to relax, become more energized or happy depending on the scent. … [Read more...]
Anxiety and Sleep
My Anxiety makes it hard to sleep, which makes my Anxiety worse, which makes it harder to sleep I have a friend who has dealt with insomnia for several years. When she’s feeling particularly stressed or anxious she has even more trouble sleeping and then she starts to feel anxious about the fact that she’s not sleeping, making it even more difficult to sleep. Basically it’s a … [Read more...]