Trauma takes a toll on your mind and body. Going through the trauma response and trying to process the experience afterward can make you feel exhausted, anxious, or distressed. One way you might unknowingly cope with the aftermath of trauma is by going numb. If you return to this coping mechanism any time you’re stressed, you’ll find yourself disconnected from yourself and others.
Anxiety is a complicated thing. It’s characterized by intense worry and fear. It can also involve restlessness and insomnia, racing thoughts and irritability. It is not easy to cope with, but counseling helps. However, not everyone with anxiety actually goes to therapy. This can be for a lot of reasons, from the existing stigma surrounding mental health to a lack of available and affordable therapists close by. That’s why a lot of people have turned to mobile apps. There are a variety of available mobile apps centered on improving one’s mental health, and many of these cater to anxiety specifically. But that doesn’t mean they really do help people cope with anxiety.
You never know who is going to give you a call, schedule an appointment, or walk through your office door. Each and every day, you deal with people of all different backgrounds, histories, ages, genders, and experiences. Your clientele is filled with a vast array of different personalities, demographics, and reasons for attending therapy in the first place.
Depression is commonly known as a pervasive sense of sadness. It’s often not something thought of from a tangible standpoint. However, like any illness, it has physical effects on the body. Not only does depression affect our bodies through fatigue and appetite changes—it also has specific effects on the brain. Let’s look at how depression affects your brain.
Your friends and family have always said you were a little too sensitive. You’ve been told that it isn’t as big of a deal as you’re making it seem, that you shouldn’t be crying, or to just get over it more times than you can count. If only it were that easy. You can’t just turn it off. You’re not choosing to be this emotional or sensitive, it just happens. It’s who you are. It’s part of your personality. You’re a highly sensitive person. You know you’re different from most of your loved ones with your sensitivity levels and emotions, but in what other ways are you different? Let’s learn more about how a highly sensitive person’s brain is different.
Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night? No matter how tired or exhausted you are, you can’t seem to quiet your mind enough to relax and fall asleep. Maybe you actually can’t remember the last time you had a good night of sleep. Instead of counting sheep, you’re counting the number of hours you’ll get if you fall asleep right at the present moment. Unfortunately, with each passing minute, your number of hours is reduced. Nighttime anxiety is a struggle many people face. Fortunately, there are ways to address it.
Day in and day out, you’re taking care of other people. You’re listening to them, asking them to dive deeper into their thoughts and emotions, and helping them with healthy coping strategies. You’re there for all of your clients, each and every day. You’re the person they run to when they need help or when they’re seeking advice. But who’s taking care of you? Who’s there for you when you need help? Therapists need help every now and then too. Part of the job is to empathize with others’ experiences, which can take a toll. Here’s how therapists can cope with the emotional burden of their work.
It’s highly likely that you’ve been compared to at least one member of your family within your lifetime, especially while you were growing up. Certain traits or qualities are known to run within a family. You may share similar features or skills to your parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles. Your hair and eye color may have been passed on from one or both of your parents. The height, weight, and build you are may run in your family as well. Even some of your personality traits may have been passed on or even learned from watching members of your family while you were growing up. Unfortunately, both positive and negative traits can be passed on or inherited. Diseases, disorders, and even trauma can also be passed on from a grandparent to a parent and then onto you and your family. You might be thinking, “How can trauma be passed on if you didn’t experience the trauma yourself?” Let’s find out what exactly generational trauma is, and, and how it gets passed down.
Culture is defined as the way of life that is passed down from generation to generation. Culture includes things like art and beliefs, as well as institutions like social, religious, and educational organizations. The way that a society dresses, behaves, thinks, and speaks is defined by its culture. There are differences based on culture all across the world. Another way that culture can impact an individual is with an individual’s mental health. Let’s learn more about how cultural expectations can play a role in depression.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “I am a perfectionist” before. Whether you were the one that spoke those words or you heard them from a loved one, classmate, or colleague, you’re familiar with the phrase and what it means. Perfectionism is often seen as a good thing. You’re striving for the best. You have extremely high standards for yourself. 10 out of 10. 100%. A perfect score. No errors or mistakes. No need for improvement. In reality, perfectionism can actually be an issue because nothing can be truly perfect all the time. Let’s learn more about perfectionism and why it’s actually a problem.
