Anxiety Therapy

While anxiety is a normal human experience, it’s not always easy to manage on your own. Anxiety can make you feel like you don’t have control over your life. Although everyone experiences anxiety occasionally, persistent or chronic anxiety can be a significant issue for many people. If you struggle with anxiety, you’re not alone. It’s important to find effective ways to manage the symptoms and combat its effects. Remember, your anxiety doesn’t define you. Even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment, it is possible to overcome these thoughts and feelings. Let’s learn more about how creative expression can help combat anxiety.

No matter if you had a good upbringing or not, many people prefer to keep their past in their rearview mirror. For some, it isn’t always that easy. No matter how painful the memories are or how hard they try to forget about them and move on, it’s part of them. Those good and bad experiences are what shape everyone into the people they are today. Individuals who experience a negative upbringing like a childhood trauma don’t always have the luxury of leaving it behind them. Most of the time, other signs, symptoms, and disorders may form. Let’s learn more about the connection between childhood trauma and anxiety.

When most people carry in groceries, they apply a certain strategy to it. Carry the heavy stuff first, then finish with the light stuff. Once everything’s inside, you’re done for a couple weeks until you have to shop again. High-five! Carrying in groceries is similar to acute pain caused by injury or disease that heals over a short period of time. Chronic pain is different. It looks like carrying in groceries every day without much of an option to choose a lighter load over a heavy one. You don’t even get the satisfaction of fresh food after exerting so much energy. Instead, you feel constantly drained with no reward. Even worse, no one can see the bags you’re carrying. They’re invisible weights stuck to you—the reason you need an accessible parking spot. (Despite judgy glances of pain-free people around you.) Just because your struggle isn’t visible does not mean you deserve no accommodations or help. Living with constant pain, dealing with others’ judgment, and feeling like you’re missing out on life can cause anxiety symptoms to spike. The added stress can irritate physical pain, and the cycle continues. Let’s talk about anxiety, chronic pain, and how to cope with it.

You’ve known for a while that you’ve been struggling with anxiety. At first, you may not have wanted to admit it to yourself. But you can’t ignore the signs and symptoms you’ve been experiencing anymore. A lot of people go to therapy or take medication for anxiety, but that may not feel like something you’re interested in or ready to try — and that’s okay. Luckily, there are many different treatment options for anxiety, and medication isn’t the only combatant. Let’s learn more about effective natural solutions for reducing anxiety.

So, you’re a bit of a perfectionist. You’ve been an overachiever for as long as you can remember. You completed all of your homework on time, studied as hard as you could, and tried to always aim for 100% or even extra credit when possible. This quality didn’t just stop at your education, though. You like to make sure that your dishes are always washed and put away, your bed is always made in the morning, and your yard is well-groomed and maintained. You like things done a certain way. There’s nothing wrong with that. That is, until it starts to get in the way of how you live your life.

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.

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.

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.

You want nothing more than to come home from work and crawl into bed. You’ve practically been dreaming about it since you woke up this morning. This week has felt long. You’re exhausted. And to be honest, you haven’t been sleeping that well. When you finally get home from work, you cook yourself dinner, shower, and start to get ready for bed. You run through your list of to-dos before bed. Teeth brushed. Check. Face washed. Check. Pajamas on. Check. Alarm set. Check. Lights off. Check. You crawl into bed, pull the covers up to your chin, and plug in your phone. You close your eyes and you wait until sleep takes over your body. But it doesn’t happen. Instead, your mind starts racing. You can’t stop thinking about events that took place during your day, from years ago, and even events that haven’t even occurred yet. Your heartbeat quickens. You’re antsy and restless. Instead of your eyes greeting your eyelids and wandering off to a peaceful sleep, you’re met with anxiety instead. What makes anxiety worse at night?

A pocket watch swaying back and forth. A spiral of white and black swirling and spinning. Closing your eyes. Clearing your mind. Entering a state of hypnosis. I know what you’re thinking, ‘hypnosis?!’ It’s something we see in cartoons or is sometimes even used as a premise in thriller movies. However, there’s a lot that TV and movies get wrong about hypnosis.