What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an intense, excessive and persistent fear or worry of day-to-day life situations. It can be about a one-off stressful situation or about perceived scenarios that haven’t taken place. Feelings of anxiety can come on at any time, but being aware of some signs of anxiety can keep you aware and alert. 

Here are some signs that you may be experiencing anxiety: 

1. Feeling a sense of impending doom - Anxiety can show up as a feeling that something bad is about to happen even if there are not tangible signs that there is anything to be concerned about. It is a constant feeling of dread, worrying about the what-if’s of everyday life. 

2. Having trouble concentrating - Staying focused on everyday tasks and routines may become difficult during a bout of anxiety. Feeling like your mind is racing and not able to stay connected to reality are all signs that anxiety may be at work. 

3. Feeling restless or unable to fall asleep - When it’s time to fall asleep, anxiety won’t let you get a moment’s peace. Anxiety likes to take all of your attention and can leave you tired and on edge. 

4. Breathing rapidly or increase in heart rate - Physical signs of anxiety can show up as a pounding of the chest or difficulty breathing. With racing thoughts of the mind, the rest of the body can follow suit and take on outward signs of your internal feelings. 

5. Losing your temper or becoming easily irritated - With worry and anxiety constantly on your mind, it may become difficult to control your emotions. Having a short temper or being easily annoyed are two signs that your worry and anxiety are taking the focus of your day to day life. 

Anxiety can show up for many reasons. Understanding some signs of anxiety can help you identify triggers, assess your emotions and work toward improving your relationship with

Therapists Share 5 Reasons to Embrace Your Fear

Fear is often portrayed in a negative light - as something we need to “defeat.” While it is important to not let fear prevent you from living your life, it is still okay to feel afraid. Fear helps us. It is an important emotion to have. Many of us feel afraid when we are in a situation where we do not yet trust or feel safe. Listening to how we feel in situations can help us learn to trust , connect with others and feel grounded.

Here are 5 ways that fear can be embraced, just remember:

1. Fear is a normal emotion, therefore being afraid is nothing to be embarrassed about.

Experiencing anxiety or fear does not make you weak. It makes you human.

2. Avoiding or denying your fear only allows it to grow.

It is better to acknowledge, embrace, and process your fear than attempt to suppress it.

3. Experiencing fear can be a sign you are stepping out of your comfort zone.

Trying new things can be scary but facing your fears will lead to personal growth.

4. Fear provides a sense of prospective.

In order to fully appreciate the feeling of calmness, you must also know what it is like to feel afraid.

5. You do not always have to “overcome” your fear, as it can protect you.

Sometimes feeling afraid is a warning sign that you should avoid something that could be emotionally triggering or physically dangerous.

Fear is a healthy emotion. Without fear most of us would be in threatening situations or living our life on the edge everyday. A helpful amount of fear is appropriate and well needed to feel balanced.

The 3 R's to Help You Stick to Your Resolution - A Mental Health Perspective

Such as the New Year, I would like to take a closer look at New Year’s Resolutions. How many of us have made one this year, and moving towards the end of the month, aren’t feeling all that hopeful anymore? How many of us have made the same one that we made last year…and the year before that? I am writing this in the hopes that after reading it, you don’t walk away feeling discouraged, or berating yourself. All of us have things about ourselves that we would like to work on, but there are right and wrong ways to go about it. A New Year’s Resolution should not be something for us told hold over our heads like a demanding cloud of gloom. It should a goal. Humans are creatures of habit. If you have been doing the same things for the past fifteen, or even five years, please do not think that you will suddenly be able to change it at the stroke of midnight. 

The same way that a habit is made, it can be broken. Some of us don’t know how we even got to the point that we are at today, we just know that change is necessary. Know that is half the battle, having the motivation to see it through, is the other half. I would like to share a little bit of knowledge that I acquired recently that might make this whole thing seem a little more feasible. 

What are the 3 R’s of Habit Formation? 

Reminder: The Reminder is a trigger and it can come in the form of many different forms such as a location, time, struggle, emotion, or action. A good amount of the time, this isn’t something that is within our power to change.

Routine: Then there is the Routine, which is what we do in response to the Reminder. This is where change happens. You control how you respond to that Reminder, and you alter your process. Try doing this 21 days in a row, however big or small it may be, and you are on track to modeling a new behavior.

Reward: The last is the Reward, and this is the joy within ourselves that we feel after a job well done. Don’t forget to celebrate each day that you accomplish your daily goals.

This formula is broad for the purpose of it being adaptable to all of your different situations and work habits. There is wiggle room, and forgiveness if you allow it. There isn’t room for self-doubt, or beating yourself out, so leave it all at the door, and see what happens. I wish you guys the best of luck in all that you set out to accomplish and have the happiest of New Years.