Some of the most valuable and useful tools I teach people in counseling are breathing exercises. If you struggle with anxiety, stress, or anger then breathing exercises are for you! Sometimes I get clients who scoff at the idea when I bring it up, but the way you breathe is actually really important. We’re going to cover 2 things about breathing in this post: why the way you breath is so important and how to breath to relax and combat anxiety, stress, anger, and even fear. I also recorded my first YouTube video for this post, so be sure to check that out!
Anxiety Counseling
Mindfulness – Here Comes a Thought
My wife has been really into this tv show called Steven Universe for some time. It’s a pretty good show with a lot of valuable life lessons. Occasionally she listens to songs from it on YouTube. This particular one has stood out to me over the past couple of months. It’s a really good representation of mindfulness.
Introversion vs. Extroversion
Most people have some idea of whether they are an introvert or an extrovert, but in my experience, most people don’t really understand what it means to be either. Most people simply think of extroverts as being outgoing and introverts as being shy. Although this can be true, the real distinction is in where each gets their energy from.
Misophonia: Hatred of Sound
This week, as I was driving in my car, listening to my baby crying for half an hour, I was inspired to write about something that has come up in therapy several times over the years: misophonia. Misophonia, literally, the hatred of sound, is a condition which causes sufferers to experience strong emotional and/or physical responses to particular sounds. Common trigger sounds include the sound of chewing, swallowing, coughing, crinkling, and other, primarily bodily sounds.
Things That are Oddly Satisfying
Have you ever experienced something that was oddly satisfying in a way you just couldn’t explain? Those moments when things work out just right and it just feels good?
Mental Health
A few weeks ago BuzzFeed observed a mental health awareness week. They posted several well made videos about mental health. Usually I choose one or two videos on a topic and incorporate them into a blog post, but BuzzFeed made so many good videos that I’ve decided to just compile some of them here. I hope one/some of these speak to you in a useful way.
Anxiety and Decision Fatigue
Have you ever heard of the term Decision Fatigue? Its what happens to you when you have lots of decisions to make throughout your day and your brain starts to get tired from all of the work associated with making those decisions. Decision fatigue can result in all kinds of symptoms like irritability, anxiety, bad decision making, and general mental fatigue. Generally decision fatigue is associated with people who have to make lots of decisions throughout their day. Living in a world where we are frequently given numerous decisions, this is becoming more of a common issue.
How to Harness Your Fidgeting to Control ADHD and Anxiety
You can control ADHD and anxiety with structured fidgeting
Fidgeting is common among people with ADHD and anxiety problems. It used to be thought that fidgeting was a behavior that should be extinguished as much as possible, but recent studies have found that structured fidgeting can actually help people to control ADHD and anxiety. Simple, mindless, repetitive actions can help those with ADHD to focus on tasks that they would normally find difficult to pay attention to. (more…)
The Effects of Stress and Anxiety on the Body
A lot of times people don’t fully understand the effects that stress can have on your body. When you stress about something, your body’s sympathetic nervous system kicks on and gets you ready to fight or flight. Our fight/flight reflexes are evolutionary responses that work to keep us alive by preparing us to deal with perceived danger. Corticosteroids and adrenaline are pumped into the system and give you a burst of energy so you can get away from whatever is stressing you out. The problem is, the body cannot tell the difference between the stress you feel from having to spend time with your in-laws, and the stress you would feel if there were a tiger lurking around wanting to eat you. (more…)
Sometimes the Thing that is Holding you Back is all in Your Head
I frequently post images with inspirational quotes on my business’s facebook page. This week I posted this one and it received far more views than most other images that I have uploaded.
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