Therapy grounded in real inner work and genuine human connection.
You have probably heard it said, or maybe you have said it yourself, “I don’t need to go to therapy, that’s what I have friends for”. Is it great to have friends to confide in and vent to when you are going through something stressful? …
It’s natural to feel responsible for things you’re not responsible for. Feeling like everything is on you can be exhausting and can lead to breaking you down physically and/or emotionally. Let’s talk about 3 things that you can let go of and remind yourself that …
The holidays can be a time of reflection or a time when repeating patterns, stressors and emotions come to the surface. If any of these three things come up, that’s your sign that it’s a great time to go to therapy. Therapy is for people who care about themselves and their relationships, who have a vision and goals. If you’re reading this, this is probably you.
Prolonged emotional distress can take a toll on you but you may not realize the effect it’s having on you until a major trigger occurs; and for a lot of people, the holidays can be that trigger.
Experiencing strong emotions like sadness, anger, or anxiety may not be a reason to go to therapy, but experiencing any of those strong emotions for a prolonged period of time can mean that it’s time to give therapy a try.
This distress may be going on longer than usual because you are repeating patterns or bad habits that lead to an emotional response. Falling into habits can be a coping mechanism because it’s easy to fall back into something that’s familiar, even when those familiar things create distress.
“Research has shown that what you’ve done before is a strong indicator of what you’ll do next. This means established habits are hard to break.” (“How to Break Bad Habits and Change Behaviors.” Heart.org. December 14, 2023. www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-behaviors)
Therapy can help you identify new, positive behaviors that can replace the negative behaviors/patterns that are causing you emotional distress.
Stress can lead to behavioral and physical changes that interfere with your daily life. Always feeling on edge or having a short fuse with others can be a behavioral indicator that you are not effectively dealing with your stress. Everyone feels frustrated or even angry at times, but if you find yourself feeling this way on a regular basis and it causes you to lash out, then you need a positive outlet to address it.
Similarly, stress can manifest in a physical form and make you feel tired or even sick. “Your muscles tense up to protect themselves from injury when you’re stressed. They tend to release again once you relax, but if you’re constantly under stress, your muscles may not get the chance to relax. Tight muscles cause headaches, back and shoulder pain, and body aches.” (
Therapy can help you learn more about yourself, how you respond to stress and how you can use positive coping skills to minimize the behavioral and physical symptoms.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and start to feel like you are losing the battle when it comes to managing your emotions. Whether the overwhelming feelings build gradually over time or begin as a result of a stressful or traumatic event, it can catch you off guard. Most of us tend to try to handle things on our own, because society has told us that we should be self-sufficient. But learning to recognize when something is too much to handle on your own, and reaching out for support is a positive step in the right direction, not something to be ashamed of.
It’s important to take the first step to begin therapy before you find yourself in a crisis situation. We discussed this in a previous blog and explained how developing a relationship with a therapist, establishing some baseline skills, and addressing issues before they have escalated to emergency status, are all key to being successful.
If you are repeating patterns, experiencing stress and overwhelmed with emotions, therapy may be the next step to take care of yourself and protect your relationships. Contact us, we are here to help guide you and help you get started.
There can be tension during the holidays when you try to decide which family you’re going to spend time with each holiday. It can also be tough to be caught in the middle between your partner and your family. Here’s how to navigate boundaries during …
Before becoming a parent you may think you know what type of parent you will be and how you will handle the ups and down that come along with this very important role. But you may quickly realize as a new parent that regulating your …
People use the terms panic attack and anxiety attack interchangeably, and although they may appear to be similar, they really are very different. You might mistake a panic attack for an anxiety attack (in someone else, or yourself) if you are not aware of the differences in their causes, symptoms and impact, so let’s clear this up!
A panic attack usually starts suddenly without a warning. There may not be anything specific that triggers it, so it can be difficult to determine the cause. It can just start out of the blue and seemingly start for no reason. There may be an underlying reason but it is not clear or easy to identify.
“It’s not known what causes panic attacks or panic disorder, but these factors may play a role: Genetics, Major stress, temperament that is more sensitive to stress or prone to negative emotions, Certain changes in the way parts of your brain function.” (“Panic attacks and panic disorder.” Mayoclinic.org. May 4, 2018. www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021)
An anxiety attack will usually gradually build and get worse with time. Typically there is something that triggers it and you easily attribute it to a particular event or situation. Some examples of triggers could be social interactions, conflict, health issues, stress, financial struggles,etc. When a person encounters a trigger their body reacts as if they are in danger, leading to the anxiety attack.
Both panic and anxiety attacks can cause physical, mental and emotional symptoms.
The symptoms of a panic attack are intense and peak quickly, within a matter of minutes. Some of the common physical symptoms for a panic attack are dizziness, excessive sweating, racing heart, difficulty breathing, nausea or abdominal pain. A person can also feel detached from reality or oneself, fearful of dying, losing control or going crazy, or experience intense terror.
Symptoms of an anxiety attack can vary in intensity and some can last longer. They can include sleep disturbances, irritability, concentration difficulties, worry and muscle tension. There can still be some immediate physical symptoms like dizziness and shortness of breath.
The depression project explains the impacts of each:
Panic Attack: These are extremely disruptive and characterized by its severely intense physical symptoms.
Anxiety Attack: These are disruptive but can be mild, moderate or severe in nature. These are therefore less intense but can still impair one’s day-to-day functioning.
([thedepressionproject]. “Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack.” *Instagram, July 23, 2024, www.instagram.com/p/C9w7Fl_NcMz/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA%3D%3D&img_index=5)
Panic attacks can affect a person’s life in a negative way. They can begin to get worse or start to last longer. This can make it hard to keep a job or function in social settings. And because the panic attacks seemingly come out of no where, there can be anticipatory anxiety. Meaning: fear that it will happen, which causes you to limit exposure to things you think could be causing the panic. A person may not want to leave home because they are afraid that they may unintentionally put themselves in a situation that leads to an attack.
Anxiety attacks can also have a negative impact on a person’s life. They can lead to fatigue and exhaustion, changes in appetite and brain fog. All of these effects can lead to the breakdown of relationships or motivation to engage in social or work activities.
So while the impacts of a panic attack and anxiety attack can be similar, the main difference seems to be that panic attacks can be more disruptive due to their severe onset and intensity, making them harder to predict and manage.
Understanding these key differences can help you identify and address what you are experiencing.
Medication, stress management, relaxation techniques, regular exercise, healthy eating habits and therapy can all be ways to address a panic or anxiety attack. Treatment and prevention will depend on your experiences and the intensity level of you symptoms. If you would like to talk with someone about getting help to manage one of these contact us.
Emotional neglect can have a significant effect on a person’s life. The neglect may occur in childhood, however, the emotional and psychological impact can last for a very long time and show up in a variety of ways; especially because neglect isn’t always obvious. You …
Are you the person everyone goes to to talk about their issues? Do people start telling you their life story out of nowhere? If you’re that person, you probably have natural gifts that help you be empathetic + supportive. But you might also experience a …
Logic might say that healing anxiety comes from stopping it. For example: trying to control anxious thoughts or avoid situations that make you anxious seem like they might be ways to get relief from anxiety. But relating to your anxiety like this is actually making it worse.
Anxiety works kind of like whack a mole– you know that game where you hit one groundhog and another one pops up somewhere else? Anxiety will find its way to expression and if you try to solve/stop one thing (like avoid social situations or doctors if that’s what brings up anxiety) it will show up another way (like by waking you up in the middle of the night or bringing up worries about money).
So what actually helps?
Anxiety does actually help you plan, be conscientious and get things done. Because you worry about forgetting or you have anxiety when things are “on your plate”, or you don’t like feeling uncertain, you create a plan of action. All that works in your favor if it’s done in balance.
Look for ways your anxiety is actually working for you. In other words, make friends with it.
“When we are anxious, our attention shifts to things that are important in our lives. It makes us recognize things that deserve our attention and then becomes instrumental in preparation and motivation.” (Meek, Will. “5 Ways Anxiety Can Be Helpful.” Very Well Mind. January 25, 2021. https://www.verywellmind.com/top-ways-anxiety-is-helpful-1393079)
Remember that it’s a coping strategy that your system developed to prepare to deal with difficult things. It might need an upgrade, but it’s not all bad.
Speaking of making friends with it… instead of trying to stop it all the time, get curious about it when it comes up.
Practice noticing what anxiety feels like in your body. Practice noticing when anxiety is coming up–take notes in your phone: what time of day, what situations usually bring it up. Try to identify the emotions that are present leading up to it and in the moments after.
When you start to notice the patterns, get curious about what those times of day or those situations are, or what has been anxiety producing for you in the past. For example, if you get anxious in social situations: have compassion for that and see if there might need to be an update. It looks like: “ yes, I had a hard time making friends in school or I was bullied, but I have friends now, which means I’m capable of making friends”. This is creating safety around something that your system was conditioned to respond to as unsafe.
Studying your anxiety will help you understand it better. Once you become in tune with what triggers your anxiety and how it affects you, you will be able to accept it and use it to your advantage.
Learning that anxiety is not all bad will help you realize that trying to stop it is not the right strategy. Your anxiety can motivate you to implement some good habits and it can help you prepare and protect yourself. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t downsides to anxiety or times that you may need help managing it. We share more info on what anxiety is and its benefits in a previous blog HERE.
You’ve probably heard before that things get worse before they get better when you start therapy. For adults, the reason is because you start to open your eyes to things you might not have been aware of in your life and in your past. For …