Source: Jack Anstey/Unsplash There are times I swear my head is going to explode. Like literally. Kaboom. Like when there seem to be infinite choices and I can’t decide. Or when I…
Category: Anxiety
Trying Too Hard to Relax? No Worries!
“No worries.” As someone with an immense affinity for worry, that mantra sounded like a paradise to me for some time. Of course, a life without worry is impossible and acutely problematic….
Parent Participation in Treatment Impacts a Child’s Anxiety
Anxiety in children and adolescents is at an all-time high. Providers and parents are seeking better ways to help anxious children. While It’s challenging to get up-to-date numbers, based on diagnostic interview…
The Difference Between Planning and Worrying
Source: Josh Bartok/ Used with permission. I have been studying, writing about, and treating worry since 1989—and I have personally engaged in habits of worry longer than that! Several months ago I…
Do You Know These 5 Unconventional Tools to Reduce Anxiety?
Source: Johnathan Larson / Unsplash I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic features and generalized anxiety disorder. On the whole, I live symptom-free. I’m extremely lucky. But chronic mental illness is,…
When Anxiety Gets Physical |
A few years ago, I traveled to a nature area in Missouri called Johnson Shut Inns, a park featuring a river, slippery rocks to climb on, and hiking trails. It’s beautiful. And…
How to Be Mentally and Emotionally Flexible
One of the hallmarks of good mental health and resilience is the ability to be mentally and emotionally flexible. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of flexible is: 1. Able to bend or…
5 Ways to Overcome the Sunday Scaries
Source: martin_dm / iStock It’s Sunday afternoon and still very much the weekend, but you are troubled by a growing sense of dread as evening approaches. By dinner time, your mind is…
Divert Worry With Distraction |
Source: Ramon Kagie/Unsplash “Prepare for landing,” the pilot’s voice crackled over the cabin intercom. I flipped my tray table up. Stowed my book in the backpack under the seat and checked my…
How a Mom Helped Her Adult Daughter Break Free From Anxiety
The following is a true (names changed) account from my parent coaching practice. Liz’s mindset and her supportive strategies to help her daughter, Briana, are nothing short of instructive and inspiring. Briana…