I have a long-term and near-constant fear that the people I love are going to stop loving me. This fear of abandonment makes me worry that my relationships could be lost at any given moment and stops me from relaxing because I feel relentlessly on edge.
I knew when my daughter was born three years ago that my life would never be the same. I had lots of support, but I still wasn't sure how having a baby would affect my recovery from schizoaffective disorder.
We often hear mindfulness and meditation used together, but they are not the same thing. Meditation is one form of mindfulness, but there are many others. Mindfulness skills help us regulate our emotions, make wise decisions, and promote good mental and physical health. Let's explore all the reasons you should begin a mindfulness practice.
For many people, the workplace is an area of their lives that affects their self-esteem. When you work in a healthy work environment, this can give you opportunities to build your self-esteem. If, on the other hand, you find yourself spending five days a week working with people who try to bring you down, then you may find yourself plagued by self-doubt and self-criticism. One of the most difficult things you might encounter in your career path is a bad boss – the kind of boss who you dread seeing each day because you know those encounters will dampen your mood and hurt your self-confidence.
There are a lot of resources out there for how to deal with seasonal depression in the wintertime, but what about summertime depression? Coping with summertime depression is difficult because the sun is shining, the days are long, and the pressure to enjoy ourselves is high. For some of us though, summer brings with it unique challenges that can cause worsening depression symptoms.
Mental health stigma centers a lot around silent struggle. Often we think about it in terms of stigma leading to shame and people being silent in their struggles. But to further complicate it, mental health stigma also tells us there's pride to be found in silent struggle.
The importance of being anxious? Alright, I get what you're thinking -- George made a mistake in his title. Who really thinks it's important to have anxiety, right? Well, to my surprise (and likely yours too), I've realized that anxiety is the best teacher, and knowing how to learn without anxiety is actually one of the most important skills you can develop if "being anxious" is what you do.
My name is Bethany Avery, and I suffer from complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). I started showing symptoms of C-PTSD when I was 16 years old, and I first sought treatment for my disorder when I was in college. Finding solid footing in the shaky world that C-PTSD creates has been a tough but important battle, and I’m excited to share my story and coping methods as part of the "Trauma! A PTSD Blog" at HealthyPlace.
A diagnosis of mental illness can be shocking for both the patient and their loved ones. Prior to my husband’s diagnosis, I held a skewed view of mental illness believed the stigma surrounding it. After his diagnosis of schizophrenia, I repeatedly asked myself why it couldn’t be something more seemingly straightforward, such as anxiety or depression. I learned to accept his illness over time, but it is difficult when others are not able to do the same.
A quick story about toxic people and self-esteem: Imagine you decide to plant a tiny sprout in your garden. When it flourishes, it will bring you deep joy. But first, it needs your focus and care to grow. Those who come into your garden and see your sprout give you support and space, encouraging your progress. But occasionally, a different kind of person comes into your garden. Knowingly or unknowingly, they march across the soil, step on your plants, and in the worst-case scenario, grind your tiny sprout into nothing.
What an ordeal you experienced and are continuing to experience. I'm sorry that you're going through this. Anxiety after a brain injury is very common. While the healing process tends to be a waiting game, there are things you can do. One of the biggest things is rest. I'm sure that's hard to do when running a hotel. Rest doesn't have to mean lying down in a dark room for hours. It's just important to give your brain a break from thinking, stress, bright lights, and noises periodically throughout your day. Two months is actually not much time at all when it comes to healing the brain and reducing the anxiety that accompanies concussions. Taking even five-minute breaks every hour or two (I really do know how difficult that is, but if you schedule it in it becomes more doable) helps the brain (and accompanying anxiety) recover. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, concentrating on the feel and sound of your breath--and when your mind wanders, simply return to the breath). You can also practice mindfulness, just noting what you see, hear, and feel without judging it, and again, when your mind wanders just return to your senses). Walking helps, too, as does eating nutritiously and avoiding junk foods and fast food. Given that you're a cyclist you probably know that. All of the activities I mentioned work for both concussion and anxiety. As far as diagnosing, I didn't have luck with that. Doctors looked for structural damage, bleeding, etc., and when they couldn't find that they couldn't do anything else. My anxiety was seen as separate from the injury. Granted, that was 15 years ago and things might have changed. Researchers are learning more and more about brain injury and its impact on the whole person, including mental health. It might be worth it to talk with your regular doctor about what you're experiencing and see what he/she has to say. It's frustrating that recovering from all aspects of a concussion, including anxiety) takes so much time. Be patient with yourself in the process. Your anxiety doesn't have to stay this way.
Your experience doesn't sound crazy! Working with a therapist will most likely be very helpful (give it time, though, because therapy is a process of growth and overcoming rather than a quick fix). Usually, going to a hospital is a decision that is made after you have tried many different things or are in danger of harming yourself or others. Panic has many effects that can seem strange and anxiety-provoking to the person experiencing them. It seems like there could be a connection between how you felt during the panic attack (a very normal feeling) and the lingering thoughts you're having. It could relate to feeling trapped in an aspect of your life or be unrelated to that. One of the benefits of working with a therapist is exploring what's happening. Perhaps the biggest benefit is figuring out what you want to do about it and making plans and goals for moving forward. This isn't something you'll be stuck with forever. You've already begun to take steps (deciding to see a therapist, reading articles or other information, questioning what's happening, and deciding that you want it to stop). Beginning the process can be the most difficult part. Now you can continue the process of healing.
3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and what made me reach out to my gp was that I had a big panic attack where I felt I was trapped inside my own body and now that I am on meds I feel more calm and don’t panic but I can’t stop thinking about how my body works and how I’m in this flesh and can’t come out if I wanted to. I know it sounds crazy and I am seeing a therapist soon but just wanted to know why is this happening and is this because of the anxiety or am I gonna end up in a mental hospital because I freak out about something that I shouldn’t and can’t stop thinking about 😢