What is Grief-Induced Anxiety?

Grief is a multifaceted response to loss, extending far beyond the realm of physical death. As a psychotherapist, I encounter various forms of grief, including grief-induced anxiety, which is a complex emotional state that often follows significant life changes. This post will illuminate the various life events that can trigger grief and the accompanying anxiety, as well as strategies for managing these emotions.

The Spectrum of Grief-Inducing Events

Grief is traditionally associated with the death of a loved one, but it can actually be triggered by a wide array of life events. These include:

1. End of Relationships: The breakup of a romantic relationship, divorce, or a falling out with a close friend can evoke intense grief.

2. Health-Related Issues: A personal diagnosis or a loved one's health crisis, such as chronic illness or disability, often triggers grief.

3. Career Changes: Losing a job, retirement, or even changing careers can lead to a sense of loss and subsequent grief.

4. Relocation: Moving to a new city or country, while often exciting, can also bring grief over lost familiarity and connections.

5. Life Stages: Transitions such as children leaving home, or the realization of one’s own aging process can evoke grief.

Symptoms of Grief-Induced Anxiety

Grief-induced anxiety presents a range of symptoms that can be both emotional and physical:

1. Persistent Worry and Panic: Excessive worry about the future or recurrent panic attacks that cause distress and impairment.

2. Fear of Further Loss: An intense fear of losing more, whether it be relationships, health, or security.

3. Physical Symptoms: These may include insomnia, heart palpitations, gastrointestinal issues, muscle tension, fatigue, and changes in appetite.

4. Concentration and Memory Problems: Difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, and a general sense of being mentally “foggy” or overwhelmed.

5. Mood Fluctuations: Rapid shifts in mood, from sadness to anger, or feeling emotionally numb.

6. Avoidance Behaviors: Steering clear of places, people, or activities that remind you of the loss or change.

7. Heightened Irritability: Increased irritability or agitation, often triggered by minor issues.

8. Social Withdrawal: Pulling back from social interactions and preferring to be alone.

9. Existential or Deep Reflective Thoughts: Engaging in profound contemplation about life, death, or the meaning of certain experiences.

Coping Strategies for Grief-Induced Anxiety

1. Acknowledgment and Acceptance: Recognize and accept your feelings as a normal response to your situation.

2. Support Networks: Seek support from friends, family, support groups, or a therapist.

3. Self-Care Practices: Engage in mindfulness, physical exercise, and maintain a balanced diet.

4. Routine Creation: Establishing a routine can provide a sense of control and predictability.

5. Avoid Unhelpful Coping Mechanisms: Use caution with substances like alcohol or drugs that can provide short-term symptom relief but may worsen anxiety.

6. Allow Time for Grieving: Understand that grieving is not linear and give yourself time to heal.

Professional Help

If you find your anxiety overwhelming or persistently interfering with your life, it may be beneficial to seek professional help. Therapy can offer a safe space to explore these feelings and develop strategies to cope with them.

Remember that grief and accompanying anxiety are natural response to loss or significant change. Recognizing the broad spectrum of events that can trigger grief is crucial in understanding and managing this manifestation of anxiety. Remember, each person's experience with grief is unique, and seeking support, whether through personal networks or professional help, is a strong and positive step towards healing.

Learn more about Anxiety Treatment.

How are Insomnia and Depression Connected?

When it comes to emotional health, the relationship between sleep and depression is both intricate and significant. This post will explore this connection, shedding light on how insomnia and depression interact and influence each other. Understanding this link is not just crucial for therapists but also for anyone struggling with either or both of these challenging conditions.

The Bidirectional Relationship

Firstly, it's essential to recognize that the relationship between insomnia and depression is bidirectional. This means that not only can persistent sleep problems lead to depressive symptoms, but depression can also exacerbate or even trigger insomnia. This cyclical nature makes it difficult to determine which came first – the sleep disorder or the mood disorder.

Insomnia Leading to Depression

Research has consistently shown that people who experience chronic insomnia have a higher risk of developing depression. Insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, can lead to various negative outcomes such as irritability, fatigue, and a decrease in concentration. Over time, this can escalate into a more persistent mood disturbance. The lack of quality sleep disrupts the brain's ability to regulate emotions and stress, thereby increasing the susceptibility to depression.

Depression Leading to Insomnia

On the flip side, depression can significantly impact sleep patterns. A core symptom of depression is a disrupted sleep cycle, which might manifest as insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep). The hormonal and neurochemical imbalances that accompany depression can wreak havoc on the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to get restful sleep. This disruption in sleep can, in turn, worsen depressive symptoms, creating a vicious cycle.

The Role of Neurotransmitters and Hormones

Understanding the connection between insomnia and depression also involves a look at neurotransmitters and hormones. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to mood regulation, is also crucial in sleep regulation. Imbalances in serotonin levels can lead to both mood disturbances and sleep problems. Similarly, cortisol, the stress hormone, is often elevated in individuals with depression, and high cortisol levels can lead to sleep disturbances.

Treatment Approaches

Addressing the complex interaction between insomnia and depression requires a nuanced and individualized approach.. A range of treatments has been found effective in treating insomnia, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and other psychodynamic and mindfulness based therapies. These methods, among various others, underscore the diversity and adaptability of treatment options, emphasizing the importance of a personalized strategy in tackling these intertwined challenges.

Lifestyle Modifications

In addition to professional treatment, certain lifestyle modifications can be beneficial. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or mindfulness can help manage both insomnia and depression. However, these should complement, not replace, professional treatment.

A Tailored Approach to HEALING

When addressing the intertwined issues of insomnia and depression, a personalized and multifaceted treatment approach is key. Therapy may include a blend of cognitive strategies to manage thought patterns, psychodynamic insights to explore deeper emotional influences, mindfulness practices for stress reduction, and other techniques suited to the your unique experiences and needs. This holistic perspective ensures comprehensive care, targeting both mental health and sleep quality for overall well-being.

Learn more about Depression Treatment.

Signs of OCD in Adults

This post is not about someone who places their books in size order on a shelf. It’s also not about that person you know who practices good hygiene. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is not what pop culture tells us it is. You see, there’s nothing unusual about feeling anxiety and getting uncomfortable about it. Such feelings come and go in everyone’s life. 

With OCD, however, feelings like this are chronic and can feel relentless. They manifest in unusual ways that often serve to heighten anxiety. Your everyday life — relationships, work, school, etc. — is impacted, and you need relief. Fortunately, with proper treatment, OCD can be managed.

The Basics of OCD

It’s a disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety. In the name of reducing that anxiety, a person with OCD will experience obsessions and address them with compulsions. This cycle offers temporary relief, but soon enough, the intrusive thoughts return.

During this cycle, you may encounter some of the signs that have become shorthand for OCD, e.g., counting, washing, and more. Left unchecked, the OCD cycle can hamper anyone’s ability to function daily. 

Signs of OCD in Adults

Before we get to the outward signs — the compulsions — it’s helpful to offer a brief description of the obsessions that get things started. Even if they realize that their intrusive thoughts are irrational, someone with OCD still has the understandable need to resolve them. Some of the most common OCD obsessions involve: 

• Fear of contamination — by other people or inanimate objects 

• A desire for everything in their vicinity to be symmetrical and orderly 

• Concern that they will suddenly harm someone, someone will harm them, or some random harm will come to anyone

• Worrying that they have not completed a task, e.g., turning off an appliance or locking a door

• Fear of misplacing something important or minor 

• Disturbing thoughts related to religion or sex

• In some cases, the intrusive thought can be patently meaningless yet still anxiety-inducing 

Next come the signs and symptoms. When an adult with OCD performs compulsions, they are most often noticeable by others.

Compulsions

The anxiety caused by OCD obsessions can be overwhelming. They leave the person to conjure up anything to relieve the tension. Thus, the compulsions they perform are personal, and they feel necessary. However, if compulsions offer fleeting relief, they can result in days filled with repetitive rituals. Here are some OCD compulsion examples: 

• Cleaning: Hand-washing is most commonly associated with OCD, but this compulsion can also manifest in toothbrushing or taking many showers. In addition, it can involve cleaning objects instead of yourself. 

• Checking: What they check often includes locks and appliances. Also, it could mean relentlessly checking to be sure you brought whatever items were required for your destination. 

• Arranging: You need items in your line of sight to be laid out in a particular way. 

• Counting: These are compulsions related to numbers. 

• Avoidance: Sometimes, it can be a person or place that feels like it’s the source of distress.

• Approval: A person with OCD may need and seek reassurance regularly. 

In other words, when looking for signs of OCD in adults, it typically comes down to identifying compulsions in action. However, this isn’t a green light to make assumptions or accusations. As you can certainly imagine, this cycle is unpleasant. No one wants to be there. They feel shame about it. 

Hence, if you or someone you know is displaying behaviors like those listed above, it makes sense to reach out for help. An experienced mental health professional can help guide you in your quest to help a friend or loved one.

Learn more about OCD Treatment.

Trauma and Physical Health: Understanding the Connection

Trauma isn't just a memory that fades with time; it's an experience that echoes through various aspects of life, including our physical health. Recognizing the deep-seated connection between traumatic experiences and physical well-being is an important step in understanding the comprehensive impact of trauma. This post will explore the connection between trauma and physical health, shedding light on why addressing trauma is crucial for overall well-being.

Decoding Trauma's Signal

Trauma is the body's response to an overwhelming situation, where the normal coping mechanisms are unable to function. It might be a single event or a series of events that leave a person feeling helpless and fearful. Trauma can manifest from various events, and its footprint extends beyond emotional and mental health, imprinting itself onto physical well-being.

The Body's Alarmed State

When faced with traumatic stress, the body activates the "fight or flight" response, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. While this response is crucial for immediate survival, its prolonged activation can lead to significant health problems. Chronic stress from unresolved trauma can disrupt nearly every system in the body, leading to increased susceptibility to several conditions:

1. Cardiovascular Health: Trauma can lead to an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, escalating the risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. The persistent strain on the cardiovascular system under chronic stress can have long-lasting effects, making it critical to address and mitigate these risks.

2. Immune System: Constant stress weakens the immune system, reducing its efficiency and making the body more prone to infections and slower to heal. This weakened state can lead to frequent illnesses and may aggravate autoimmune conditions.

3. Musculoskeletal Issues: The body's muscles and joints are constantly tensed as a result of the stress response, leading to conditions such as headaches, back pain, and general muscle stiffness. Over time, this can evolve into chronic pain conditions that affect quality of life.

4. Gastrointestinal Problems: Chronic stress impacts the gut-brain axis, leading to a range of gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and other digestive problems.

5. Mental Health: The psychological impact of trauma deeply intertwines with physical health, leading to conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression. These conditions further exacerbate physical health problems, creating a feedback loop of worsening health.

Beyond the pain

The path to healing after trauma is both a personal and collective journey, involving a range of strategies and supports. Seeking professional help from therapists specializing in trauma can provide invaluable guidance and strategies for coping and healing. Incorporating mind-body techniques such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness helps regulate the body's stress response and promotes healing. Building resilience through coping strategies and supportive networks enhances the ability to handle future stressors. Additionally, integrating traditional medical treatments with holistic practices ensures a comprehensive approach to healing, addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of trauma.

Embracing your future

Understanding the physical repercussions of trauma is an important step toward transforming pain into a pathway for healing. With informed care, resilience, and support, you can start reclaiming your vitality and well-being. The healing process is more than just surviving; it's about teaching the body to recognize safety again, allowing the nervous system to reset to a calmer state, and setting a course towards not just functioning, but thriving. Learn more about trauma therapy or visit my contact page to schedule a consultation.

6 OCD Symptoms in Adults

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a frequently misunderstood condition. People casually associate OCD with anyone who is orderly or organized. But what we’re really talking about here is a diagnosable mental health condition that can severely hamper a person’s daily functioning. As the name implies, this is due to a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. 

OCD is chronic and has no known cure, but it can be managed. Symptoms may come and go throughout a person’s lifetime. With proper treatment, obsessive-compulsive disorder can be less disruptive to your life. But a big first step is understanding and recognizing OCD symptoms as they typically present in adults. 

OCD Obsessions and Compulsions

Obsessions

We all get intrusive thoughts at times. With OCD, such thoughts and images cause extreme anxiety. They feel out of control even if they are demonstrably irrational. We’ll flesh out specifics below, but some common obsessions center on germs, self-harm, sex, perfectionism, symmetry, and reassurance.

Compulsions 

To soothe the anxiety caused by obsessions, someone with OCD engages in ritualistic, repetitive actions they believe will prevent the feared outcomes from occurring. Typically, the relief is short-lived, and the cycle returns. Some of the most common compulsion categories are:

• Counting 

• Arranging

• Cleaning (yourself or objects)

• Checking

• Hoarding 

• Seeking reassurance

• Repeating certain words

All of the above blends into the following six symptoms:

6 OCD Symptoms in Adults

1. Severe Discomfort With Asymmetry 

Symmetry can be defined widely — from lining things up to brushing an equal number of times on each side of the mouth — but in all its guises, it can be present as an OCD compulsion. This is not to say being organized is a red flag. But if it becomes something you need to do, it may warrant closer examination. 

2. Fearing a Particular Disease 

The last three or four years have made this behavior more common. However, its potential connection to OCD lies in how far you consistently go to avoid catching a disease. A compulsion preoccupies people with OCD to the point of palpably altering their daily lives. 

3. Thoughts of Self-Harm and/or Harming Others 

It can be uncomfortable, but anyone can have such thoughts in moments of anger or frustration. They’re rare and almost always easy to control. Someone with OCD, on the other hand, is driven to profound fear by anything like this. 

4. Seeking Reassurance 

Yet again, on its face, this is not problematic. When associated with OCD, seeking reassurance becomes more assertive, ongoing, and desperate. You regularly ask questions like, “Do you love me?” Compulsions like this have the potential to sabotage a relationship, friendship, or job.

5. Double-Checking 

Did you lock the door? Was the stove turned off? Is a friend or family member in danger? OCD double-checking can turn any situation into a pressure cooker. You may leave an important situation to drive home and make certain the front door is locked.

6. OCD Symptoms at Home and Work

This last category highlights how adult OCD can present differently depending on the situation. For example, at home, you may:

• Avoid contact with family members (including intimacy with a spouse) for fear of contamination 

• Hold onto objects that have long outlived their usefulness

• Worry that your family or roommates don’t like you

At work, watch for: 

• A precisely organized desk or workspace

• Long, frequent visits to the bathroom to wash your hands

• Intense anxiety when work plans or deadlines change without warning

It’s Not About Self-Diagnosis

The information offered here is designed to create awareness, not fear. If you find yourself resonating with much of it, it could be a good idea to connect with a professional to schedule a free consultation. 

Learn more about OCD Treatment…

How People Pleasing Can Fuel Depression

In the realm of mental health, it's crucial to understand the intricate ways in which our behaviors and thought patterns can influence our emotional well-being. Among these behaviors, "people pleasing" is a notable factor that can subtly and significantly contribute to the development or exacerbation of depression.

What is People Pleasing?

People pleasing is a behavioral pattern where an individual prioritizes the happiness and approval of others, often at the expense of their own needs and feelings. This habit stems from a variety of sources, including low self-esteem, fear of rejection, or a deep-seated need for external validation.

The Link Between People Pleasing and Depression

Depression, a common but serious mood disorder, affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities. It's characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest and enjoyment, and a range of physical problems.

People pleasing can fuel depression in several ways:

1. Suppression of True Feelings: Constantly catering to others' needs can lead to the suppression of one's own emotions. This suppression can result in a build-up of stress, resentment, and sadness - key ingredients for depressive feelings.

2. Loss of Identity: People pleasers often lose touch with their own identity and desires. This disconnection from self can create a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose, which are common feelings in depression.

3. Chronic Stress and Burnout: Striving to meet everyone's expectations is an exhausting endeavor. This relentless effort can lead to chronic stress and burnout, both of which are linked to the onset of depressive symptoms.

4. Reinforcement of Negative Beliefs: People pleasing can reinforce negative self-beliefs, such as not being good enough unless others are pleased. These beliefs can perpetuate a cycle of negative thinking that is central to depressive disorders.

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is that this cycle can be broken. Therapy can be effective in addressing the underlying causes of people pleasing and developing healthier coping mechanisms. Learning to set boundaries, practicing self-compassion, and learning how to be assertive are crucial steps in this journey.

Remember, seeking to please others is not inherently negative, but it becomes a concern when it consistently overrides personal well-being. Recognizing and addressing people-pleasing behaviors can be a significant step in managing depression and enhancing overall mental health.

For those struggling with these issues, seeking professional help can be a transformative step towards healing and self-empowerment.

Learn more about Depression Treatment…

Is OCD an Anxiety Disorder?

If a mental health issue causes anxiety, does that make it an anxiety disorder? Not necessarily. Take obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Often associated with extreme orderliness, OCD is far more than that. One of its hallmark symptoms is the anxiety caused by the obsessions. 

The anxiety caused by OCD can feel much like anxiety caused by, well, anything. But they are not the same. We’ll discuss some of the differences below, but for now, consider that anxiety arising from OCD obsessions leads people to partake in OCD compulsions. Anxiety outside of OCD causes distress but not compulsions. Let’s explore some other distinctions.

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in the world, but they come in several forms. These can include social anxiety and panic disorders, but most frequently, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the culprit. As the name implies, GAD involves chronic worry about a wide range of concerns. Symptoms typically include a sense of doom or dread, irritability that can transform into angry outbursts, and physical signs like rapid heart rate, excessive sweating, and gastrointestinal issues.

How Does Anxiety Manifest in Someone With OCD?

OCD features intrusive thoughts that are often deeply distressing and concerning. A person might feel certain they forgot to turn off the oven before leaving the house. As you might imagine, this causes severe anxiety. For this reason, OCD was deemed an anxiety disorder until 2013. When research continued to show very different functionality and specific brain chemistry signs, OCD was officially designated as a separate diagnosis.

How Can Someone Know If They Have OCD or an Anxiety Disorder?

As touched on above, the key difference is the perceived need to perform compulsions to counteract anxiety-inducing obsessions. People with anxiety disorders may worry about turning off the oven, but they do not feel driven to negate that fear via compulsive rituals. Therefore, again, the primary difference lies in how the feeling of worry is addressed.

Additional differences include:

• People with anxiety most often worry about events that can actually happen. Someone with OCD  can have very unrealistic obsessions. 

• Unlike OCD, GAD usually manifests with physical symptoms.

Can You Have Both Disorders? 

As many as 9 out of 10 people with OCD also struggle with at least one other mental health condition. Often, that means an anxiety disorder of some kind. This reality is a big reason to consult a professional. To ensure effective treatment, there must be clarity as to exactly what you’re dealing with. Since anxiety is far more common than OCD, if you have both, it’s crucial to make sure that OCD does not get lost in the mix.

Differences in Treatment 

Once a mental health professional has clarified a diagnosis, a treatment plan will be designed. Talk therapy is a proven option for anxiety disorders but is generally not effective for OCD. The gold standard for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP). This approach slowly exposes the client to triggers and eases them into a step-by-step protocol to reduce the feeling of needing a compulsion. 

In some instances, ERP can also be effective for GAD, but more often, other modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic therapies are the go-to choices. Medication can sometimes reduce symptoms for either disorder — even if they are co-morbid.

Ask For Help

As you’ve surely discerned by now, differentiating between disorders can be a trickier process than it first appears. If you’re experiencing symptoms that could be GAD, OCD, or both, it’s not a good idea to try self-diagnosing (or shrugging them off entirely). I urge you to get in touch to learn more about the possibilities. 

Learn more about OCD Treatment…

5 Ways to Manage Depression After Your Wedding

Stand-up punchlines aside, “post-wedding blues” are a thing. This is a real issue that requires your full attention. The build-up to your wedding day can be intense and all-consuming. But now, here you are, living through a real — and huge — transition. Things may feel anticlimactic. You may feel an emptiness now that the emotions swirling around the wedding itself have come and gone. There are so many life adjustments to be made.

All of this can add up to feelings of sadness, fatigue, lack of concentration, and more. Left unchecked, post-wedding blues can escalate into full-blown depression — especially for anyone who has struggled with depression in the past.

What Can Cause Depression After Your Wedding?

A few basic reasons are mentioned above, but here are two potential factors to keep in mind:

Going Back to Everyday Life

There was the planning, then the event, and almost certainly, a honeymoon. Now, things may feel like a grind — going to work, doing laundry, and all that. It can feel like quite a letdown.

Related Expenses

In the midst of it all, money might have felt like it was no object. Then the bills start arriving. This can take you to a mental place where “real life” no longer feels like so much fun.

5 Ways to Manage Depression After Your Wedding

1. Practice Self-Care As a Team

When mood swings have you on edge, a powerful source of resilience is self-care. This typically involves:

• Daily exercise and physical movement

• Consistent sleep patterns

• Healthy eating choices

• Relaxation techniques and stress management

Best of all, these are commitments you can make as a couple. When self-care becomes a source of teamwork, you deepen your bond and resist the pull of post-wedding blues.

2. Talk About the Future 

Remind yourselves that your wedding day was definitely not the pinnacle. You have innumerable episodes of joy and adventure ahead, so why not get busy making plans? Don’t move passively into the future. Pledge together by setting goals and creating new visions. You may always look back at your wedding photos with gratitude, but you can do so from a place of even greater gratitude.

3. Be Present, Too

While you’re having conversations about your shared future, be sure to also talk about the present. How are you feeling and why? How can you support each other? What steps can be taken right now to lighten your load and build positive energy? Some right-this-moment suggestions:

• Try something new together

• Create your own traditions and rituals 

• Do things together, e.g. cooking, cleaning, taking walks, etc.

• Surprise each other with love notes, warm text messages, and other loving gestures

Another great collaboration idea is to volunteer as a couple. Find causes that inspire both of you and give back to your community. Experiences like this can develop new ways to appreciate your connection.

4. Connect With Others

It’s tempting to believe that each partner provides everything the other partner needs. On the contrary, you must stay connected to the people you love — while also being open to making new friends. Perhaps you’re not into late-night climbing anymore, but there’s nothing stopping you from making plans like hiking, yoga classes, or other interests.

Simultaneously, encourage one another to develop independence. It’s an important part of any relationship to cultivate your own social life and interests. This balance goes a long way in staving off or managing post-wedding depression.

5. Ask For Help

Almost every married couple struggles with post-wedding adjustments. You’re not alone, and you do not have to suffer in silence.

If any of the above resonates with you, I urge you to reach out and set up a free and confidential consultation. 

Learn more about Depression Treatment.

5 Ways to Navigate Work Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are quite common — the number one mental health condition, in fact. So, how do we know if what we’re feeling is generalized or specifically related to one’s job? It really comes down to cause and effect. Pay close attention to how you feel when you’re not on the job or talking/thinking about work. Work anxiety is very much limited to the workplace or anything related to it.

Of course, generalized anxiety can impact your work experience, too. The main difference is that work anxiety only acts in relation to your job. Let’s deconstruct what this means and how you can identify what’s going on.

What Causes Workplace Anxiety?

Needless to say, there are countless reasons and variations of these reasons. But some common threads have been identified as resulting in work anxiety, for example:

• Personal triggers

• Deadlines and pressure

• Difficult co-workers

• Workplace conflict 

• Unhealthy communication (gossiping, passive-aggressive styles, silent treatment, etc.)

Left unchecked, any of the above can create a stressful work environment. You might feel like the anxiety has become contagious. 

Signs and Symptoms of Workplace Anxiety

• Frequently talking to friends and family about your job

• Feeling dread, sadness, or anger when you think about going to work

• Your daily life is impacted, e.g., sleep issues, inability to focus, and general burnout

• You regularly fantasize about quitting

5 Ways to Navigate Work Anxiety

1. Acknowledge What You Feel 

If you’re only feeling anxious at work, it might not be immediately clear to you. Also, it’s not easy to admit that you need help. Meanwhile, you are far from alone. Anxiety is common, work anxiety is common, and both should be handled head-on. It may currently seem that solutions do not exist. But once you accept what’s happening, you’ll start to see the new ideas and approaches you need. 

2. Stay Organized at Work

Your job might be stressing you out, but you also may not be able to leave it right now. That means you must do whatever you can to reduce feelings of being overwhelmed at work. Here are a few steps you can take while you work to manage anxiety:

• Develop good time management

• Make a schedule and prioritize your tasks

• The to-do list is your best friend

• Set deadlines and goals that are realistic for you

• De-clutter your work area

• Break projects into smaller tasks

• Delegate whenever it’s possible and appropriate 

3. Communicate With Management 

Is there a way you can improve conditions in your workplace to make them more palatable? There’s only one way to find out. Request a private meeting with a supervisor and start the conversation. Don’t turn it into a rant or a vent session. Prepare in advance to present a clear, non-judgmental overview of your suggestions and needs. If you don’t get satisfaction or such changes may take a while, set strong work-life boundaries in the meantime. 

4. Don’t Try to Control Everything 

Anxiety tricks us into thinking we can control our way out of a panic or crisis. It’s far more helpful to accept what is and isn’t under your control. For example, attempts to micromanage a project or your colleagues can end up making everyone more anxious. Instead, aim to control your emotions rather than your circumstances. 

5. Practice Self-Care When Away From the Workplace

Create balance in your life by creating a strong, anti-anxiety self-care regimen. Focus on areas like sleep routines, healthy eating, daily exercise, and stress management. Look into practices like mindful meditation and breathing exercises. 

Talk to a Professional

Anxiety disorders of any kind are diagnosable mental health conditions. They’re best tackled with the help of an experienced guide. Let’s connect for a free consultation. 

Learn more about Anxiety Treatment.

4 Ways Generational Trauma Affects a Family

When people talk about inheriting characteristics, they’re usually talking about physical attributes. However, trauma is also passed down from generation to generation. Even though a child never experienced those traumatic events, they are impacted by them. Amongst particular ethnic groups, generational trauma can manifest due to a history of poor treatment. It is internalized and then shared over time through genetic and environmental factors.

This can create an insidious cycle that often goes misunderstood. Generations of people develop a particular perspective on the world but do not know why. Unless and until their behavior is identified as an outcome of ongoing trauma, it’s difficult to create change. 

How Generational Trauma is Passed Down

If pain is not processed and resolved, it is available to be passed on. How this happens is varied. For example, living with someone with unresolved trauma may expose you to them reliving that trauma. It sets a baseline. The conversations you have (or don’t have) play it out. Your family’s choices regarding social interactions and internal dynamics also tell the story.

Whatever is normalized in your home has the potential to shape your mental well-being — for better or for worse. These behaviors can change your genetic makeup, and ensuing generations can inherit such changes. This is further explained in #3 below.

4 Ways Generational Trauma Affects a Family

1. Negative Impact on Physical Health 

The suffering experienced by, say, your great-grandparents can make you more susceptible to physical illnesses today. If your ancestors lived under harsh conditions, it could’ve set the stage for a cycle that is not visible enough to have to been identified and stopped. 

2. Negative Impact on Mental Health 

Individuals who endure horrific events are known to be at a higher risk of conditions like anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If not treated, these disorders can then be more prevalent in ensuing generations. Also, members of such families are influenced by how the people around them view and react to everyday life. 

3. Epigenetic Shifts 

As touched on above, your genes can be influenced by external events. Keep in mind, to the best of our knowledge, it’s not that the genes themselves are changed. Rather, your body reads those genes differently when it is under the influence of generational trauma. That said, if both parents have endured trauma, the epigenetic changes can get coded and ultimately passed down in a more physical sense.

4. Daily Behaviors and Choices

Trauma triggers our survival response. If it is never processed, trauma can keep us stuck in this hyper-vigilant mode. When you see the world as an inherently frightening place, it will change how you and your family behave. For example:

• Not trusting “outsiders”

• Not trusting each other

• Never talking about their feelings

• Living in denial that a problem exists

• Fostering a domestic environment that is more likely to provoke violence, abuse, and neglect 

• Emotional numbness

• Low self-esteem

• Viewing those who ask for help as “weak”

Stopping the Cycle

Connecting with a trauma-informed therapist is a giant step toward breaking the cycle. From there, you can take productive steps to break the patterns before they can be passed down again. This is accomplished in many ways, including:

• Learning healthy coping skills 

• Understanding the cause of your distress 

• Finding productive ways to express, process, and resolve the trauma

The more you know, the better equipped you are to heal and recover. Some family members may resist your efforts, but it is vital that you take the steps you need to take to thrive again. You will eat by example as you move along the healing path of ending the cycle.

Learn more about Trauma Therapy.