Pressure – Part: 2 As we saw last week, pressure is usually linked to a mental perception of overwhelm and over-burden linked to perceived internal and external factors. Here, the important word is perceived. It implies that we may have some control over the pressures and types of pressures we feel. I know firsthand how hard it is to change, as when we are feeling that overwhelm, we are usually in full stress-activated mode. Which […]
Category Archives: Mental Health
Discussions and topics to help manage issues and creativity
What is Pressure?
There are many types of pressure that we feel on a sometimes-daily basis. Peer pressure, time pressure, performance pressure, family pressure and social pressure, and financial pressures are only some of the examples of the types of pressure we feel. But what is pressure exactly? Is it the same as stress? Is there anything we can do about it or are we stuck with this feeling? Why can some people turn to diamond under pressure […]
Anxiety about anxiety – Part 5
Why is anxiety so difficult to talk about? Or read about? While researching and writing the anxiety series of articles, I’ve had to wrestle with my own anxiety and self-doubt. Who am I to be writing about all of this? How could I add value to what was already out there? I’m writing about an important subject, one that touches me and touches many people I care about. That is how I got through the […]
How to manage anxiety? Tips and tricks – Anxiety Part 4
If your anxiety is mild to moderate it is possible that one of the following strategies (or a combination of them) can be sufficient to help manage your anxiety. Even if it is severe, it can be good to combine these strategies with your treatment and in fact they are often recommended by therapists to add some of these into your routine. Managing anxiety is also about your mindset, from the book by Russ Harris […]
What is anxiety? – Part 3: Treatments and Creativity
What are the treatments for anxiety? Since there are so many different types of disorders and anxiety can be more difficult to treat depending on the type, it is important to keep trying until you find something that works for you. There are many strategies that professionals can use to treat anxiety disorders. Knowing what they are can help you ask the right questions to your professional and get at the right treatment quicker. These […]
What is anxiety? Part 2 Symptoms and types of disorders
Part 2: Physical responses and types of anxiety disorders Anxiety produces a complex series of reaction in the body, all aimed at helping us avoid perceived dangers and survive. It triggers our bodies’ flight, fight or freeze response. If this triggering happens too often, we can develop an anxiety disorder. These physical symptoms include (but are not limited to): Palpitations/ Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure/ Sweating Shortness of breath/ Hyperventilation Muscle tension/ Shaking Strangely […]
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, being nervous, or feeling uneasy about an imminent event or about an uncertain outcome. It affects us most when we are trying to act (or thinking about acting) and we have that uneasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs. In psychiatry, it is defined as a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks (but the […]