After learning to understand what stress is and how to deconstruct it (see here if you missed last week’s post) using the stressors N.U.T.S (Novelty, Uncertainty, Threat to the ego, Sense of loss of control). Now comes the time to reconstruct it in a way that we don’t avoid stress but manage it constructively. Research has shown that the opposite of stress is not actually relaxation, but rather resilience. Resilience is the healthy ability to […]
Tag Archives: Mental Health Issues
What is stress and pressure?
As mentioned last week, to change our perceptions of pressure we first need to lower our stress response that is usually triggered by this pressure (see here if you missed it). This is very difficult to do because we essentially must learn to re-program our brains. To understand why we react to certain pressures and not others we have to understand what causes us to stress. Pressure is just another word for stress, and we […]
How to manage pressure?
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 […]
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 […]
The Start of the Journey
I am anxious. I am doubtful of my capacities and my self-doubt is high. I am shy. I love creating and I want to make a living with writing and my other hobbies. Can I be successful despite my fear and self-doubts? This blog will be about the journey I undertake to see if I can answer this question and other topics that can help on the road to success. First things first, what to […]