Anxiety & Anxiety Recovery Frequently Asked Questions / Part 2

  Drew Linsalata: on episode 217 of the anxious truth, we’re gonna do 10 More of the most frequently asked questions about anxiety and anxiety recovery. So let’s get to it Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the anxious truth. This is podcast episode number 217 to one seven were recorded at the end of July 2022. Welcome, I am Drew Linsalata, creator and host of the anxious truth. This is the podcast that focuses on all things anxiety, anxiety disorders, and recovery. So welcome. If you’re new here, welcome aboard. If you’re a returning listener, welcome back. Today we’re going to do part two of our frequently asked questions. These are 20 of the most frequently asked questions about anxiety and anxiety recovery that I encounter in my many years in this community and doing this work that I do.   Last week in Episode 216, we did the first 10. So go back and listen to that if you have not. And today in 217, we’re going to do the second 10. The show notes for these two episodes are quite detailed. So you can find the show notes for this episode at anxious truth.com/ 217. And I have included in there all the links to all the other resources and podcast episodes that I’ll talk about here. So go to the anxious truth.com/ 217. And check that out. And while you’re on my website, I would like to remind you that the anxious truth is more than just this podcast episode. There are 200, and somewhat other podcast episodes as a ton of free social media content.   There’s my free morning newsletter called The anxious mourning. And there is three excellent books and anxiety and anxiety recovery that I have written that are helping 10s of 1000s of people around the world. So while you’re on the anxious truth.com, check out all of those resources, they’re good, and most of them are free, so go ahead and avail yourself of them. And if you are enjoying my work, and it’s helping you in some way, and you would like to help me keep it free of sponsorships and advertising.   All the ways to do that can be found at the anxious truth.com/support. So check that out. Never required, always appreciated. So let’s get into part two of our frequently asked questions. And we’ll get right into it. We’re going to do 10 today. So question one this week is whether recovery is possible, even if you’ve suffered for many years. And the answer to that is sure is this is a short answer. Many, many members of our community can turn things around even after years of dealing with disordered anxiety. For me, it was over 2025 years of my life on and off and three or four major episodes. So yeah, the amount of time that you have suffered with this. I’m not gonna say it doesn’t matter completely, but it is certainly not a reason why you could not get better you can do that. Yes, you may build some habits, but at some point, the hole can only get so deep. And I think that’s what people worry about, like, oh, I keep digging a deeper and deeper hole.   I’ve been digging for 20 years. So how am I ever going to crawl out of this hole? That’s not the right way to visualize it. I like to say the hole can only get so deep once you are to the point where you’re avoiding everything your housebound or stuck in one room or you’ve got yourself down to eating only three foods because you’re afraid or you know, you’re super restricted there’s, there’s only so much restriction you can impose on yourself. So assume that the hole has gotten as deep as it is ever going to get. You just start decorating and get comfortable in that hole. you personalize it, hang artwork like you put in a stereo system, and listen to your favorite music while you’re there.   So if the hole doesn’t get deeper, you just get more comfortable in it. That doesn’t matter. You can turn this around, it doesn’t matter how long you have suffered, I promise you can get better. I was 20-plus years, 25 plus years. I know people even longer than that, that have dealt with this, and one woman over 40 years. And she has turned things around. She’s well on the way to recovery. So yes. In terms of resources, Episode 124 of the anxious truth talks about that. So you can go check that out. So question number two today? What if I don’t have panic attacks, and I just feel anxious all day? So there are two things that I want to address in this question. First of all, there’s a misconception that people that have panic attacks are somehow calm or not anxious between attacks. And that is 100% not true. Like people with panic disorder, I had panic disorder, I was anxious all day long, too. So if you’re in that boat, and you don’t have panic attacks, the first thing I want you to be aware of is that that’s not necessarily a special condition. And it’s not like people that do have panic attacks, have attacks, and then are calm the rest of the day.   It doesn’t work that way. So don’t feel bad about that. Now, being anxious all day can be the result of the same mechanism that drives things like panic disorder, you can start to learn to be anxious just because you’re anxious. And the longer this goes on that becomes part of the puzzle for a lot of people. Like I’m anxious all day long. I can’t figure out why. So now I start to become anxious about being anxious.   That’s one of those things or another reason why you might be anxious all day long. And this starts to get into the realm of generalized anxiety or generalized anxiety. disorder. A lot of people that have gad are anxious all day long, but not everybody that’s continually anxious has gad. So really God is defined by excessive worry and focus on external things to the health of your family, your health, doing good at work, not letting people down taking care of everything being perfect being a people pleaser, like those are things where we are trying to control the world to an excessive degree. And that’s sort of the hallmark of generalized anxiety disorder, it’s based on that sort of stuff. And then it gets off the rails and gets carried away. So people with gad can have a general background anxiety that lasts all day long too. So there could be that and then you could also begin to just be anxious about being anxious because you can’t solve the anxiety problem. So it’s not that this is a special thing or it can’t be fixed.   Sometimes if you’re the in that gad camp, get a look at some of the underlying things that go with that. Things like excessive worry, overthinking over planning, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, are things that can drive anxiety state, but that you think could be good things about your personality. Gotta look at that. So I talked about this in Episode 119. I had Dave Carbonell on and we talked about generalized anxiety disorder, and episode 148 of the podcast covers this. But if you’re anxious all day long, you don’t have panic attacks. It’s okay, you can still get better I promised. So Question three, how can I drive during a panic attack or anxiety spike, it’s not safe. So this one, I did two podcast episodes that specifically talked about this Podcast, episode number 55. podcast episode number 105. We’re specifically about driving and driving anxiety. So there’s an assertion here that people will make that when you are in a high anxiety state or a state of panic, that you lose control and have no agency anymore.   Like some external force rolls in and possesses you and makes you do things or prevents you from doing things. This is a thing that you have to start to challenge has that ever been True? Now, you are most certainly afraid you’re very uncomfortable. But the choices that we make in those moments in an attempt to alleviate that fear and escape from the discomfort are not involuntary.   So, when talking about whether is it safe to drive during a panic attack, you have to realize that, yes, a rapid heartbeat during panic is involuntary, you can’t control that, and yes, maybe feeling a little short of breath is involuntary. Yes, feeling nauseous is involuntary. Feeling a little depersonalized is involuntary. That’s all true. But the things that we do to add fuel to that fear, fire, omg omg, calling for help trying desperately to get to a safe place trying to run away from it. Those are voluntary. Those are choices that we make.   So you can’t control how you’re going to feel. But we do have some agency in what we do about that. And you have to realize that the uncontrollable feeling or the idea that you will completely lose control of your mind and your body or that you do lose control of your mind and body is you know what you’re doing, and you know what that activity looks like, and you’re calling that uncontrollable. But really, we do have choices, we are making choices to do those things. So it’s important to consider that because that sort of challenges the narrative that says it’s not safe to drive because I lose control. Well, no, you choose to help to fuel a frantic state in your frantic effort to try and get away from the fear. But there is a choice there. And there’s an agency that’s important when you’re talking about driving. And I would urge you to consider another thing. And that is all the times that you have been anxious behind the wheel or experienced full-blown panic behind the wheel, and you have run home with that car or pulled over immediately or got off the highway or the motorway.   In all of those situations, you are surprisingly adept at maneuvering your vehicle, even though you’re insisting that you can’t and you must stop maneuvering the vehicle. So sometimes we have to insert a little bit of objectivity here, take two steps backward from that emotional reaction of oh my god, I’m out of control. It’s horrible. And look at the facts like, Am I out of control? Or am I just worried that I will be and have I ever even shown any sign of being unable to control my vehicle? Now, I’m not saying that driving with a panic attack is comfortable or easy in any way, shape, or form and it’s okay to pull over and let it pass.   It’s okay. But you got to start to challenge that narrative. But in the end, you’re the only ones that get you’re the only one that gets to decide whether you should drive or not. I can’t tell you Yes, go ahead and drive. I can tell you to start to really try and think objectively about the way you’re evaluating that. And let reality be a bit of a guide.   But I cannot tell you now, go ahead and drive you only you can determine that. Again, take a listen to podcast episodes, 55 and 105. And maybe those will help. So let’s go on to our next question. Question five. What if you have a real medical condition? Okay. This is unfortunately, common human beings have medical conditions all the time. More than one thing can be true at a time. So when this happens, you have to remember that you have an actual medical or health issue and can also be caught in the grips caught in the grips of disorder and anxiety, those two things will get glued together, and you will stick them together and think that they are one big giant ball of fear. But really, they are not. So there are two things in the face of a health challenge or a medical condition, that medical the condition can cause actual restrictions, lifestyle restrictions, but it can also cause fear, uncertainty, vulnerability, anxiety, worry, and normal things like human beings that are having health problems will normally experience those states.   But then there’s the extra state on top of that. So that’s the medical condition itself and the normal human reaction to that. And then there’s the disordered part that comes on top of that, which is now I am going to excessively worry beyond what is helpful about my health condition. I’m going to try to make predictions, I’m going to write giant horror stories and screenplays in my head about what might happen even though it’s not happening.   Now. I’m going to ruminate and worry and ruminate, and worry and research and Google, and I’m going to try to solve this problem in my head. But you can’t, that’s the part that you don’t have to do that part is not required, that part is not helping you in any way. It’s kind of hurting you in terms of mental health. Right? So you have to recognize there are two things, oh, I’m worried right now, I’m concerned, I’m afraid I feel uncertain and vulnerable because of this medical condition. Okay, that’s okay. And that sucks. And my heart goes out to you. But that’s part of being human. But the part where you latch on to it and spend 24 hours a day, every waking moment trying to solve this problem and writing stories about it in your head that’s not needed, then in many cases, your anxiety level goes up, because you’re doing that, and then you’re anxious because you’re anxious.   So it’s important to step back again, try to insert a little objectivity, and say, Oh, I see what’s going on here. I don’t have to say, Well, I have a health condition, and it sends my anxiety through the roof. No, I have a health condition. And that makes me feel certain things. And then I am adding on top of that with some of the habits that I think are safety or protection for me. And I can recognize that and begin to tease that apart and start to work on those other habits. So that’s my answer to what if I have a real medical condition, people will often say like, well, I have a real medical condition. So all bets are off to bed like I’m going to have to be an anxious mess. No, that’s not true. Now I did an episode of the podcast with my friend Jessica Seidner. Jessica doesn’t have anxiety disorders, like, as we are aware. But we did a great episode together, where she talked about having to deal with the increased anxiety of breast cancer diagnosis, which came right on the heels of losing her husband.   So she had a lot going on with her medical condition and a huge life loss. And her anxiety went up because it normally did. And we talked about how she had to work through that which might be helpful. I also did an Instagram live on this topic, probably a year and a half or two years ago. So again, if you go to the show notes for this episode, the anxious truth.com/ 217.   Under this question, you’ll see that link to Instagram. So next question, we are on to question number 6789 10. Okay, so the question, I think five or six, how do you accept anxiety or surrender to it? So this is a question I get every day. And this question is really like other statements in code? This question is really, it’s super scary to surrender. So please tell me how to do it without being afraid or uncomfortable. Right? So there is no way to do this without being afraid or uncomfortable. And I know that’s a glib answer, a brutal answer. It’s it sounds like a cold answer. But we need to confront these things. It doesn’t help us to try desperately to make it easier or fluffy, or it doesn’t work that way.   So you also have to recognize that when you ask the question, but how am I supposed to accept this or surrender to it? What you’re doing is insisting that you must continue to resist it. But why? Why do you think you have to continue to resist it? So if you are in this camp right now, where you want to keep asking, but I don’t understand how I’m supposed to surrender, or how I’m supposed to accept it. What you’re telling me is number one, I don’t want to be afraid, which I understand I’m not picking on you for that nobody wants to be afraid. And number two, no, no, no, I How am I supposed to I can’t if I drop all this resistance, then it’s going to come and get me? And my answer is yes. Correct. So how can I accept or surrender is an insistence that you’re not supposed to accept or surrender because you have to continue to fight it and resist it? Because if you don’t, you won’t be safe.   And if you want one big step that you can take toward acceptance and surrender, is to face the harsh, brutal, cold reality that all the things that you are doing to resist it, stop it, make it go away. All your rituals and safety behaviors and escape behaviors are doing nothing. Don’t leave a big pregnant pause. They’re lit doing nothing, no amount of tapping your cheeks sniffing oils, drinking cold water popping men’s calling for help snapping rubber bands, chanting, counting backward from 100. None of those things is doing anything because that danger has never actually existed. So in terms of how can I accept and surrender, I will say if I walked up to you and said, I am so tired from having to hold up the moon all the time, but I can’t stop holding up the moon or it will fall to the ground, you would look at me and say, no, no, you can stop holding up the moon, because you’ve never been holding up the moon, it doesn’t fall to the ground, it’s okay, you can let go.   The same thing applies here. So the thought that you can’t possibly accept anxiety or surrender it and by the way, acceptance doesn’t mean liking it, do not get confused, you can still hate it, and you can still want it to not happen. That’s all normal and you can’t control that’s human, you’re allowed to be human. Accepting doesn’t mean liking it. But accepting and surrendering means you will drop all of those safety behaviors, all of those resisting behaviors, because you must face the realization that they are doing nothing, they have no impact on your safety at all.     They’re just designed to make you feel different. But feeling different isn’t safer at all, because you’re never in actual danger from feeling anxious. Right? So you’re gonna have to confront the reality behind that question. But how am Did I suppose to surrender or accept? Well, look what those questions mean. So next question is, what exposures can I do get ready for dot dot dot, pick an event, a wedding, a concert, a family vacation, something. And so in the end, this is a simpler answer. You have to remember what exposures are therefore, people think, or they get confused. And they think, Well, I’m learning to drive on the highway. Again, I’m learning to go shopping, I’m learning to stay home alone. Again, you’re not learning to do anything. The only thing that you’re learning to do, which is portable across situations and challenges, and context is learning how to get better at experiencing anxiety and fear.   So we only do exposures, do specific things like drive go for a walk or stay home alone or eat food that you’re afraid of. So that it will trigger that anxiety, we were intentionally triggering anxiety, fear, uncomfort, discomfort, uncertainty, all of those things were intentionally triggering them so that you can practice feeling them and moving through them in a new way, a the more productive way that ultimately teaches you that you don’t have to save yourself from them. So if the exposure is not to the event, the task, or the place where the food or whatever the exposure is to the feelings, then every exposure is an exposure that works for other things.   Right? So if you’re getting ready to go to, for instance, you’re going to a concert all you got tickets to a concert, how can I expose myself to that? I mean, yes, can you do things that sort of mimic a concert? Yeah, that doesn’t hurt in any way. But remember, you’re only you’re not afraid of the concert, you’re afraid of how you will feel at the concert. So if you want to take a cruise around the world get better at staying home alone for two hours. That’s what I tell people all the time. If you want to go back to work, then get better at walking around your block. Because you’re really in the end, you’re learning a new way to relate to anxiety across all contexts. And if you can adopt this, then you don’t have to worry about specific exposures for every single thing you might have to do in your life, life gets a lot simpler that way.   And your recovery starts to become a little wider and more durable. So it’s really important, like think about that. I’m only doing these things because they trigger my anxiety, the anxiety, fear, that’s the exposure, not the task or the place. So let’s move on to the question. You know, in 10. I know which one I want to take, we’re on seven right now. This question is what does this method work if I have trauma too. So first of all, I always have to say this is not a method like I’m not teaching them. This isn’t the drew method. It’s not my method. I didn’t invent any of this. These are just the principles of a cognitive behavioral approach to anxiety disorders. So there are parallels between anxiety disorder, recovery, and trauma resolution, that’s 100% True, a lot of things will look the same.   If you’re working with a trauma resolution specialist, some of the things that you would hear would sound a lot like the things that I talked about, but they’re not the same. And the issue here is, let’s assume that you do have a traumatic background and you’ve experienced some traumatic events in your life. And maybe that that trauma did spawn your anxiety disorder that can happen. But then what I always say is that one problem, the trauma has now become two problems. You have trauma and an anxiety disorder. Right? So you have to realize that it doesn’t mean that the anxiety disorder doesn’t count because it’s only the trauma if you had one problem now you have to That’s okay though, don’t freak out. You can successfully deal with both of those issues. A lot of people do, right? A lot of people do that work on both fronts. But traumatic experiences do not mean that the anxiety disorder doesn’t count, so some people are under the assumption that like, well, this all sounds good, but I have trauma.   So what you’re saying doesn’t apply to me. Okay, you may have trauma, and I’m very sorry for the things that you’ve lived through. That’s possible. But in the end, if you will have learned to be afraid of your heartbeat, or your breath or you have learned to be afraid of, you know, depersonalization or jelly legs, and you refuse to go out of the house, or you are convinced that you have some sort of health problem, and you will only eat foods as a result. Maybe some trauma spawned that, but But knowing about that trauma doesn’t help you become less afraid of your heartbeat.   Now you’re afraid of multiple things. So maybe you are having, you know, you’re afraid of the experience. But now you’re also afraid of yourself. So you have to do both things. But of them, if two problems, you can solve them both. So traumatic experience can be a roadblock 100% to executing the recovery plan that we’re always talking about here. It’s 100% true if you have lived experiences that teach you that you are always unsafe, the world is dangerous, you are weak, you’re not capable, you’re stupid, and you’re not worthy of being better. trauma can do that to you. And if you have those beliefs about yourself, because of your past experiences, that can 100% present a roadblock to doing the work that I was talking about, have to acknowledge that and I always will always well never going to invalidate that.   So in that situation, you’re going to have to work on that too, right? You’ll have to work on that. It’s kind of hard. And this is different for everybody, right? There’s no set answer to this on the other side. So in that situation, you may find you have to do a little bit of work on yourself before you can effectively do this recovery work that I’m talking about.   Some other people find that their anxiety disorder is so bad, that they’re so wracked with panic and irrational fear that they can’t do the trauma work until they put out this fire. So some people have to do this first and then go back to the past and do that work. Some people can do it at the same time. It’s individual, it depends. So there’s no set answer to this. But I can tell you that you can recover from both trauma and anxiety.   And the things that I’m writing about which are geared toward anxiety recovery can be effective while you do that. It’s just a very individual situation. But please don’t feel that since you have lived the traumatic background, you can’t get better. That’s not true. That’s not fair. And I understand why you might think that but it’s not true. You can get better. It’s not easy. But there’s hope for you too, I promise. So last few questions. This is a really common one I’m accepting, why am I still anxious? So I might argue that if you are asking why you’re still anxious, then you’re not accepting. We can’t qualify for our acceptance. I’m accepting. I’m accepting this, but I also want it gone. Well, you can’t have both of those things. Think about that for a second. I know it sounds a little bit glib and a little silly.   But think about it. There’s truth in there. I’m accepting this, but I also don’t want to accept it, and I’m not accepting it. I know you want your anxiety to go away, but accepting and doing all the things we talked about. It’s not a recipe for banishing it, right? If that’s why you’re doing this like you are hoping that if you do the Claire weeks acceptance or the Dru surrender, or the Josh Fletcher willful tolerance, if I do this, then it will stop. You’re trying to skip the part where you have to experience the anxiety and use it as a classroom.   It’s super important. So if you’re trying to skip that, and you’re just hoping that okay, I except, wait a minute, how come it hasn’t gone away? You’re missing the whole process. And you’re going to wind up disappointed, frustrated, and do and ask this question I don’t understand. I’m accepting why isn’t gone away. So expectations are important. Understanding the concepts of recovery. Why are you accepting that is that the whole thing? Or is it just part of it? That’s important, aiming at the right target is important. So in this situation, I did episode 192 of the podcast, which is linked in the show notes here, go listen to that, that will probably help you. And this is related to question number nine, which is, I’m doing my exposures.   But it’s not working. This is what you think you’re doing. I’m doing all the things I’m doing exposures but not working. Why? And there are a couple of common explanations for this. Number one would be we’ll ask you a couple of questions. And this is right at the show notes. Are you trying to do exposures without being too afraid? Are you trying to do your exposures without triggering high anxiety or panic? Are you only doing exposures now and then when you’re forced to or when you’re having a good day? Are you doing exposures while also using all of your soothing and coping tools to calm you down if it gets uncomfortable? These are all red flags as to why exposure might not be working.   So remember what I said a couple of questions before the point of exposure are not doing the task. The point of the exposure is experiencing the fear the anxiety, the discomfort you want that you need that if you’re trying to find ways to do your exposure tasks without feeling that or minimizing it or soothing or calming it or making it’s easier Don’t do the exposure, there’s no point in it. Because you’re not, you’re not learning to drive again, you’re learning how to get better at experiencing anxiety. So this is one of the main reasons why people will say my exposures aren’t working well, okay, but you’re not doing exposure, in some cases, for a common mistake. The other thing would be that you know, that you’re supposed to experience that experience, panic, but you are still hanging on to those who escape behaviors and those rituals.   So some people get close to like real exposure, I would say real exposure, but most effective exposure, but they still hang on to like, well, there’s a line that I just can’t cross with anxiety and panic. And when I get close to that line, I will break out all of my copings skills. And I will break out my, safety skills and my make it go away skills. And that’s the response prevention part. So we’ve talked about exposure and response prevention, ERP, which is very commonly used in the OCD community, you hear ERP in that community all the time, but even for all of the anxiety disorders. Exposure is always ERP. So doing the things, you’re doing the things, you’re intentionally triggering this comfort, and you’re doing that without using your old responses, your safety responses, and soothing responses, you’re preventing those responses.   So one of the reasons why another key reason why exposure might not be working air quotes for you is first of all, what does working mean? It doesn’t mean to make it go away. Remember, it means teaching you how to get better at being anxious. But why do you think it’s not working? Well, one of the reasons is doing the exposure without doing the response prevention. I’m out there driving on the highway, but I’ve got my mints and my cold water and I got my radio on, I’m calling and I’m talking to my friend or I bring my husband or my girlfriend with me that that’s one good reason why it might not be working. Right. So if you go to anxious truth.com and just search for the word exposure, you’ll see quite a few podcast episodes where we talked about this in more detail. And then question 10 Final question for the day. This is a big one. How do I deal with a setback? So this is a such question I hear every single day and I the word setback, I almost want to be stricken from the vocabulary. Many times when people are in the recovery process, they feel like they’re doing great because they’re not experiencing anxiety or panic.   Like they’re feeling good. That’s, that’s awesome. We want everybody to feel good. I want you to feel good to write, I want you to have good days. We all want to have good days. Everybody deserves a good day. So when you start to string good days together, and you’re feeling pretty good. And it’s been a while since you had a panic attack, or it’s been a while since you had those scary thoughts or it’s been a while since you’ve had an anxious day and then you have an anxious day or the thoughts come back or you have a big panic attack one night. A lot of people will say up, it’s a setback. That’s not a setback. That’s not a setback, right? If the core principle of recovery, is to learn that anxiety and panic are not emergencies, then how is feeling that a setback, it’s no longer an emergency, you are trying to learn that it’s not an emergency, we do not declare it a special event.   We don’t retreat from it. So setback is usually a red flag word and it indicates that you’re still insisting that the only successful recovery is one year where you will never feel anxious or panicky ever again. And if you’re trying to recover to that degree, where you never you can guarantee that you never panic or ever have another scary thought in your life. You’re going to be disappointed and frustrated. So setback is not feeling things. If you haven’t felt anxious for two weeks, and then today you feel anxious. Well, your job today is to move through those feelings and practice being better at being anxious. That’s not a setback. That’s just life happening. And that’s an opportunity to get even better. Like we want it we get to the end of the road to recovery when we don’t care if we’re anxious or not. And I know that if you’re in the thick of it right now you are thinking that is an insane statement.   But that is truly where you are headed with this. That is when the war is over. So if every time you experience anxiety, you yell setback and want to know what to do I do with a setback? You’re kind of missing the point and you’re not being fair to yourself. Okay, so the only true thing that I might call setback is setback is also really what happens when we say up all bets are off and I’m going to return to my old rituals.   I’m gonna go back to my figuring it out trying to fight it trying to resist it hiding from it. Going back to my compulsive. My compulsions, like that, might be setbacks. Yes, if you start to revert to those old habits, I’ll call that a setback with you. But how you feel and what you think is not the setback. But even if you do start to revert to those old habits as soon as you waive the setback flag and one piece of advice just remember, oh wait, I have to start doing what I was doing before. No problem that happens to everybody move forward again. So if anxiety returns after some time, right at the show notes here your job is not to wring your hands and try to figure out why and how to stop it and declare a disaster.   Your job is to surf through it, move through it like you presumably did as part of the progress that you said you had made. So I did do an episode on this early on in 2015 of the podcast, episode 14 talks about the nonlinear nature of recovery and goes over setbacks. But I know setback is a thing that we talk about all the time in this community. Hopefully, this helps. And that is it. Those are our second 10 frequently asked questions about anxiety and anxiety recovery. We are done with episode 217. If you have not heard to 16 go ahead and listen, because those are the first 10 questions you know, we’re done because he told me that music. Anyway, I will pay you out as usual. Afterglow by Ben Drake, you can find Ben and his music ed Ben Drake music.com Go check them out and tell him I said hi, I will ask you a favor. If you’re listening to the podcast on iTunes on Apple podcasts or Spotify or some platform that lets you rate and review.   Please leave a five-star rating and maybe take a second to write a review because it helps other people find the podcast. If you’re listening on YouTube. Sorry, there’s no video this week. But if you’re listening on YouTube, Like the video, subscribe to the channel, and leave a comment. You know the deal. I appreciate you guys coming by all the time spending time with me giving me your attention. Hopefully, I’m able to help you. I’m doing the best I can. I’m hoping it’s working out for you. I’ll be back next week. We’re gonna do it again. I don’t know what I’m gonna be talking about. But I will be here. And as always remember, this is the way Unknown: this is where your story begins. 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6 Lies Your Anxiety Constantly Tells You

  Narrator, Hey Psych2goers, welcome back. When was the last time you felt completely at peace with your life and self? Sometimes our minds can linger in dark spaces with negative influences like anxiety Are there times when the voice of anxiety is louder than your own? Does it become difficult to discern between thoughts based on reality and thoughts that are merely lies clouding your mind, Identifying which thoughts are fear-based and false is the first step in shifting your mindset, which then helps you shift your self-image and life as a whole. So with that said, here are six common lies. Your anxiety may try to trick you into believing and how you can reframe those thoughts instead Number one. Everyone is focused on their flaws. The first time, gym, goers are often hesitant and timid due to the lack of experience and confidence in a new environment. They think they’ll stick out as the least experienced person in the room or that other gymgoers will judge them harshly over their body. What they don’t realize is that everyone there is too focused on themselves and improving their bodies to worry about others Replace the gym with other social settings, and you’ll realize the same applies. Remember that everyone has insecurities of their own, including the person you’re, interacting with Reclaim your mental space by focusing on being present with your setting or the people, you’re sharing time with You, ‘ll find that the less you focus on internalizing. Those negative feelings and the more you focus on being yourself, regardless of those insecurities the more confident you’ll, feel Number two. You’re not ready. Think of someone you admire, whether fictional or not If they refuse their call to action, whether that be accepting an invitation to a magical, wizarding school or volunteering themselves as a tribute in the Hunger Games all because they felt like they weren’t ready for Their world. Would be deprived of an important contribution When faced with a choice, to take a leap of faith? Remember that greatness comes when you act before. You feel ready Trust yourself to learn along the way and trust that your path will unfold gradually. As you carry on Number three, Your self-worth should be earned. The only factor that changes how connected you feel to your level of self-worth is a belief that is influenced by what you’ve been taught. Sometimes it’s not about adding more to your life through money, accomplishments, and material possessions to feel self-worth. Sometimes it’s about removing limiting thought patterns and unlearning the beliefs that convinced you to think less of yourself Throughout life. You may be conditioned by negative experiences, people, or trauma to believe that self-worth is something you must earn before you’re allowed to claim it, but that isn’t true. While there are things you should work hard to earn in life like a dream, job, or financial independence, self-worth is a feeling you innately deserve to have Number four. You must complete X by Y time in your life to be successful. Are you telling yourself? You must reach a certain goal at a certain time in your life to be deemed successful, or do you have a checklist with milestones you’d like to hit and are hard on yourself for not making those goals when you plan to This lie is exaggerated, Even further, when you look around and feel as though everyone is more successful than you or doing better in life than you are, The truth is, everyone is on their timeline and life is not a race. What looks like immediate success on the surface could be a goal that was years in the making for someone you admire. A successful goal is worth celebrating, no matter how long it takes. What matters most is your determination and persistence in making it happen. Number five. It or you will always be this way. Anxiety can trap your mind in a loop, causing you to believe that its presence will be a constant all your life. Your anxiety will lie to you by recalling all the times you failed to overcome it. You might think that you, ‘ll, always feel weak in the face of your fears or insecurities, but all of that is part of anxiety,’s negative influence, Bad memories are more easily remembered than good ones due to survival and evolution. When undergoing a negative experience, the two emotional, processing regions of the brain alerts you to what feels dangerous In an attempt to protect you, your brain imprints, these negative feelings into your memories, so that you can better prepare for future possibilities of similar experiences For every negative Memory that you have tried thinking about two other positive memories as well. This practice will help reframe your past in a positive light and can encourage a more optimistic view of your future And number six Change is bad. Are you afraid of change? Many of us are We’re scared of change because of its uncertain nature. Anxiety brings this fear to a new level, sometimes to the point where you feel paralyzed A bad breakup two years ago might leave room for the love of your life to arrive later. Not making the baseball team now could lead you to discover a passion for a new sport, and a conflict with a friend could be what deepens your bond with them. In a way you could, ‘t have imagined possible. Change can be good as long as you allow it. So did you relate to any of these When these thoughts or lies arise? Don’t force yourself to fight them off. If that proves to be a challenge at first, Allow them to appear like clouds forming in the sky, watch them pass through your mind, and let them float away You don’t have to believe or hold onto any of them With practice you’ll find They float into your mental space less and less Know that these thoughts are not your own and that there is an inner voice, encouraging you with positivity, underneath those fear-ridden thoughts. If you found this video helpful like and share it with friends that might find insight in this too Remember to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more content. All the sources used are added in the description box below. Thank you for watching. Until next time, calming music As found on YouTube Human Synthesys Studio It’s Never Been Easier To Create Human Spokesperson Videos. No Learning Curve, So Easy To Use

8 Signs You Might Have Social Anxiety

  Hey, Psych2Goers! And welcome back to another Psych2Go video. Do you find it hard to socialize with other people? Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of going to a social event? It can be very easy to confuse social anxiety and shyness.. ..since they share many of the same characteristics. While shyness is a personality trait.. ..social anxiety is a mental illness. Before we begin we’d like to mention that this video is created for educational purposes only.. ..and is not intended to substitute a professional diagnosis. With that being said, here are eight signs you might have social anxiety. #1 You’re always self-conscious. One aspect of social anxiety is the extreme fear of being judged. According to Kocovski and Endler if you have social anxiety; You’ll constantly worry about the way you look or act and what others think of you. Your greatest fear is of embarrassing yourself in front of others. A shy person, on the other hand, will only worry about being judged in certain situations.. ..like in public speaking or when meeting someone new. #2 Your anxiety feels out of hand. There are times when it’s normal to feel shy or nervous around other people.   ..for example when you move to a new school or have to perform in front of an audience. But social anxiety is irrational and unwarranted. You may feel distressed about things as simple as making eye contact with someone,.. ..using public transportation, or eating in front of other people. The fear is always there. The fear is always there. #3 It interferes with your performance. Have you ever called in sick to work when your anxiety became too overwhelming? ..or have you kept quiet when you were having trouble in class? Social anxiety can impact your performance in many ways.. ..with the constant fear of people’s judgment You may even be afraid to do well to avoid drawing attention.   You don’t pitch ideas at meetings.. ..raise your hand in class… or join clubs because of how much anxiety it creates. #4 It affects your relationships. While it’s hard to make friends when you’re shy.. ..it can feel almost impossible when you have social anxiety. For a shy person, it’s usually about breaking the ice.. ..and going through the initial awkwardness of meeting each other. But having social anxiety can complicate your relationships. You feel tense and uneasy around people. ..no matter how close you are or how long you’ve known them. #5 It doesn’t go away with familiarity. It’s normal to feel shy at the beginning of a new relationship. But as you get to know each other the tension will start to subside. This isn’t the case if you have social anxiety. Instead, you always experience fear distress, and embarrassment whenever you’re around other people. Doesn’t matter if it’s your parent’s siblings or best friend.. ..you always feel uneasy and stressed unless you’re alone. #6 You overanalyze everything. Have you ever said things to yourself like; “I took too long to reply and now she doesn’t like me ..” or “He didn’t say hello this morning because he’s upset with me ..” Social anxiety can make you obsess over your social interactions. You may spend a lot of time and energy.. ..analyzing other people’s facial expressions.. ..body language and tone of voice.. ..to see if they mean what they’re saying or not. #7 You avoid social situations. Are you often absent or very late to social gatherings? It’s a serious matter if your social anxiety leads you to avoid social situations altogether.   You decline invitations, refuse to speak in front of people, ..and would rather sit in the corner.. ..to avoid being noticed and mingle with anyone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a normal day at work or school.. ..your birthday party, or even your wedding day. And #8 You have physical symptoms. Do you feel nausea? dizziness or chest palpitations when you’re in social situations? Just like most anxiety disorders.. ..social anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms. Some common ones are sweaty palms, shortness of breath.. lightheadedness, and trembling. While these are also the same signs of someone having a panic attack. You’ll be able to tell the difference if you only show these symptoms.. ..when anticipating or being out in a social setting. Do you relate to any of these symptoms above? Let us know in the comments below.   If you do, you’re not alone…nor are you bad for feeling this way. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. If you find this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe…and share this video with those who might benefit from it as well! Thanks for watching and we’ll see you in the next video! As found on YouTube Show me the simple steps to overcome shyness & cure social anxiety ➫ The Shyness and Social Anxiety System was created by Sean Cooper, a former social anxiety sufferer. Learn how to overcome your quietness, erase your insecurities and be confident around people using proven psychology.

6 Physical Symptoms that Might Be Anxiety

  – [Presenter] Have you ever experienced physical symptoms and not known why? It could be that you’re experiencing anxiety without realizing it. So what exactly is anxiety? Experiencing occasional moments of anxiety is normal, such as when facing a problem at work or before taking an exam where you may feel your heart beating rapidly sweaty palms, or have nausea. But these symptoms of nervousness dissolve over time. While you may have experienced these symptoms at some point, anxiety is more than temporary worrying or stress. Worries and stress arise from external triggers such as an upcoming deadline or an argument with a loved one.   Anxiety on the other hand is persistent worry in the absence of stressors. The American Psychology The association defines it as an emotion characterized by apprehension and somatic symptoms of tensions in which an individual anticipates impending danger, catastrophe, or misfortune. Aside from its mental symptoms, anxiety also produces a roster of physical symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, and muscle tension. Most people pay more attention to the physical symptoms as they’re easy to identify, and as a result, tend to treat the symptoms rather than the underlying cause. So with that said, here are six symptoms of anxiety that can help you discern if it’s an illness or anxiety.   Number one is irritability. Yes, this symptom may seem vague because when you’re unwell, who wouldn’t be a bit irritated? However, if you find yourself getting worked up over the slightest things, that could be a sign of anxiety. Anxiety triggers our fight-flight or freezes response. It also makes you believe that you’re constantly in danger which reduces your tolerance to stress. As your stress tolerance decreases you become more susceptible to snapping at someone. According to statistics, only a small percentage of you who watch our videos are subscribed. If you’re not subscribed yet and you enjoy what you see do consider hitting the subscribe button. This encourages your hoops algorithm in promoting more of our mental health content to more people out there. Number two is depersonalization or derealization. Another sign that your physiological symptoms are the result of anxiety and not a sickness is if you experience frequent bouts of derealization or depersonalization. Both symptoms disrupt how you perceive yourself and the world. Derealization is a sensation of being outside of your body and is a frightening thing to experience.   One minute you can be walking down the street and suddenly everything feels two-dimensional or unreal. Depersonalization is usually described as an out-of-body experience. Most times you feel like you’re watching and hearing yourself in real-time, but your actions feel distant like you’re not the person doing them and your limbs or body can appear distorted and foreign to you. Reports show that stress and anxiety are the primary causes of derealization and depersonalization because your fight or flight response to stress floods your brain with adrenaline which redirects blood from the brain to the larger muscle groups and core. Because your brain has less blood you may feel more lightheaded, and as a result, you may experience derealization and depersonalization. If this happens to you, it helps to breathe. The adrenaline usually takes two to three minutes to metabolize but you may take 20 minutes to calm down physically and mentally. Number three is phobias and coping mechanisms. Another sign that you’re experiencing anxiety and not a physical illness is if you notice that you’ve developed new and unexplainable phobias. We all have phobias whether they developed during childhood or are the result of a bad experience. Phobias are our brain’s way of trying to keep us from harm. However, some phobias are the results of anxiety and can become obstacles in your daily life. Technically phobias are categorized as anxiety disorders and fall into two groups; specific and complex. Specific phobias usually stem from a bad experience, but complex phobias stem from mental or emotional distress. Specific phobias usually don’t need treatment but complex phobias, like agoraphobia, the fear of being in busy places, and social phobia do. These phobic opioids can make you feel more alone and can also affect your self-esteem. Number four, attacks, trouble breathing.   A telltale sign of anxiety is experiencing a panic attack or anxiety attack. Though both terms are used interchangeably, they’re different. A panic attack is a sudden overwhelming surge of emotion such as fear and discomfort. You may feel your chest tighten as your breathing has stopped. You may also feel dizzy or lightheaded. While anxiety attacks have similar symptoms, they’re a bit different as they’re the result of symptoms that have been gradually building up. Number five is gastrointestinal disruptions. Gastrointestinal issues are another sign of anxiety but can also arise independently of your mental health. While anxiety and gastro illnesses are mutually exclusive, there is research supporting the theory that anxiety causes gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and studies have shown the comorbidity between anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome. There’s lots of research that treatment for some gastrointestinal disorders may involve therapy.   And number six, physiological strangeness. A final sign that you’re experiencing anxiety is if you feel tingling or numbness usually in your face and limbs, which is the feeling of blood rushing to your extremities as your fight or flight response kicks in. While blood rushes to our extremities, other areas of your body can feel weak. Tingling and numbing can also be caused by hyperventilation which indirectly happens when you’re anxious. Along with the symptoms listed in this article, there are other ways anxiety can manifest itself.   Despite its symptoms, anxiety is manageable. Please reach out to a medical health professional or a therapist for help. Do you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself? Let us know when the comments are below. And remember to like and share this video with those who might benefit. As always, the references and studies used are listed in the description below. Take care and thanks for watching. See you next time. As found on YouTube Hi, My name is James Gordon 👻🗯 I’m going to share with you the system I used to permanently cure the depression that I struggled with for over 20 years. My approach is going to teach you how to get to the root of your struggle with depression, with NO drugs and NO expensive and endless therapy sessions. If you’re ready to get on the path to finally overcome your depression, I invite you to keep reading…

8 Signs You Might Have Social Anxiety

  Hey Psych2Goers And welcome back to another Psych2Go video: Do you find it hard to socialize with other people? Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of going to a social event? It can be very easy to confuse social anxiety and shyness since they share many of the same characteristics While shyness is a personality. Trait social anxiety is a mental illness.   Before we begin, we’d like to mention that this video is created for educational purposes.   Only and is not intended to substitute a professional diagnosis With that being said, here are eight signs.   You might have social anxiety.   1, You’re, always self-conscious.   One aspect of social anxiety is the extreme fear of being judged According to Kocovski and Endler.   If you have social anxiety, You’ll constantly worry about the way you look or act and what others think of you.   Your greatest fear is of embarrassing yourself in front of others.   A shy person, on the other hand, will only worry about being judged in certain situations like in public speaking or when meeting someone new 2.   Your anxiety feels out of hand. There are times when it’s normal, to feel shy or nervous around other people.   For example, when you move to a new school or have to perform in front of an audience, But social anxiety is irrational and unwarranted.   You may feel distressed about things as simple as making eye contact with someone using public transportation or eating in front of other people.   The fear is always there.   The fear is always there 3.   It interferes with your performance.   Have you ever called in sick to work when your anxiety became too overwhelming, or have you kept quiet when you were having trouble in class Social anxiety can impact your performance in many ways with the constant fear of people’s judgment, You may even be afraid To do well to avoid drawing attention You don’t pitch ideas at meetings, raise your hand in class or join clubs because of how much anxiety it creates 4?   It affects your relationships While it’s hard to make friends.   When you’re shy, it can feel almost impossible when you have social anxiety For a shy person.   It’s usually about breaking the ice and going through the initial awkwardness of meeting each other. But having social anxiety can complicate your relationships, You feel tense and uneasy around people, no matter how close you are or how long you’ve known them.     5.   It doesn’t go away with familiarity.   It’s normal to feel shy at the beginning of a new relationship, But, as you get to know each other, the tension will start to subside This isn’t the case.   If you have social anxiety Instead, you always experience fear, distress, and embarrassment.   Whenever you’re around other people, Doesn’t matter, if it’s your parents, siblings, or best friend, you always feel uneasy and stressed unless you’re alone, 6, You overanalyze everything.   Have you ever said things to yourself like I took too long to reply and now she doesn’t like me, or He didn’t, say hello this morning, because he’s upset with me?   Social anxiety can make you obsess over your social interactions.   You may spend a lot of time and energy analyzing other people,’s, facial expressions, body, language, and tone of voice to see if they mean what they’re saying or not.   7. You avoid social situations.   Are you often absent or very late to social gatherings? It’s a serious matter if your social anxiety leads you to avoid social situations altogether, You decline, invitations refuse to speak in front of people, and would rather sit in the corner to avoid being noticed and mingle with anyone else.   It doesn’t matter if it’s a normal day at work or school, your birthday party, or even your wedding day And 8.   You have physical symptoms.   Do you feel nausea, dizziness, or chest palpitations when you’re in social situations, Just like most anxiety disorders, social anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms.   Some common ones are sweaty palms shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and trembling.   While these are also the same signs of someone having a panic attack, You’ll be able to tell the difference if you only show these symptoms when anticipating or being out in a social setting, Do you relate to any of these symptoms? Above, Let us know in the comments below, If you do, you, ‘re, definitely not alone.   Nor are you bad for feeling this way, The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below.   If you find this video helpful be sure to like subscribe and share this video with those who might benefit from it as well, Thanks for watching and we’ll see you in the next video Continue reading 8 Signs You Might Have Social Anxiety

7 Types of Anxiety Disorders

  Do you find yourself feeling stressed out when you’re studying for an important exam Or when you’re practicing repeatedly in front of a mirror before a presentation? It’s perfectly normal to feel stressed out or anxious now and then Unfortunately for some of us our anxiety can get so out of hand that we feel this way constantly That chronic feeling of anxiousness and fear is the marking of an anxiety disorder Before we begin we’d like to make a short disclaimer Please don’t use this video to self-diagnose! If you can relate to most of the signs, we do advise you to go to a qualified medical health professional for proper diagnosis With that being said, Psych2Go presents to you the Seven Types of Anxiety Disorders One) Generalized anxiety disorder also known as GAD It’s the most common among anxiety disorders to be diagnosed People with GAD suffer from intense and persistent worry a GAD sufferer can worry or feel anxious about a number of events ranging from school or work to their family life at home This anxiety is associated with at least three of these symptoms: Restlessness, Fatigue, Difficulty Concentrating, Irritability, Muscle Tension, Insomnia, or Difficulty Falling Asleep People with GAD, often can’t explain their anxiety using specific fears like those with more specific anxiety disorders can And this is because their anxiety stems from various stimuli Those who suffer from GAD can find relief in a number of treatment options ranging from mindfulness meditation and brisk exercise to cognitive-behavioural therapies and medications.   Two) Separation Anxiety Disorder This type of anxiety is more common in children than adults. For many, the mere thought of separation causes a high amount of stress People with separation anxiety worry that something unexpected could separate them from their attachment figure Or that their attachment figure will abandon them This anxiety presents as nightmares of being alone and a persistent refusal to leave their attachment figure Kids with separation anxiety may be clingy and insist on sleeping with their parents at night Children often grow out of separation anxiety disorder, but if it persists for six months or longer, they should be provided help Adult sufferers may also find benefit from the available therapies Three) Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, and Selective mutism Social anxiety disorder also known as “S.A.D.” refer to the fear of public situations and exposure to unfamiliar people S.A.D. sufferers tend to avoid situations in which they’re in the spotlight because they’re worried that they’ll be embarrassed or judged by others The thought or the anticipation alone of an upcoming social situation can cause major anxiety-related symptoms like panic attacks or severe stomach pain People with S.A.D.   May show signs of stress in these forms: Little to no eye contact, Freezing in place, Running off, or Avoiding tasks like eating in public Children and adults alike can suffer from S.A.D. But some children with social anxiety may also have a more intense ability to function in social situations Selective mutism is a type of social anxiety in which a child is unable to speak in social situations Despite being able to speak normally otherwise Often, this problem arises at school or in the presence of strangers If a child with selective mutism can communicate at all.     They might only be able to nod or whisper Four) Panic disorder It becomes a disorder when an individual experiences panic attacks multiple times in their lifetime Panic attacks are intense bursts of fear followed by a range of physical symptoms, these include at least four of the following: Cold sweats, Muscle stiffness or Trembling, Hyperventilation, which is fast, shallow breathing Lightheadedness, Numbness or the Fear of death and/or Insanity The fear afterward of another panic attack. Sometimes actually provokes more panic attacks More often than not, panic attacks are had in combination with other anxiety disorders Therapy along with medications can help in handling panic disorder Five) Agoraphobia Does your local train station seem intimidating? Do you feel faint in a crowded place? Agoraphobia is the fear of public places Anxiety arises because they deem them as too open or dangerous It’s triggered by fears like becoming a victim of crime or of contracting a disease or illness Its sufferers coop themselves up in their homes where they’re comfortable and familiar with their environment Agoraphobe often become over-dependent on other people to compensate for their inability to cope in public Agoraphobia can develop at any age and can be extremely debilitating Exposure therapy works effectively against Agoraphobia in conjunction with medication Six) Specific Phobia These are persistent and extreme fears about a specific object or situation and cause a ton of stress to the sufferer Phobias can be environmental like Acrophobia, the fear of heights and they can be animal-based Or even situational like Taphophobia, the fear of being buried alive Such phobias often arise due to traumatic experiences that cause people to make negative associations with these objects or situations Someone who was clawed in the face by a cat in their childhood might have an avid fear of cats in their adulthood In cases where exposure therapy may not be safe or applicable Cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective in changing a person’s negative association to their feared object or situation Seven) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD and Post-Traumatic StressDisorder PTSD Yes, OCD and PTSD were categorized by many psychiatrists as disorders to be grouped with the aforementioned anxiety disorders Recently there have been new findings about these disorders that team them both unique enough to be in categories of their own, However, this is not to suggest that OCD and PTSD are any less important to deal with The common thread that group disorders like GAD, S.A.D., panic disorder, and phobias together Is that sufferers of these anxiety disorders experience future-oriented fear? OCD differs, and though there is anxiety felt in the sufferer’s obsession They can find temporary relief in their ritualistic compulsions Unfortunately for OCD sufferers, this means a life of cyclical ritualism that can affect daily living Those suffering from PTSD May suffer anxiety-like symptoms similar to GAD or even panic disorder But PTSD is unique and that its past oriented The sufferer suffers flashbacks that bring them back to the event of their traumatization If you’re diagnosed with anxiety disorder, it’s okay Millions of people around the world understand what it’s like to suffer from an anxiety disorder, so you’re not alone Understand that every single one of these anxiety types is often treatable and manageable Also, if you know someone who may benefit from online counseling we’ve partnered up with Better Help, an affordable online counseling platform that you can utilize They’re constantly striving to improve their services and terms and conditions.   The link will be in the description box Did you find this video helpful? If so, remember to share this video with those you think might benefit from it As always, Thanks for watching! As found on YouTube FUNNELIFY is a new, first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking app ➯➱ ➫ ➪➬ which finally allows you to deliver separately auto-generated mobile pages with unheard before lighting speed. Plus it skyrockets ➯➱ ➫ ➪➬ After using the Funnelify product, you will recognize a great increase in your leads and sales. This product shows methods to boost your traffic without using any shortcuts. The best thing is that you can build unlimited …

7 Types of Anxiety Disorders

Do you find yourself feeling stressed out when you’re studying for an important exam Or when you’re practicing repeatedly in front of a mirror before a presentation? It’s perfectly normal to feel stressed out or anxious every now and then Unfortunately for some of us our anxiety can get so out of hand that we feel this way constantly That chronic feeling of anxiousness and fear is the marking of an anxiety disorder Before we begin we’d like to make a short disclaimer Please don’t use this video to self-diagnose! If you can relate to most of the signs, we do advise you to go to a qualified medical health professional for proper diagnosis With that being said, Psych2Go presents to you the Seven Types of Anxiety Disorders One) Generalized anxiety disorder also known as GAD It’s the most common among anxiety disorders to be diagnosed People with GAD suffer from intense and persistent worry a GAD sufferer can worry or feel anxious about a number of events Ranging from school or work to their family life at home This anxiety is associated with at least three of these symptoms: Restlessness, Fatigue, Difficulty Concentrating, Irritability, Muscle Tension, Insomnia, or Difficulty Falling Asleep People with GAD, often can’t explain their anxiety using specific fears like those with more specific anxiety disorders can And this is because their anxiety stems from various stimuli Those who suffer from GAD can find relief in a number of treatment options ranging from mindfulness meditation and brisk exercise to cognitive-behavioural therapies and medications. Two) Separation Anxiety Disorder This type of anxiety is more common in children than adults. For many, the mere thought of separation causes a high amount of stress People with separation anxiety worry that something unexpected could separate them from their attachment figure Or that their attachment figure will abandon them This anxiety presents as nightmares of being alone and a persistent refusal to leave their attachment figure Kids with separation anxiety may be clingy and insist on sleeping with their parents at night Children often grow out of separation anxiety disorder, but if it persists for six months or longer, they should be provided help Adult sufferers may also find benefit from the available therapies Three) Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, and Selective mutism Social anxiety disorder also known as “S.A.D.” refer to the fear of public situations and exposure to unfamiliar people S.A.D. sufferers tend to avoid situations in which they’re in the spotlight because they’re worried that they’ll be embarrassed or judged by others The thought or the anticipation alone of an upcoming social situation can cause major anxiety-related symptoms like panic attacks or severe stomach pain People with S.A.D. May show signs of stress in these forms: Little to no eye contact, Freezing in place, Running off, or Avoiding tasks like eating in public Children and adults alike can suffer from S.A.D. But some children with social anxiety may also have a more intense ability to function in social situations Selective mutism is a type of social anxiety in which a child is unable to speak in social situations Despite being able to speak normally otherwise Oftentimes, this problem arises at school or in the presence of strangers If a child with selective mutism is able to communicate at all. They might only be able to nod or whisper Four) Panic disorder It becomes a disorder when an individual experiences panic attacks multiple times in their lifetime Panic attacks are intense bursts of fear followed by a range of physical symptoms, these include at least four of the following: Cold sweats, Muscle stiffness, or Trembling, Hyperventilation, which is fast, shallow breathing Lightheadedness, Numbness or the Fear of death and/or Insanity The fear afterward of another panic attack. Sometimes actually provokes more panic attacks More often than not, panic attacks are had in combination with other anxiety disorders Therapy along with medications can help in handling panic disorder Five) Agoraphobia Does your local train station seem intimidating? Do you feel faint in a crowded place? Agoraphobia is the fear of public places Anxiety arises because they deem them as too open or dangerous It’s triggered by fears like becoming a victim of crime or of contracting a disease or illness Its sufferers coop themselves up in their homes where they’re comfortable and familiar with their environment Agoraphobe often become over-dependent on other people to compensate for their inability to cope in public Agoraphobia can develop at any age and can be extremely debilitating Exposure therapy works effectively against Agoraphobia in conjunction with medication Six) Specific Phobia These are persistent and extreme fears about a specific object or situation and cause a ton of stress to the sufferer Phobias can be environmental like Acrophobia, the fear of heights and they can be animal-based Or even situational like Taphophobia, the fear of being buried alive Such phobias often arise due to traumatic experiences that cause people to make negative associations with these objects or situations Someone who was clawed in the face by a cat in their childhood might have an avid fear of cats in their adulthood In cases where exposure therapy may not be safe or applicable Cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective in changing a person’s negative association to their feared object or situation Seven) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD and Post-Traumatic StressDisorder PTSD Yes, OCD and PTSD were categorized by many psychiatrists as disorders to be grouped with the aforementioned anxiety disorders Recently there have been new findings of these disorders that team them both unique enough to be in categories of their own, However, this is not to suggest that OCD and PTSD are any less important to deal with The common thread that group disorders like GAD, S.A.D., panic disorder, and phobias together Is that sufferers of these anxiety disorders experience future-oriented fear? OCD differs, and though there is anxiety felt in the sufferer’s obsession They are able to find temporary relief in their ritualistic compulsions Unfortunately for OCD sufferers, this means a life of cyclical ritualism that can affect daily living Those are suffering from PTSD May suffer anxiety-like symptoms similar to GAD or even panic disorder But PTSD is unique and that it’s past-oriented The sufferer suffers flashbacks that bring them back to the event of their traumatization If you’re diagnosed with anxiety disorder, it’s okay Millions of people around the world understand what it’s like to suffer from an anxiety disorder, so you’re not alone Understand that every single one of these anxiety types is often treatable and manageable Also if you know someone who may benefit from online counseling we’ve partnered up with Better Help, an affordable online counseling platform that you can utilize They’re constantly striving to improve their services and terms and conditions. The link will be in the description box Did you find this video helpful? If so, remember to share this video with those you think might benefit from it As always, Thanks for watching!.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

(electronic chimes) I can’t believe what my boss just said to me. She must think I’m doing a terrible job. I have to quit. All my friends are so happy when they go out. I don’t get it. I can’t even imagine what they’re thinking of me. If I don’t get this internship I’ll never get a job. I don’t know what else I can do. I’m stuck. I hate airports. Driving there, construction, traffic, parking, and then security. Everything about it just overwhelms me. (electronic chimes) Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems. While everyone experiences stress and anxiety at some point in life, some people become so overwhelmed they can’t manage their day-to-day or minute-to-minute lives. I know. One of these voices is mine. There are several types of anxiety that can affect people in different ways. You might have heard of specific phobia, social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or others. Some of these seem like they might be manageable, like a fear of heights. It’s not always convenient to avoid tall buildings, but you could do it. Others, like panic disorder or social phobia, might be harder to manage, because they cause problems in unpredictable times, like when you’re in public. Each anxiety disorder is different, but basically, they all have one thing in common. They cause excessive worry that affects thoughts, feelings, and physical symptoms. And that causes problems in a person’s life for at least six months. For me, I struggled with generalized anxiety disorder. I was worried about everything. Things I couldn’t control, like getting stuck in traffic and being late for an appointment, made me really angry. I worried about what other people thought of me. Looking at my schedule each morning was the worst part of my day. It felt impossible to do everything I put on my list. This really caused problems in my relationships. I yelled at people. I know I seemed demanding and rigid. At night I was exhausted and sad, and I’d cry because I was so upset. Most people with anxiety disorders also experience physical symptoms like shortness of breath, racing heart, sweating. Some people even get headaches or high blood pressure. Stress and anxiety are very real physical problems, and eventually, people avoid doing anything stressful so they don’t have these symptoms. The good news is that anxiety disorders are treatable. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, exposure therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, are evidence-based treatments that can treat any type of anxiety disorder. Relaxation techniques, controlled breathing, and meditation have also been shown to be effective in reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety. There are lots of medications that are also helpful, including medications for depression and anxiety known as SSRIs and SNRIs. Social support, stress management, and self-care techniques are also common parts of any treatment plan for an anxiety disorder. I was worried about so many things for so long. But I got help. I worked with a great counselor and took an SSRI. I even started yoga. Now, when I begin to feel stressed, I can look at the situation more carefully, slow down my breathing, and take care of any tasks that are reasonable. Treatment can really help people overcome their symptoms of anxiety. I know. I did. (electronic chimes).

What is Anxiety?

[Music] there is no way I’m going to pass this exam I don’t even want to show up I was so uncomfortable at that party it was hard for me to breathe and I got all sweaty I had to leave I won’t go to sleep or leave the house unless I’ve made sure the stove is off and the doors are locked sometimes I do this three or four times I have to get to the airport five hours early you just never know what might happen [Music] these are the voices of people who have experienced anxiety anxiety is a common reaction to life events like taking a final exam we’re speaking in front of a crowd but when it becomes really uncomfortable and makes day-to-day life hard to live then it’s a problem or even what we call a disorder I know I’ve lived with anxiety for a long time my own anxiety feels like it’s about everything I worry about so many things in so many ways and it impacts my life big-time I stress about things that are about to happen or might happen and it means I can’t really focus on where I am or who I’m with sometimes my heart pounds I speak really fast and I kind of snap at people my family gets really frustrated when it’s really bad I have a knot in my stomach all the time I can even feel depressed and then I just want to be alone I feel like if I do something I’ll screw it up or something will go wrong so a lot of times I just rather avoid it all I feel so much better staying home and maybe having a drink turns out anxiety is a very common mental health symptoms it can be the main sign of generalized anxiety disorder which I have or social anxiety disorder which is when people have a fear of being in public or meeting new people for those of us with social or generalized anxiety disorders it’s really difficult to live the way we want to live some people have anxiety about really specific things they are afraid of heights snakes spiders or something else these are called phobias and when people avoid these things anxiety mostly stays away but when people can’t avoid their phobias it is a real problem some people experience anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder which can make people really overcome with anxiety in these conditions anxiety can be so intense that people are at risk for suicide and they use alcohol or drugs to cope and sometimes their lives feel like they come to a halt I’m one of the lucky ones my doctor told me how to get the treatment that would help me and it did I understand now what my anxiety feels like when it happens and what I can do about it I learned some great coping skills and even just naming it keeps it in perspective sometimes my anxiety can still get pretty big but it doesn’t seem to last quite as long as it used to my anxiety was treatable for most people this is true you can get your life back to where you want it to be I know I’ve got mine back [Music]

3 Major Signs Insomnia Is Leading to an Anxiety Disorder

Claim one week of free access to the MedCircle library to access hundreds of exclusive videos like this one: https://watch.medcircle.com/browse Insomnia and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. Insomnia can also impact depression, But when does insomnia or sleep issues lead to an actual anxiety disorder? Here are 3 major signs insomnia is leading to an anxiety disorder, straight from leading psychiatrist Dr. Judith Joseph. In this eye opening interview, Dr. Judith and MedCircle host Kyle Kittleson walk through… – A key environmental sign that you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder resulting from insomnia or another sleep disorder – Signs at work you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder (and the mistake most people make when they start experiencing anxiety at work) – The symptoms that signal professional intervention can help with anxiety or insomnia / sleep disorders (especially the physical symptoms) Discover more video education self-help strategies for how to fall asleep, insomnia treatment options, anxiety disorder treatment options, REM vs non-REM sleep, and more: https://bit.ly/31EeFHt The full psychology series at the link above is your mental health guidebook on dealing with insomnia and anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder or GAD, anxiety symptoms (a panic attack, general stress, etc.) and more. Take control of mental illness with