Tag: therapy

Social Anxiety or Agoraphobia?


Hey everybody. Happy Thursday! And when it's Thursday … what is it? I'm doing an FAQ video or things in the media. There are a lot of things in the media. Many of you have commented. Don't think that I have missed it. But I had a couple of good questions today that I wanted to address. And I've been doing some thinking about videos, and I think I'm going to do my journal topics as separate videos.


I find many of you have let me know that you really like those short, clip videos, where it's just something inspirational to kind of help get you through your day. So instead of doing two videos a week, now I'll do three. And I'll do a, you know, journal topic inspiration. So share your ideas! If there's anything that you've read about, heard about, saw on Pinterest or something tweet it to me, leave it in the comments below. And I shall make a video about that. So today I have two questions, and both of these are really good. So let's get going. First question says, "Hey Kati. First of all very nice video." This person's referring to the agoraphobia video I put out on Monday. If you haven't checked it out, you should check it out.


"I have a question. Describing the disorder you really focused on embarrassment connected to the possibility of getting out of a stressful situation. Does this feeling have anything in common with social anxiety? And if so, what are the main differences?" Because if you remember correctly in my video I talk about agoraphobia being an anxiety disorder. Now the really awesome thing about the DSM … cause I have to put a different book under my thing, because I had to use this to reference … is that it shares with you differential diagnoses, which is really the way of saying how is this different from the other disorders. Because a lot of them seem very similar. How do we differentiate between the two? And it says, I'm gonna read this to you, 'cause I tend to blab so sometimes it's good if I just read you what it says.


So with reference to social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, it says "agoraphobia should be differentiated from social anxiety disorder based primarily on the situational clusters that trigger the fear, anxiety or avoidance, and the cognitive ideation." So in social anxiety disorder the focus is on the fear of being negatively evaluated. If you remember when I've talked about this in other videos, social anxiety is when we fear what other people are thinking of us, what they might say to others about us, that we could be negatively evaluated by them. Agoraphobia is more about trying to get out, having a panic attack, being embarrassed about trying to leave. Now I see how these kind of go together, but you can also see how they're separated. The social anxiety is more about how we're perceived by others, where as agoraphobia is just the fear, like it says the fear or anxiety or avoidance because we worry about how we'll get out if we have a panic attack.


Or that it could be really embarrassing, because we might stumble, like try to get out really quickly. I hope that that makes it clear. If you need more clarification feel free to re-ask the question and I can blab some more. Okay. Question number two, "Hey Kati my therapist told me she'd like me to see a dietician." Uhh, she didn't! "Only I'm not sure I really need it." You never think you do. Sorry I'll stop with my commentary. "I do some eating disorder behaviors, but I still eat enough most days. And the behaviors are only there for a few days, and then I have other behaviors. Different behaviors that switch off and on. And I've only seen my therapist for two times now. And I've only really told her what went wrong. I don't want to waste peoples' time going to a dietician when I don't really need it." This got so much chatter on the website.


Holy schmollies, you guys really had opinions about this. So I thought, let's talk about it. Now seeing a dietician is good. It's something that we can all, all of us who have any kind of eating disorder behaviors. I know you're thinking but I don't really think I have an eating disorder. I only purge sometimes or I only restrict, but it comes off and on. I have a video from like I don't know … any of my OG's out there? It's like two years ago, my original FAQ video. I'm wearing like a teal sweater. It says FAQ on the thumbnail so just search. Well no you can't, because all of my videos would come up. But anyway it says FAQs. One of them is If You Think You Have an Eating Disorder You Probably Do.


Just let that wash over you for a second. Because I know it's hard, and we always think "But it's not that bad. I don't do it all the time. It comes and goes." Eating disorders are sneaky. They like come in, I feel like they're like ink in water, where all of a sudden the water is turned a whole different color. But we're like but it only just started this little. It's crazy. It can get in there, morph, change. As soon as you think you understand where it comes from and what it's doing, it's already changing to something else. And so even when we feel like "it's not bad enough to get more help" we still need to get more help. Because the sooner we get the help, the better. And seeing a dietician, whether we binge, whether we purge, whether we binge and purge, whether we restrict, whether we over exercise.


It doesn't matter. We're using any kind of eating disorder behavior, a dietician can really help. They're not going to make you get fat. They're not gonna make you eat too much food. That's part of their job. They're going to work with you to put together a plan, set goals with you, and they're going to check in with you. And they're going to challenge you, but it's all part of the process. Just like with the therapist, I'm not going to make you go all the way at once. Like we're gonna go through this, just, you know, get through all this shit and move on. That's not how it works. It's a process, and they're going to work with you. And I encourage all of you, when you're therapist says you know you should probably see a dietician, do it. They are really helpful. They are amazing. They will definitely help you manage those symptoms. They'll ask you the hard questions about food and what you think about food.


Because we know it's not about the food, but we're using food to cope. And so they will work on that spot with you so your therapist can help you better manage the emotional stuff. Together you get the best results, so don't think you have to be on death's doorstep to get help. Don't think that you have to be really thick in your eating disorder to get a dietitian to help you.


You can all benefit. If you're struggling with any eating disorder behavior please see a dietitian as well as a therapist. It gives you the best outcome. Promise. Okay. I love you all. I will see you, I'm not sure when I'll put out the journal topic video. You'll just have to subscribe, so you don't miss it. And then I will see you all on Monday. And some of you I'll see in New York. Yea! Okay, bye! Subtitles by the Amara.org community.



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5 PANIC ATTACK MYTHS | Kati Morton


Hey everybody! Today we're gonna be talking about the five myths of panic attacks. So let's get into them. *intro music* Now the first myth is that they're caused by stress and anxiety. If you yourself have ever suffered with a panic attack you know that they come out of nowhere we don't even know what necessarily triggers us, something may not even trigger us. It's not necessarily something that environmental or something that's occurring right now. Panic attacks honestly happen because our system gets overwhelmed and overloaded and sends us into a fight or flight response, AKA, a panic! I also don't like this myth because it implies that we have control over it like we can stop our panic attacks if we just change our environment and the truth is the panic attacks will happen in a wide variety of places for a wide variety of reasons those of which we aren't even privy too.


We don't even know why they happen. And the second myth is that they're going to make us go crazy. Panic attacks, if they happen for too long we're just gonna go insane. I've heard a lot of my clients say this, that it feels like they're losing their mind and they wonder if it can cause other mental illnesses to occur and the truth is the panic attacks usually happen because we have some underlying mental illness, whether it be another anxiety disorder or depressive disorder, any kind of mood disorder can be a lot of different components that can lead us to having panic attacks and being more predisposed for panic.


The truth is that panic attacks in no way affect the functioning of our brain as a whole in the hormones, like dopamine, norepinephrine or any kind of neurotransmitter that could cause another mental illness or psychosis or quote, unquote, make us go crazy. The third myth about panic attacks is that having a severe one is going to cause us to go into cardiac arrest. I've heard from a lot of my clients that because a racing heart is one of the symptoms that they experience most with panic attacks, or even the build-up to a panic attack, they'll start feeling their heart race and they worry that if they're in a really extreme or intense panic attack for a sustained period of time, let's say for an hour, that they're going to go into cardiac arrest and this is going to be how they're going to die and it sends them into panic even more quickly and keeps them there longer.


But the truth is and this is something important to kind of note and to tell yourself, maybe when you're, you feel those symptoms happening is that our heart is extremely strong it can beat at over 200 beats per minute for days, if not weeks especially if we're young, it can be four weeks at that rate without sustaining any damage. I just want to take a second to let that sink in. We can essentially be in panic for a really really long period of time without our heart ever being hurt or even potentially considering it going into cardiac arrest or having any kind of malfunction.


Therefore on average, panic attacks last from three to ten minutes so a three to ten minute panic attack is not in any way going to harm your heart or cause a heart attack. The fourth myth is that they're used as a way to get out of something we just don't want to do. Uh, if we hear that one more time. Am I right? For those of you who don't understand what a panic attack is or what can cause a panic attack, like I stated earlier, they come out of nowhere. They are not triggered by our environment, it's not due to an over reaction by up if usually a result of another underlying mental illness and these feel like they come out of nowhere, happen quickly and can stay and they're extremely uncomfortable, so if you found yourself having these attacks anytime you went into the grocery store, then you would start to not want to go to the grocery store or whenever you're in a crowded place, like I've had a lot of clients are like, "If I'm ever in a busy thing like a club or a concert or even like a really busy day at the mall," they've had panic attacks, we don't really know why but they're then attaching busyness and a lot of people with panic attacks therefore if someone's going to call you, if a friends going to ask you to go out to a party, and you think it's going to be a small group you're like sure, then later you find out there's going to be like 50 people there, you're like I'm gonna have to say no.



But we need to understand that panic attacks and panic disorder is a real diagnosable mental illness and because we don't know what triggers them and they come out of nowhere we fear the next one may be just around the corner. So of course we're going to limit the amount of things that we do until we can get them more under control. And the fifth and final myth about panic attacks is that there is nothing that we can do to treat them. Meeh. That's wrong, there are a lot of things we can do to treat them. Yay! Number one, and something that I've been reading because if any of you follow me or have been on the live streams or follow me on snapchat or Instagram, I have been working very hard at your anxiety workbook and I'm super excited for it to come out, but the thing that I learned through all the research I've been doing, is that progressive relaxation, you know like clench your feet, relax your feet, clench your calves, relax your calves, that type of exercise, doing that 20 to 30 minutes a day can calm our system down to such an amount that those who struggle with panic disorder may rarely, if never again, if they continue to do the progressive relaxation each day, they may never have the symptoms again.


They're still doing more studies on it but progressive relaxation is, surprising to me, but it's so amazing and been so helpful and beneficial. And the other is that CBT, so cognitive behavioral therapy, is also helpful with panic disorder and those of us who struggle with panic attacks because a lot of times we build up the panic and our system's fight-or-flight response by worrying about all of those things like it's going to cause a heart attack, I'm going to be super embarrassed, I'm going to go crazy, I may fall over or faint, all those worries and kind of falsely held beliefs that we have, CBT can really help us challenge those.


Also medications have been shown to be extremely beneficial SSRIs, SNRIs, and benzodiazepine have been shown to be extremely helpful for those of us who struggle with panic disorder and I know that not all of you are interested in taking medication this is another option that's available and if you're out there and you're struggling with panic attacks and you feel like they're happening with more frequency, it's controlling the way you live your life please reach out, please talk to someone. There are different professionals and a ton of help available, we just have to ask for it and we just have to reach out and I know it's scary to do the first reach out, but know that we're used to managing it we can handle it. We are kind, calm, wonderful people and maybe bring an extra supportive person with you to that first appointment or maybe they make the call and set up the appointment for you.


Find ways, use your resources to get the support and help that you need. Please share this video, I think a lot of people talk poorly about panic attacks or don't understand and I also put some in here, if you didn't notice for those of us who struggle and the myths that we tell ourselves about panic attack because I think both are really important to note, and leave in the comments what are some myths that you've heard. What is the way that you talk back to that, so that we have as a community are raising the stigma associated with mental health. I love you all and I will see you next time. Bye!.



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5 Easy Tips to Beat Anxiety!

Hey everyone Today, I’m going to talk with you about five tips to beat anxiety, So stay tuned. So, like I said Today, I want to talk with you about five helpful tips to beat anxiety. I’ve heard from so many of you that you struggle with this, And there are so many ways that we can help ourselves, And this is only five. There are tons of ways, But these are just some helpful tips to get. You started Number one Keeping busy all day. I know that sounds really silly and simple, But often times our anxiety, loves and lives in the quiet When we have nothing to do And we are sitting at home And we are moping about It. Kind of takes a mole hill and turns it into a mountain When we have time to ruminate and think about things, It can make it so much worse. But if we are just going about our day, We’re doing things We’re making deals. We’re breaking hearts. We don’t have time to think about it. So I would encourage you if you are able plan your days out, Make sure you have things happening Back to back to back You,’re scooting on through The second helpful tip. Is what we call’feeling focusing 39, And this is something that we can do, no matter where we are, Which I love about tips, Because we never know when the anxiety may strike And feeling focusing is when we focus on the area in our body where We feel the anxiety For some of us. It might be our throat Our chest, Our stomach. It could be in our shoulders Wherever you feel it physically. I want you to focus on that spot And I want you to slowly breath into it And if you find your mind wandering Bring it back to that spot Keep breathing. Slowly – And I know this is just one of those things where you are like’Kati – that sounds really weird 39, But I promise you, by drawing your focus back to the area in your body. Back to that area Over and over Your anxiety will diminish It.’s because our mind can’t go out, searching for more things to worry us with It slowly, dissipates. The third helpful tip is exercise Now. Obviously I don’t want you to do anything to an extreme, But taking a thirty minute walk If you like to run and it’s not unhealthy, You go for a run. Maybe you jump some rope. Maybe you take your dog out. Maybe you walk with a friend, Maybe you do yoga Whatever it is. If you play tennis Play basketball There’s, so many things to do Just last week I went to Target and got Sean and I some tennis, rackets and basketballs. So we can play Anything. You can do to exert some physical energy Can help with anxiety, Often times when we have a lot of pent up. Energy Anxiety thrives So having an outlet for that. Even if it’s just nervous energy, Having an outlet like exercise Can really help bring it down. The fourth helpful tip is phoning a friend I feel like we are on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, But it’s really important to contact people and to have people on what I always talk to my clients about on your’emergency call list’And this isn’t a real this isn’t like an emergency 39. I’m going to the ER I’m bleeding I broke a bone 39. This is 39. I’m feeling stressed I’m feeling overwhelmed. I don’t know what to do right now. 39. We need to have at least five people on this list. If you can, Because we never know who can pick up right, Some people might be in class. Some people might be asleep. Some people might be at work, We don’t know, But we want to make sure we have people that we can contact Even if it’s a text. I know now we text more than we actually call, But I want you to reach out to people Because having someone on the line Having someone talking to us, I think calling is the best Because hearing someone’s voice can be so soothing And sometimes when We feel like we are a ten on our anxiety scale. It can help bring us back down to maybe a six Or a five And the more we talk with them And the more we kind of vent to them about what’s going on with us. The better we will start to feel The fifth and final tip Is something that I don’t really talk that much about on my channel, And that is going to see a psychiatrist. And the reason that I wanted to put this in here Is because there are those of us who doing these things. This feeling focusing we’re exercising, We’re trying everything to help ourselves. We’re seeing our own therapist And nothing gives It’s not getting better, And sometimes it’s getting worse And seeing a psychiatrist. They can offer medications that can help with it. Now. Obviously, I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I’m, not a physician. I don’t prescribe medication, But it can be so helpful and so pivotal in your recovery And don’t be ashamed of it. Many people seek help from psychiatrists. How else would they even exist? They wouldn’t have a job or career People see them. When we can’t do enough ourselves, The medication can help us get there. I often tell my clients – and this still rings. True. All research shows that therapy and medication gives us the best possible outcome, Because sometimes our mind is running so quickly. Things are happening so fast That we can’t even think about doing anything to help ourselves. We’re just trying to stay afloat. It’s so overwhelming, And medication can help with that, Bring that anxiety level down enough That we can actually take action. We can start making steps towards our recovery, Putting things in place, Creating plans. It can give us that little bit of squish. We need to get started, So I would encourage you If you have tried a lot of things And that’s not helping Reach out to your psychiatrist Or your general practitioner doctor And let’s start working on recovery. As always, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel. I put out videos five days a week And you don’t want to miss them, And if you have any tips and tricks of your own That have helped with your anxiety. Can you let us know below, Because we’re a wonderful community Sharing in our experience And together we’re getting better And we are towards a healthy mind and a healthy body. Now don’t forget to like the video And if you click below there,’s a little share button. Don’t forget to share it on reddit. That will help more people, get the tips and tricks that we know about. It will help get that information out there And keep working with me Towards a healthy mind and a healthy body. The snaps don’t bug the Okay, I like to snap Subtitles by the Amara org community.

Stress, Anxiety, and Worry: Anxiety Skills #2

What's the difference between stress, anxiety, and worry? And why does it matter? Most people talk about stress, anxiety and worry interchangeably as if they're the same thing. For example: "my test really stressed me out. I was so worried about it." or "I'm so worried about this upcoming performance that is making my stomach hurt." Now the lack of differentiation between these different aspects of anxiety leads to difficulties in knowing how to resolve the effects of them so today we're going to talk about the difference and why it matters.

Worry is the thinking part of anxiety it happens in our frontal lobes the part of our brain that plans and thinks and uses words and it has to do with thoughts like "Is she mad at me?" or "what's going to happen at my upcoming performance?" Now we humans have developed this part of our brain for important reasons. Worry helps us solve complex problems by thinking about them, perhaps over and over again. But if worry becomes distorted, compulsive, or stuck into a repetitive cycle then we can develop disorders like depression and anxiety. Now stress on the other hand is the physiological response to fear- so it's what's going on inside of our bodies when we're reacting to something that's perceived as threatening or dangerous. It's the fight, flight freeze response.

It's rooted in the reptilian brain. It's instinctual and unconscious. Stress serves a perfect function in helping us to escape real threats for example the sweating that comes along with stress helps us stay cool or the adrenaline helps us perform in situations where we have to run away or fight off a physical threat. However if stress becomes chronic and remains unresolved it can have serious consequences in our body: high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and chronic illness are all associated with stress. Anxiety is the intersection of these two reactions the thinking and the biological response. It's rooted in the limbic system and it has to do with this feeling of foreboding or dread like something bad is going to happen. Snxiety helps people be watchful for danger but if it dominates our lives it can make it hard for us to feel joy and to move forward in the direction of our values. If we want to learn to manage our anxiety we need to learn to tailor our interventions to the different aspects of stress. So in order to manage our worry we need to target those thoughts with cognitive interventions-changing how we think and changing what we're constantly imagining and visualizing in our minds.

And if we want to change the stress response we need to take a bottom-up approach incorporating our body's reactions and responses into interventions that change those reactions and responses into a healthy way. The first step of emotion management is awareness. Start to pay attention to what it feels like when you're having an anxious response. Is it rooted in your mind? are you having thoughts or imagining some future catastrophe? or is it rooted in your body? are you having these physiological reactions like an upset stomach or a sweaty hands? As you start to pay more attention to these reactions and gain more awareness around them you'll develop greater abilities to learn how to respond to these these instinctual reactions in a more helpful way. See if you can distinguish between the two aspects of anxiety- the worry and the stress maybe even spend some time writing about it.

And stay tuned to this channel for my next videos on how to regulate each of those aspects of anxiety. I hope this was helpful and thanks for watching Take care!.

Panic attacks (Free Course Trailer)

I just thought I was going mad. Yes definitely. Research suggests about 1 in 10 of us will experience a panic attack in our lifetime. and between 1 in 50 and 1 in 20 we'll go on to experience panic disorder reoccurring panic attacks that really impact people's ability to live their lives your heart may double in speed racing. Your breathing increases, your stomach turns over your legs are like jelly. You make me feel hot and cold you may be sweating a lot, skin going white, your mouth may go dry, hair stand on end. The physical experience of a panic attack is so powerful and frightening people often feel sure they are dying or that they are going crazy. I felt I wasn't coping with stuff every day stuff that other people were seemingly coping with and I just felt a failure. People with panic disorder often avoid places or situations that might trigger a panic attack. As a result, their lives can get smaller.

But research has led to increased understanding of panic attacks and to treatment and forms of self-help that can really make a difference. To find out more about what panic attacks are. How psychology understands them and what can help, try this free course from the Open University Get more from The Open University Check out the links on screen now..

Frontline Workers: Trauma & PTSD – Anxiety Canada Town Hall

If you, or someone you know, is a frontline worker or first responder, join us to learn how to manage trauma, grief, and loss.Have questions? Ask our experts in the live chat.Our featured guests include:Mark Antczak (Host), Anxiety Canada’s very own in-house Health Educator and Clinical CounselorDr. Katy Kamkar, Clinical Psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry, University of TorontoDr. Carmen McLean, Clinical Psychologist at the Dissemination and Training Division of the National Center for PTSD at the Palo Alto VA and a Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliate) at Stanford University

Anxiety Canada Town Hall – Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coping

With health guidelines evolving, do you know if your actions like social distancing or wearing masks are going too far, or not far enough?Join us this Thursday for Part 3 of our Town Hall series on uncertainty, when we’ll be discussing “safety behaviours” and the difference between healthy and unhealthy coping.Have questions? Ask our experts in the live chat.Panelists:Corey Hirsch (Host), NHL broadcaster and former NHL goaltender, NHL goaltending coach, and Olympic silver Medallist, and mental health advocate Dr. Melisa Robichaud, Psychologist at Vancouver CBT Centre and Anxiety Canada Scientific Committee MemberDr. Anne Marie Albano, Founder of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD) and Anxiety Canada Committee MemberDr. Maureen Whittal, Psychologist and Director of Vancouver CBT Centre and Co-founder of Anxiety Canada

Anxiety Canada Town Hall – Uncertainty: Returning to the New Normal

As restrictions are slowly lifted, you might be feeling uncertain about returning to work and the potential health risks that come with it.Join us this Thursday for Part 2 of our Town Hall series on uncertainty, when we’ll be discussing tips to help you adjust to the new normal.Have questions? Ask us in the live chat!Panelists:Corey Hirsch (Host), NHL broadcaster and former NHL goaltender, NHL goaltending coach, and Olympic silver Medallist, and mental health advocate Dr. Melisa Robichaud, Psychologist at Vancouver CBT Centre and Anxiety Canada Scientific Committee MemberDr. Anne Marie Albano, Founder of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD) and Anxiety Canada Committee Member

How health care workers are managing stress and anxiety

Front-line health care workers talk about the toll the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on their mental health and how they’re managing.Welcome to The National, the flagship nightly newscast of CBC News»»» Subscribe to The National to watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCTheNational?sub_confirmation=1Voice Your Opinion & Connect With Us Online:The National Updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenational The National Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBCTheNational »»» »»» »»» »»» »»» The National is CBC Television’s flagship news program. Airing six days a week, the show delivers news, feature documentaries and analysis from some of Canada’s leading journalists.

How to Survive Anxiety & Panic Attacks | Black Friday

Weird tips and “brain hacks” I’ve found useful that I wanted to share for those of us, blessed as we are, with panic or anxiety disorders. Particularly needed at this weird and sucky time! ☥ Become a Belfry Bat ❥ http://bit.ly/1v9fZZN ☥ Support my videos: http://www.patreon.com/blackfriday ☥ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itisblackfriday ☥ Instagram: http://instagram.com/itsblackfriday ☥ Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/itsblackfriday/ ☥ My Website: http://www.itsblackfriday.com ☥ Amazon Wishlist: http://amzn.to/231HFAm☥ Equipment I Use: ~ Main camera: http://amzn.to/2beVtDw ~ Underwater camera: http://amzn.to/2biIenw ~ V/O Microphone: http://amzn.to/2hSdNdA ~ Tripod: http://amzn.to/2beVXtc ~ Flexible tripod: http://amzn.to/2beVjfp☥ Notey Notes: This video was not paid for. All opinions expressed herein are genuine and my own, and always will be 🙂 Some links may be affiliate links.