Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the scariest of them all? ANXIETY!

by Dr. Janina Scarlet

In honor of Halloween, I would like to discuss one of the scariest topics, anxiety. You might be cringing just by reading about it because the topic sounds so frighteningly familiar or you might be rolling your eyes, as if to say, “Anxiety? That’s not scary! Monsters are scary.” Anxiety can in fact become a monster. Just like Freddy Krueger, it can take over your life and even your dreams. Have you ever had a nightmare about being late to class or an important meeting, dying in a plane crash, or showing up to your interview in your pajamas? That’s because anxious thoughts can even manifest themselves in our nightmares or interrupt sleep altogether.

So, why is that? Why is anxiety so overpowering? After all, it’s just an emotion, right? Shouldn’t you be able to just “get over it”? In reality, it’s not so simple. While anxiety is in fact an emotion, it does not act alone. When an intimidating event is lurking in the nearby future (such as having to do a presentation at work or school, having to drive on the freeway, or fly on an airplane), you might begin to notice some anxiety-provoking thoughts, where you imagine the worst possible scenario, such as “If I try this, I will fail,” “I’m going to lose control, or pass out, or go crazy,” “I’m going to do a terrible job and everybody will judge me,” “What if this plane crashes,” “What if I get fired?” These thoughts are often self-propagating, which means that they cause more of such thoughts to occur, and soon enough you’re flying in a tornado of terrifying thoughts that you cannot control. To make matters worse, these thoughts trigger uncomfortable physiological sensations that come along with the emotion of anxiety, such as increased heart beat, shallow breath, sweating, muscle tension, and other sensations. And what happens to your thoughts as these physiological sensations increase? You guessed it, they get worse. Thus, the thoughts and feelings (both emotional and physical), affect one another and result in you wanting to escape from the feared situation by cancelling, calling in sick, rescheduling, procrastinating, taking a Xanax, the list goes on. Initially, you might feel very relieved after escaping from the hairy anxiety monster. However, what happens long term, what are the costs of avoidance? For many people the cost is reduced ability to live a meaningful life. For example, if you keep avoiding social events, or driving/flying, this might result in you having fewer personal connections or fewer employment opportunities.

So how do you battle the anxiety monster? There are many treatments that exist for reducing anxiety and/or learning to live a meaningful life despite your anxiety. Different treatments work for different people, so you might want to do some additional research (or email us with questions) to figure out which treatment will work better for you.

 Several treatment modalities are supported by research to help people with anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works by directly challenging anxious thoughts, such as “If I fly today, my plane will crash,” as well as by teaching you techniques to break the vicious cycle where thoughts and feelings feed off of each other. Finally, it focuses on changing your behaviors to reduce your fears, anxious thoughts, and physical sensations.  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on reducing avoidance and increasing mindfulness, awareness of thoughts, and increasing behaviors that are in line with your personal values, allowing you to live a more meaningful life.

How to Form Healthy, Anxiety-Free New Year's Resolutions

by Anna Remus 

As 2012 beings to come to a close, friends and coworkers will no doubt begin to talk about their New Year's resolutions--often with negative, despairing attitudes. It is unfortunate that this time of year, meant to be an invigorating, fresh start, often turns into a dreaded ritual.

The problem with New Year's resolutions is that we often fall into the same bad habits when forming them--we form an unrealistic number of them, we spend all enthusiasm for our goals too quickly, or we try to go "cold turkey" and change ourselves in unrealistic ways, completely overnight. 

In order to achieve your goals for the new year, it's important to stop thinking of resolutions as a 100-yard dash, and start thinking of them like a marathon. If you start "sprinting" for the first month or so, it's difficult to achieve the long-term results you're after. Instead, it's important to make small, sustainable changes that will form habits quickly and lead to greater progess in the long run. Although it does take longer to see results this way, it is also less likely that one small misstep causes you to panic and lose all of your hard work!

In order to get the fresh start you need for healthy changes, here are some tips to keep in mind when January 1st rolls around:

• Break the attitude cycle

There are a lot of negative attitudes surrounding the idea of New Year's resolutions, and listening to all of this negativity can hurt your efforts. Before you begin forming your resolutions, actively try to keep a positive attitude, and keep faith that you can achieve the goals you'll set for yourself.  

• Be specific and realistic

 When forming your resolutions, try to be as specific as possible to avoid biting off more than you can chew. If you would like to exercise more, try to think of specific times/days that would work with your schedule, or write down new classes at your gym that you've been meaning to try. Thinking of a specific plan of attack can make daunting goals seem much more manageable. 

• Work on one at a time

Don't write a huge laundry list of resolutions, but instead keep it very short (under 5), and stick to one at a time for a shorter period (for example, 2 months). Whittle your list down to only the very top things you would like to improve, then order them by importance, and form your scheduling of them in December, rather than New Years Day. Planning ahead will help you not become overwhelmed, and dividing the work load over several months will keep a healthy pace for your progress.   

• Ease into it gradually

Instead of taking your "Lose 15 pounds" resolution cold turkey, consider spreading smaller goals over a period of weeks or months. For example, if you need to change your diet for your goal of getting healthier, start by eliminating fast food in Week 1, then also eliminating alcohol in Week 2, etc. Stacking smaller goals makes the transition easier, and leaves you less likely to feel deprived. 

• Piggyback

One way to make habit-changing easier is to "piggyback" desired habits with existing habits. For example, if your new goal is to take a vitamin everyday, stick your bottle of them in your coffee cup for the next morning, so when you are getting ready to drink your morning java, you won't forget your goal. Using already-formed habits is a great way to easily adapt new ones!

Whatever your New Years resolutions, we here at CSAM San Diego wish you the best! Have a great holiday season and a happy, healthy new year! 

Tags: resolutions, new years resolutions, new years, new years eve

 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Not Just for War Veterans

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  

Many victims of domestic violence will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as a result of witnessing or experiencing serious physical or sexual assault.  The symptoms of PTSD may include re-experiencing the trauma (through intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks), startling more easily, being hyperaware of surroundings, feeling increased irritability or anger, experiencing anxiety or panic when being reminded of the trauma, and expecting a shorter life span.  People suffering from PTSD often turn to alcohol or drugs, or find themselves withdrawing from family and friends.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic violence and might be suffering from PTSD, effective help is available.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are evidence-based treatments that teach victims how to deal more effectively with their thoughts and feelings, and to reclaim the life they knew prior to the trauma.  

To inquire more about PTSD, CBT, or ACT, or to schedule an appointment for assessment or treatment, contact The Center for Stress and Anxiety Management at 858-354-4077 or csamsandiego@gmail.com