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7 Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety Most People Don’t Notice

Anxiety hurts. 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, making them the most common mental illness in the United States.

Few people would imagine just how prevalent anxiety is. Mental illness isn’t a physical disease. It doesn’t show up on the body. It resides in the mind, which can make it hard to recognize.

High-functioning anxiety is especially difficult to see. Many people who have it are successful people. Yet, it can be crippling.

Learn to recognize the signs of high-functioning anxiety, and you can learn how to manage it. Here are seven signs of what it’s like.

1. Being an Overachiever

It’s important to set goals and take strides toward them. But people with high-functioning anxiety may set too many high goals.

People with high-functioning anxiety may not stop working. They don’t take vacations, and they stay late at the office. Once they achieve a goal, they set a new one and start working on it.

A person may never feel satisfied with their work. Their coworkers and boss may regard them very positively. But all that matters to the overachiever is the next goal to hit.

It’s hard to recognize when someone is an overachiever. Overachievers meet deadlines and present a professional appearance. Many overachievers have full and active social lives.

But they can’t stop working. Their anxiety compels them to keep going, beyond a point that is healthy.

2. Being a Perfectionist

A little anxiety can serve as a mental check. It can help a person recognize the mistakes they have made and correct them. But too much anxiety can prompt a person to be too cautious.

Someone with high-functioning anxiety stresses out over every detail. They may revise a written work many times over. They may check-in with employees many times a day, exercising too much control.

They may become afraid of failure. If they make one small mistake, they view themselves as having failed.

People with high-functioning anxiety can become focused on results, neglecting the process of creating work. The people around them usually see them as good workers. But the truth is they are pushing themselves too hard.

3. Apologizing for Insignificant Things

A related behavior to perfectionism is over-apologizing. Many bosses forgive or correct small mistakes. But to someone with anxiety, no mistake is too small.

Many people with high-functioning anxiety apologize for something that isn’t their fault. They take responsibility for someone else’s mistake. They take responsibility for an accident that was outside their control.

Apologizing for small things may lead someone to take on more work. They want to correct a mistake, so they redo their work or ask for another task. This can cause a person to feel stretched too thin.

4. Inability to Say “No”

The fear of failure leads many people to associate failure with the smallest things. When they say “no” to someone, they think they are failing in that person’s eyes. As such, many people with high-functioning anxiety don’t say “no.”

Like apologizing, this can lead people to overexert themselves. They take on more work than they should. They stay later to work, exhausting themselves.

The inability to say “no” can lead to trouble in social areas. A person may commit themselves to a relationship that isn’t good for them. They may give too much to their partner and not ask for anything in return.

5. Overthinking

Some tasks deserve more thought than others. Someone with high-functioning anxiety may apply the same level of thought to all tasks.

Someone gives a 100-word assignment the same priority as a 500-word one. They apply sophisticated techniques that aren’t warranted.

This causes the person to exhaust themselves. It can also hurt their work process. They may turn in assignments too late because they spend so much time thinking it over.

A person can even overthink their physical and mental health. They may become a hypochondriac, convinced that they have significant health problems. They may diagnose themselves with generalized anxiety when they have another condition.

6. Too Little Sleep

The most common physical symptom of high-functioning anxiety is too little sleep. A person spends the night at the office, rather than going to bed.

When they do go to bed, their mind is racing. They keep overthinking things, and they can’t fall asleep.

They may wake up in the middle of the night, consumed in thought. They may also wake up early so they can get work done.

7. Coping With Drugs or Alcohol

People with high-functioning anxiety may use drugs to work longer. Drugs can provide a rush that gives them more energy. They may become dependent on drugs or alcohol for feelings of happiness or pleasure.

Some people may recognize that their behavior isn’t healthy. But they don’t seek professional help. They turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with their problems.

Daily Coping Tips for High-Functioning Anxiety

There are many treatment options for people with high-functioning anxiety. If anything in your mental or physical health troubles you, go to a doctor immediately.

You can receive a formal diagnosis of generalized, high-functioning, and/or social anxiety. Your doctor can point to any medical conditions that cause your anxiety.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches patients to identify negative thoughts. They practice new skills, learning to set attainable goals. They monitor themselves, developing problem-solving strategies to meet challenges.

Psychodynamic therapy allows patients to examine their own lives. They determine the roots and triggers of their anxiety. They learn management methods and grow to have a sense of peace in their lives.

Commit to spending fifteen minutes every day on your mental health. Practice sleep hygiene, sticking to a regular schedule.

When you notice a negative thought, counter it with something realistic. Practice deep breathing and muscle stretching to control your tension.

Go and Get the Help You Deserve

High-functioning anxiety can be complicated and isolating. But you can get help. Recognize some common signs, and you can start improving your mental health.

The most common signs are being an overachiever and a perfectionist. Apologizing for insignificant things and being unable to say “no” are also common.

Many people overthink things, causing them to lose sleep. Some turn to alcohol and drugs to help them work longer or to cope.
You have worth. Find some help that can maximize your worth.

Solara Mental Health is San Diego’s leading mental health clinic. Contact us today, or call us at 844-263-4882.

Who Will Save Our Mental Health from Technology?

Saving our mental health

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

A Former Google Manager is Spearheading Efforts to Limit the Negative Effects of Technology and Social Media

What are the negative effects of technology and social media on us? We’re aware of its influences on our mental health, with studies linking excessive social media use to depression and anxiety. What other grips does cyber-reality have on us?

In 2012, a young manager at Google named Tristan Harris made an impassioned plea in a presentation for his bosses to attend to “[our] moral responsibility to create an attention economy that doesn’t weaken people’s relationships or distract people to death.”

His ideas for a more ethical digital world gained some traction for a time, and it even got him tapped to be the company’s design ethicist. The company lost focus, however, and shifted its attention to other priorities.

Harris left Google in 2015, and three years later, Google produced a screentime tracker known as Digital Wellbeing, so that Android users could see how much time they were spending each day on each application they tapped into. Apple followed suit with a counterpart app for iPhones.

Continuing the Crusade

Were the new screentime tracker apps enough of a leash? Not according to Harris. In Harris’ estimation, the “free” business model is the most expensive business model ever invented.

More recently, Harris started the Center for Humane Technology and has expanded his thinking to bring more awareness to the negative impacts of the internet on our lives. From misinformation/disinformation being proliferated on various social media platforms (e.g., Facebook and YouTube (owned by Google)), to election tampering and invaded privacy, and finally to political divisiveness in our country, the internet gets blamed for a lot. And probably with good reason. Just think about how much control we give our cyber lives over our actual lives.

Harris continues to grow his audience with various national media appearances, conferences, and additional presentations of his own. The biggest takeaway he wants his listeners to remember is the mistake it is to treat mobile technology drawbacks as mutually exclusive from those inflicted by social media. It’s all part of what he refers to as the “extractive attention economy (EAE).”

Our Private Information Used as a Currency

It’s been said that “money talks.” Well, so does information in the EAE. Its business model is driven by gathering and leveraging data about its users and what they like. In order to keep them engaged online, more and more of what users want to see is constantly being fed to them, faster and faster, by automated platforms. This may sound great and convenient, but it actually gives them more extreme, sensationalized content, which only feeds upon their frailties.

Without any thought, judgment, or intent, people dealing with mental health issues might be looking on YouTube for ways to improve their mental health, while being unwittingly steered via “recommendations” toward videos about suicide and death. The only thing the platforms care about is how the relationships between what users are searching for and what the algorithms calculate they like will keep users online, engaged and clicking.

The Unbearable Lightness of Technology

What happened to “fun” social media? Harris warns that our addiction to retweets, likes, comments, and reshares, is only keeping us distracted and depressed.

Steve Jobs spoke of technology as an “exercise bicycle for the mind.” Harris has responded that the exercise bike is taking us down dark, unfamiliar roads where we might not ever want to find ourselves.

Harris believes that language can help shape reality, but he had to work through a growing fear that the language we were using to define the real impact of cyber-reality on our lives was very much lacking. It wasn’t enough to describe what he warns as a coming hailstorm.

One of his epiphanies was the realization that the real danger we’re in isn’t technology overpowering our strengths (like the cliche science fiction bit when computers take over the world). The real danger is when technology learns to overwhelm and leverage our emotional weaknesses against us… for profit.

Harris and his cohorts brainstormed themselves to a point where they thought that what might be going on was a process of diminishing, of degrading human lives and humanity as a whole. Technology, as we give it more and more of our time and attention, is causing the downgrading of human relationships, of human attention, of our common sense of decency, of democracy itself.

How Social Media Negatively Affects Us

Harris has commented specifically about how various social media platforms negatively affect us:

  • Snapchat turns conversations into “streaks,” redefining how children value real friendship.
  • Instagram glamorizes the picture-perfect life, eroding our sense of gratitude for our real lives, along with diminishing our sense of self-worth.
  • Facebook puts us into separate echo chambers, dissolving our real communities.
  • YouTube auto-plays the one video after the next, within seconds, regardless of what it does to our sleep.

Four Ways Technology is Hurting Us

Harris shares the four main ways he sees our subservience to technology is taking its toll:

Mental Health

The rat race to keep us on screen 24/7 makes it harder to disconnect, increasing stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.

Children

The rat race to keep children’s attention trains them to replace their sense of self-worth with the number of likes they get, encourages them to compare themselves with others, and creates a non-stop illusion of missing out…which can lead to coping problems and mental health challenges.

Relationships

The competition for attention forces social media users to prefer virtual interactions and rewards (likes, shares, etc.) on their screens vs. interaction in a real face-to-face community.

Democracy

Social media unwittingly rewards faux rage, sensational facts, while reducing the role of factual information. It’s dividing us and making it increasingly difficult to agree on what is “real.”

So, where does this leave us? Possibly with additional challenges for those coping with mental health issues brought on by extensive technology use.

The good news is that you can take back control of your life by better managing your social media use.

Curious to hear more?

Do you suspect that excessive technology use and social networking are having a negative effect on your mental health or on that of a loved one? If you or someone you love need to talk to someone about mental illness or feelings of being overwhelmed, we want to help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

CBD Oil and Anxiety (Is it Legal? Are There Side Effects? And is it Safe?)

With all the increasing public discussion of the topic, you may have wondered: Does CBD oil help with anxiety disorders and panic attacks? Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is a natural cannabis plant extract rich in cannabinoids (a.k.a. plant-specific chemicals), that bind to certain receptors in the human brain when consumed. The most commonly known cannabinoid is, of course, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is only one of many cannabinoids and is famous for causing people to feel “high” after smoking marijuana.

Cannabidiol, on the other hand, binds to brain receptors like other cannabinoids, but without causing a “high,” and there are many who argue in favor of more mainstream use of CBD oil, arguing that it features many health benefits, that it can improve mental health, and even slow the spread of cancer in the body.

CBD oil is an oil like any other, that can be used for cooking, for adding just a few drops to a beverage, or even for direct consumption. Anyone who tells you it is healthy to smoke CBD oil may be high themselves, as there is no research to back that claim up.

About 20 percent of the population in the United States (that’s one in five) suffers from some form of anxiety or other. If this includes you, you may already be on the lookout for the best ways to calm down and relax.

How does CBD oil work?

Cannabinoids are the “feelin’ good” molecules released by your body when you are relaxed, feeling secure, or in the middle of something that causes you to be happy (e.g. going to bed the night before a long weekend, feeling validated by the positive comments from co-workers about a project you worked hard on and take pride in, etc.). Other times your body releases cannabinoids (the main cannabinoid molecule is known as anandamide) include times when you get enough sleep and awake feeling rested, or when you exercise.

This dynamic of your body releasing cannabinoids helps keep your body and mind in optimal balance. The release of cannabinoids helps your stomach and gastrointestinal system run well, reduces inflammation, and helps you maintain a good mood. There is research that shows that cannabinoids from CBD can stop the deterioration of anandamide in your body, and this means more ongoing “feel goods.”

Is CBD oil legal? 

CBD oil, extracted from hemp, is legal all over the U.S., so it can be consumed without the accompanying legal concerns that come with marijuana use.

Does CBD oil make you high?

CBD oil will not give you a high. Supplemental CBD oil comes from the cannabis plant known as hemp, which is closely related to marijuana. But CBD oil is virtually devoid of THC (which WILL get you high). There are trace amounts of THC in CBD oil, but not nearly enough to cause any psychoactive effects. CBD oil has actually been shown to offset the effects of THC use, including the reduction of paranoia, reduction in appetite spike, and mitigating weight gain.  CBD oil relaxes the body, relieves pain, and does not suppress breathing centers the way opioids do, which eliminates any concerns regarding overdose.

The main thing CBD oil does is help you relax, reduce anxiety, and it can even help you sleep better.

Can the use of CBD oil make you test positive in a drug test?

As previously mentioned, CBD has hardly any THC worth noting, so there is slim to no chance it will make you test positive for THC in a drug test. When in doubt, it’s better to consult with your employer regarding CBD oil use before taking any drug tests.

Is CBD effective to treat anxiety?

Research on animals and humans has shown that CBD may help lower feelings of isolation, reduce effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), relieve symptoms of autism, panic attacks, and even depression. CBD oil also seems capable of calming the brain and supporting the hippocampus (area of the brain that affects memory and healthy emotion processing).

Conditions that CBD oil has been shown in research to ease include social anxiety, psychosis, negative effects of antipsychotic medications, all without more serious side effects such as paranoia, weight gain, hormone imbalance, and spike in appetite. It is also being studied to see if it can help with childhood epilepsy.

Is CBD oil safe?

CBD seems to be safe to use*. In fact, the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has asserted that CBD oil is safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of CBD oil to treat children for epilepsy. It is worth noting that caution should be taken when approaching CBD use, as it is not regulated, nor has extensive research been done.

Keep in mind that, because of the way your liver works, CBD oil may affect the way other drugs affect your body. Be sure to check with your physician or mental health professional before you use CBD. This is NOT a substance you want to self-medicate on, especially if you have sensitive health conditions or if you’re taking other prescription medications.

How much CBD oil should I take?

It’s recommended to start with about 15mg of CBD oil once or twice daily with food.  CBD gummies and beverages may have already started flooding the shelves in the area where you live, but it’s likely that they are made with lower grade CBD. It is important to purchase CBD oil produced by reputable companies.

It’s never a good idea to take supplements for anxiety without making appropriate lifestyle and dietary changes, including stress relief practices like meditation, to get the full benefit out of them.

*Note: Solara Mental Health makes no official endorsement of CBD oil.

What do you use to relax? Leave a comment below!

Have you considered trying out CBD oil to help treat depression and/or anxiety? If so, do so responsibly by consulting with a professional, rather than self-medicate. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

 

Anxiety and Creativity: Another View of Anxiety

anxiety-and-creativity

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Anxiety may not be your favorite thing to deal with, but there’s a flip side to it. Maybe you’re sensitive, moody, and maybe others think of you as “unusual,” but take heart knowing that anxiety and creativity may be closely linked.

Yes, it’s true, anxiety affects many people every single day (affecting around 40 million adults in the United States over the age of 18, which amounts to 18.1 percent of the U.S. population. Though anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., only 36.9 percent of those that suffer from them seek treatment), but it tends to be particularly acute and prevalent for the highly sensitive, creative, and gifted members of our society.

Look at it this way: without anxiety disorders, the world would never have been graced with the talents of: Abraham Lincoln (U.S. President), Emily Dickinson (American poet), Vincent van Gogh (Dutch artist), Brian Wilson (American musician/Beach Boys frontman), or T.S. Eliot. In fact, Eliot gave us the sentiment, “Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity.”

Anxiety is a common experience shared by “creative types,” experienced very differently from person to person, even though outward symptoms in different individuals may bear resemblances. It is a defense mechanism that may be a reaction to the surrounding environment or to something that may happen in the future, and it may be a reaction to something from the past, even as far back as childhood.

Anxiety has even been referred to as “the price one pays for the ability to imagine the future.”

Why creative folks?

Simple. Very active minds are able to conjure up so many things to be worry about. Less complex minds may worry less because there isn’t as much thinking. But with the creatives, there’s always a lot of thinking.

If your mind is not only active, but also creative, that ups the ante. Stress is a universal experience, but for those that are creative, bright, talented, motivated, ambitious, etc., these added talents can add to the everyday stress of life—more is always expected.

What do creatives stress about?

 

Sources of stress are different for everyone, but here are some typical stressors for creative minds:

EXISTENTIAL

  • Immense concern with universal problems (e.g., poverty, war, climate change, world hunger, etc.)
  • Idealism/Perfectionism
  • Isolation
  • Anger at God/fate
  • Driving need for meaning and purpose

SITUATIONAL

  • Disharmony in relationships
  • Time constraints
  • Inner conflict between “what is” and “what should be”
  • Boredom (due to lack of intellectual stimulation or challenge)
  • Feeling overwhelmed, even paralyzed by challenges
  • Lack of resources to accomplish a task

SELF-IMPOSED

  • Exceedingly high, even unrealistically high standards for self and for quality of work
  • Fear of success
  • Fear of failure
  • Incessant negative self-talk
  • Emotionally-driven, overly analytical beliefs about self and surroundings
  • Believing that they should be loved, adored, and esteemed by everyone
  • Buying into the negative evaluations/criticisms of others
  • Worrying
  • Always expecting the worst case scenario

Stress/anxiety management

There are enough stress and anxiety management tools and techniques that you should be able to easily choose at least one or two that work well for you in a pinch.

  • For starters, remember to breathe slowly and deeply. 
  • Another good tool is the cognitive exercising of turning your negative self-talk into positive, relaxing, productive thoughts.

And for your no-brainer, create a lifestyle for yourself that supports calm and relaxation. A hectic lifestyle can place unnecessary strain on your nerves, and hence, on your mental health.

For more, check out this post that addresses stress reduction.

Five things to remember about anxiety and creativity

Humanity cannot afford to waste human creative gifts. We need to continue learning how to nurture them. Some individuals with a talent they’d like to play with and develop more thoroughly may erroneously think that “it’s a silly waste of time” or maybe that it’s “too late in the game.” Creatives need to understand how important these gifts are and pursue them. It’s never too late to start.

Creative individuals are naturally more vulnerable, though more… creative. An openness to new experiences, an aptitude for dealing with ambiguity, and novel ways of approaching life allow creatives to perceive things in fresh, original new ways. Creatives live in a much more fluid and ethereal world, as stressful as it may be (think of sensory overload). Meanwhile, those that are less creative tend to quickly respond to life based on what they have been told by those in “authority.”

Creative aptitudes can lead to social alienation, anxiety, and depression. Such is the life of a creative. Though they may experience higher rates of mood disorders than others, their highs and lows tend to be more spread out and brief, which can lead to more creative periods in their lives.

Talented, creative, original individuals may seem unique, unusual, and even strange to others. Creatives may find themselves responding to criticism, mockery, or outright rejection for their unconventionality, or for questioning “too much.”  Most people are uneasy with open, new ways of looking at life, and many will never hesitate to say so. But creatives should never let that stop them.

Creative minds are challenged at “curating” incoming thoughts and ideas. Creatives are not only more prone to mental illness, they exhibit a problem with filtering or selectively blocking the countless stimuli coming into their brains. Something that helps them? Spending long blocks of time isolated from other people.


And one more: Creative people are more likely to be original and productive when enjoying the company of other creatives.

The poet once said ‘It’s good to be tortured. The thoughts are unstoppable.’

Take American musician Lady Gaga, for instance, who once spoke of one of the most common experiences among artists: a racing mind. She spoke of not being able to “control her thoughts at all,” and of being “tortured.” But she claims to enjoy the torture. Thus, she says her music comes to her constantly.

So, if you’re a creative, embrace the creative gift you’ve been given and celebrate your uniqueness. Use it. Use what frightens you to get motivated and creative.

Some anxieties, like an overwhelming sense of perfectionism, can interfere with creative thought, and be crippling in countless areas of everyday life. If you feel your anxiety is interfering with your creative side, it may be time to seek treatment for your anxiety. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

 

12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

anxiety relief

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Anxiety and stress can get the best of anyone from time to time. Anxiety can also overwhelm and make you feel chronically ungrounded and without any sense of control over yourself—even at times for seemingly insignificant or non-existent reasons whatsoever. Anxiety symptoms can undermine your sense of self-esteem.

You might be undergoing treatment to help you more proactively manage anxiety issues you may be having, learning relaxation skills, and other coping mechanisms to help you in moments of crisis. You might be getting comfortable and feeling more natural in regard to talking to friends, loved ones, your therapist.

These things are definitely the first components of a viable strategy in your treatment, but sometimes having something tangible, like a relaxation tool, or listening to calming music, or taking a long, hot bath can be just what you need to get you through to your next moment of calm.

None of these tangibles should be considered cure-alls, and you should always consult with a mental health professional if you are really in need of help. However, in the meantime, below is a list of fun tools, gadgets, and items that can give you an extra edge in confronting your own anxiety, and in feeling more content, energized, and calm.

headspace 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Headspace app: Learn the pleasures and benefits of mindful meditation, made simple (free, Apple, Android). Features hundreds of themed sessions on a wide range of topics, like stress, sleep, focus, and anxiety. Also: an assortment of brief guided meditations for when you’re a bit too busy to slow down for long, and emergency meditation/breathing exercises, in case you suddenly go into crisis mode.

 Valerian tea 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

 

Tea, anyone? Discover a new favorite, natural relaxation tea, starting with Traditional Medicinals Organic Nighty Night Valerian Relaxation Tea, ($4.82, Amazon).

tension tamer 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Or, try the Tension Tamer herbal tea from Celestial Seasonings for a relaxing dip into soothing mint and lemongrass ($5.40, Amazon).

 

maroamlife 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and StressFeeling hip? Start a new trend with your new handy Maroamlife Lava Stone Diffuser portable aromatherapy bracelet ($7.99, Amazon). You can add a couple of drops of your preferred  essential oil to your bracelet, rubbing the oil into the stones. The anxiety-calming scent will follow you around while you’re out and about, keeping your mind at ease.

 

plackers 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Do you grind your teeth at night and wake up feeling stressed and agitated? Pick up a 10-pack of Plackers disposable Grind No More Night Guard for your teeth. Plackers brings you the first disposable and ready-to-use night tooth guard, offering a cost-effective solution for you – comfortable, hygienic, and protective. No cutting, molding, or boiling required.One size fits all, Plackers can be worn on upper or lower teeth. Can be used for three days, then conveniently disposed of ($13.78, Amazon).

 

wellpath zen 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Go Zen! Overwhelmed? Anxious? Frazzled? Try WellPath Zen, featuring a natural mix of adaptogens, herbs, and vitamins shown to support stress relief ($15.85, Amazon).

 

 

 

cool mist humidifier 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and StressWant to create a warm, relaxing, stress-free environment? Use VicTsing wood grain diffuser and cool mist humidifier, 300 ml ($27.99, Amazon).

 

 

 

aromatherapeutic 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Try it with this “aromatherapeutic” set of essential oils, which includes calming and relaxing scents like lavender, tea trea, eucalyptus, and frankincense ($16.95, Amazon). Check it out here.

 

 

bath bombs 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

When was the last time you had a nice, hot, fizzy bath? Try these 5 oz handmade bath bombs ($18.04, Amazon), and let them take you away!

 

 

acupressure 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and StressAcupressure is an “in” thing! You wouldn’t think it by looking at it, but this Nayoya spiked mat and pillow ($39.97, Amazon) are designed to relieve your neck, back, and shoulders when you’re in pain.  Using them consistently can also help you sleep better, improve your circulation, and take the edge off of everyday life and anxiety. Residual side effects of using this acupressure mat includes better sleep, circulation, and relief from stress and anxiety. What are you waiting for? Take a look here!

weight blanket 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and StressYour blanket needs more weight. You may not have known it, but heavy, weighted0 blankets, like the 12 lb. polyester Brookstone Nap Weighted Blanket ($94.89, Amazon), have been shown to promote better sleep, and to reduce anxiety and stress. In fact, you’ll feel like you’re wrapped in a big, warm hug.

 

 

gravity blanket 12 Must-Try Products to Help You Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Or, look into the super-soft microfiber 48″ x 72″, 20lb. Gravity Blanket, otherwise known as the original weighted blanket ($249.00, Amazon).

 

 

 

Concerned about anxiety issues? Not to worry. It is treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Depression and Anxiety: Diseases or Symptoms?

depression and anxiety symptoms

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Depression and anxiety. Are they diseases in and of themselves as they are popularly regarded, or are they disorders? What if they, in and of themselves, are merely emotional symptoms (indicators) of deeper, underlying issues? It’s worth noting that most people with some degree of depression also suffer from an anxiety disorder.

First, no one who deals with depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness should ever be made to feel that what he or she is experiencing is “all in [your] head.” Mental illness and its effects are all too (painfully) real for those experiencing them, and professional treatment can become a very real need.

But it matters how you frame mental illness. It can mean the difference between someone’s mindlessly and passively undergoing treatment and merely following a clinician’s “marching orders,” and that same individual’s taking a proactive and conscientious approach to acknowledging mental illness for what it is and confronting it effectively.

Now…

It will likely not come as a surprise to you, but diseases, by definition, are evidence of some abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of the human body, not due to any external injury. Diseases may, however, be caused by other external factors such as pathogens or internal dysfunction. Empirical data can be gathered and analyzed (via a testing or imaging method of some sort), and the problem can be reliably identified. Sure, your brain is also an organ, but a very complex one, about which there still remain mysteries and unknowns. There is no definitively reliable “depression test” or “anxiety test” from which a clear diagnosis can be reviewed and addressed directly.

In the case of mental illness, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms can be described to a clinician, who then draws upon his or her knowledge, experience, and expertise in order to help the individual identify, manage, process, work through, and minimize said symptoms. Medication and psychotherapy are common components of a treatment program.

That’s not to say that mental health professionals are just guessing, but rather to recognize that clinical approaches to address mental illness are far from being a perfect science.

Here’s the thing…

It is one of life’s unavoidable givens that sometimes everyone gets sad, gets nervous, becomes troubled or anxious, etc. Many of us may even grapple with varying degrees of psychosis from time to time.

Becoming clinically depressed or suffering from chronic anxiety is more severe, and potentially debilitating, versions of normal, everyday emotional responses to life’s routine bumps and bruises. But it becomes confusing when the emotions associated with depression and anxiety cloud the true underlying problems at play. In other words, the emotions (emotional responses) are not the same thing as the actual problem.

Depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms are signals that you are not processing something effectively, or that some need of yours isn’t being met. It is critical to your healthy sense of self that you feel loved and important by the most important people in your life. And it is important for your overall well-being that you have respect and compassion for yourself.

Imagine feeling unfulfilled in your relationships with friends or family, or perhaps you may be temporarily at odds with someone important in your life. You may feel unfulfilled or lacking in your intimate relationships/involvements. You may feel like your life has little purpose or meaning, or that you don’t matter, or that you have nothing to contribute and add value to society. Perhaps you feel guilt or shame for something you have done or may continue to do. This may lead to feelings of worthlessness, and/or hopelessness, to dismal self-esteem, and even to substance abuse/dependence. And hence, feelings of depression and anxiety.

But the feelings themselves aren’t the problem, though they can feel as excruciating as physical pain. Your unfulfilled needs are the problem.

Note that feelings of depression and anxiety can lead to your further isolation and avoidance from others, and from effectively addressing the causes of your painful feelings – which can lead to more depressive and anxious feelings, reinforcing the already existing source of your crippling feelings.

Here is why this differentiation matters…

This may seem self-evident, but consider this: imagine how different an approach you would take to addressing your mental illness if you thought of it in terms of “I deal with a mental illness/disorder” as compared to “I am mentally ill.” This valuable shift in perspective can be enlightening and is a coping mechanism/skill known as “reframing.” Reframing can help you feel better more quickly, more in control of your situation, and can lessen the duration of you feeling hurt or confused.

So the trick is…

There are no “silver bullets” or magical methods to help you cope with depression and anxiety. But know that the better coping and management skills you can learn with the help of your mental health clinician, psychotherapy, and possibly medication, the more clearly you’ll be able to recognize underlying problems that are resulting in depressive/anxious emotions, and the better you’ll be able to nip them in the bud.

This may seem overly simplistic, but remember, through appropriate treatment, you can learn to recognize depression and anxiety for what they truly are: symptoms of problems rather than problems in and of themselves. It can make all the difference in your recovery.

Do you deal with depression and/or anxiety? You are not alone and we want you to know that you can pursue a happy, productive life even if you deal with mental health challenges. Mental illness is treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.