Tag Archives: anxiety
← Older postsThird wave behavior therapies, functions of behavior, depression, and dead conversations
Have you ever had a conversation with someone that you really cared about that ended up with them saying something like: “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t deserve that.” “I’m not worth it.” As a recipient of this conversation, you … Continue reading
How snow banks can help you regulate your emotional temperature
One way to reduce emotional arousal is to get your parasympathetic nervous system to help. When people are under emotional duress, their body kicks into fight or flight mode. Emotions serve to protect us by revving up our body and … Continue reading
Making space for your jumbled, confused, disorganized, messy, or incoherent cartoon elephants (emotions!).
This is a picture of what your elephants (emotions!) might look like if they get bunched up like a bad traffic jam. A lot of effort may need to go into sorting, identifying, labeling, and describing your elephants. It is … Continue reading
Loneliness and the New Year
Loneliness may have to do with a feeling as if something is missing. A loss of connection, a loss of relationship, a loss of well-being, or a loss of what could or should have been. New Years Eve may bring … Continue reading
6 quick tips on mindfully navigating the holidays when you aren’t “feeling” it
Notice what you feel without judging. Sometimes people believe that if they don’t feel a certain way, they are missing out on some kind of grand, spiritual, or wonderful experience. I am reminded of the Charlie Brown Christmas special in … Continue reading
How to change the behavior of someone you care about deeply
First, acknowledge what you cannot control. When others do things that are destructive, hurtful, irritating, annoying, or have painful consequences, the acknowledgement itself is simply a way in which you are looking and seeing what is actually going on. Not … Continue reading
When life hands you lemons and you can’t make lemonade
Has anyone ever told you to simply turn a negative into a positive? Maybe people have told you to get over it, move on, keep your chin up, or let it go. At some point someone may have suggested returning … Continue reading
Is your anxiety helping or hurting you?
1) Figure out the benefit(s) of your anxiety. Anxiety is beneficial when it activates us to solve problems or gets us moving on a task or activity. Our anxiety may be the push we need to speak up or speak … Continue reading
To say something or to say nothing: That is the question
Sometimes not speaking up leads to increased anxiety, agitation, helplessness, or feeling taken for granted. Sometimes it leads to feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. Sometimes the experience of being “upset” is an indication to pay attention, take notice, and to take … Continue reading
Participating mindfully
Often when people are experiencing a high degree of anxiety their attention is pre-occupied. They may walk around in a daze, feel unreal or disconnected, and are unable to pay attention to what is going on around them. Internally they … Continue reading