Anxiety is a treatable condition. Depending on the intensity, some people can get better on their own and others need therapy and/or medications to help with anxiety. Either way, recovering from anxiety is possible! There are great self-help options available to assist with the treatment of anxiety which includes websites, apps, and books on overcoming anxiety.
I compiled a list of 48 of my favorite anxiety resources that are full of information for both adults and children. Get your list here:
Recently, I took an international trip with my family that required a 16-hour plane ride. Stuck in an uncomfortable middle seat for this unpleasantly long flight I had lots of time to think and reflect in order to make the most of this extended period of nothingness. One of the topics I thought about is how life would change if I had a fear of flying phobia and the trips and family adventures I would miss out on. Fear of flying is common and many of my patients talk to me about this very thing. You can learn how to overcome fear of flying phobia. There are many adventures that await you (or business trips). Don’t let the anxiety and fear that accompany this hold you back- get treatment and put the anxiety behind you.
Preventing falls in the elderly can significantly improve quality of life. Unfortunately, falling and injury happen too frequently. Fall prevention in the elderly is the result of common sense safety planning and education regarding contributing factors that set people up to fall. Many frequently used medications increase these risks, especially sleep aids and certain anxiety medications. But insomnia and anxiety also impair quality of life and need to be treated. Learn more about the risks and safer alternatives that can help.
Benzodiazepine medications have gotten a bad rap and there is much controversy in the psychiatric community about their use. Some people feel they should never be used and some feel they are highly useful. Like most areas of life, there is likely a middle ground- sometimes the use of benzodiazepines is essential and quite helpful…sometimes they are harmful and impede the progress of treatment. Let’s look at some situations where a benzodiazepine could be useful or could be potentially harmful. But before we do that, I will review some definitions and basics. What is a benzodiazepine? What are benzodiazepines used for? And then we can break down situations where they may be helpful for treatment or should be avoided.
Anxiety management and recovery require recognizing anxious catastrophic thinking when it is happening (read here for more details). Once recognized, you can reduce anticipatory anxiety by changing thoughts and interrupting projections. Break down these thoughts and create a framework to analyze them with cognitive restructuring techniques.
Anticipatory anxiety is all the time wasted dreading, worrying, and panicking over a future event (a projection of an imagined outcome) where every imaginable negative outcome is thought of (catastrophizing). Cognitive restructuring techniques are tools to help break down these thoughts and analyze them using a series of questions. These questions help to identify when a cognitive distortion (a thought that isn’t accurate or based in current reality) is driving your anxiety.
We all know what a catastrophe is but what about catastrophizing? Catastrophizing is a common occurrence in people that are feeling anxious. Catastrophizing is caused by anxiety but also serves to fuel anxious symptoms. Because of the cyclical worsening that happens with symptoms of anxiety it is important to interrupt this cycle. People stop living in the moment and spend much of their time worrying about the future.
An anxious person can turn almost anything into a possible catastrophe.
Which antidepressant is right for me? Sometimes we can figure out what is the best antidepressant just by asking the right questions. Before choosing an antidepressant, I think about these 6 questions with my patients. We can frequently narrow down the choices so we know which antidepressant to try first.
If you are considering starting an antidepressant, make sure to read my last post on common side effects of antidepressants, how long the side effects will last, and tips for how to deal with side effects. My next post talks about what to expect for a treatment response from antidepressants (ie the important question of “When will I feel better?”)
If you didn’t have anxiety what would you do differently? How would you live your life? Let me tell you how to deal with anxiety and how to stop anxiety from affecting your life.
Anxiety can be a healthy and normal feeling. It’s a motivator! Anxiety is our body’s way to remind us we need to pay attention. If we are anxious about something we may try harder to be prepared. We may study a few more hours until we are confident we can pass the test or use extra caution when doing something that we perceive has some risk. Anxiety can be a helpful tool for our success and survival.
Are Benzodiazepines a Treatment for Anxiety? A quick fix or a long-term problem? They are frequently used but there are potential side effects of benzodiazepines and, even worse, risk of dangerous benzodiazepine withdrawal. Learn more about when it may be reasonable to use a benzodiazepine for anxiety treatment and what the risks are.
There are several different medications in the benzodiazepine family of medicine. Some common ones are Xanax/alprazolam, Klonopin/clonazepam, Ativan/lorazepam, and Valium/diazepam. Any of one of these can be used as a treatment for anxiety.
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