Tag: anxiety and pandemic

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Fight-or-Flight: How to Spot Familiar Trauma Responses

Fight-or-Flight: How to Spot Familiar Trauma Responses.

Most people have heard of the “fight-or-flight” response when it comes to traumatic or frightening situations. Either you stand up and confront your fear, or you run away from it.

While these are two of the most common trauma responses, they aren’t the only ones. (*even beyond “freeze” and “faun” too)

Additionally, trauma responses can happen years after the actual trauma occurs. Someone who experienced a traumatic situation may still have the same reactions when triggered in a specific way.

How can you spot some familiar trauma responses? What should you do about it if you regularly experience them?

Recognizing the Signs

Other common responses to trauma include everything from avoidance to vigilance. Because these are such varied responses, it’s only natural to expect different behaviors and reactions to each one.

Understanding some of the most common signs can make it easier to recognize trauma in yourself or others.. That said, some of the most common responses include:

  • Shock or disbelief
  • Confusion
  • Anger
  • Withdrawl
  • Guilt

One could argue that all of these behaviors fall within the fight-or-flight category, though some are more extreme than others.

For example, if your response to trauma is guilt, you might “run away” or avoid reality to escape that guilt. If your response is anger, you may be more inclined to fight. Unfortunately, that may lead to reckless behaviors and unhealthy ways of coping.

It’s not always easy to spot these familiar signs in yourself. That’s especially true if you’ve been dealing with them for a long time, caused by something like childhood trauma. Understanding the various ways you might feel impacted can help you realize that you might need help working through those experiences.

Trauma Responses Aren’t Always What They Seem

It’s crucial to note that trauma responses are often misdiagnosed. That’s because they might “show up” as another type of mental health condition. Most commonly, they cause anxiety.

Someone who has experienced trauma in their life might struggle with symptoms of anxiety. That includes everything from fear and helplessness to physical signs like rapid breathing.

As a result, it’s critical to get to the underlying root of every mental health condition, especially anxiety and depression. Working through your responses will help with feelings of anxiety. It can also help you manage your symptoms even when you experience a triggering situation.

Why Are Trauma Responses So Important?

Why is it essential to spot familiar trauma responses? Because people respond to trauma in different ways. The more you understand about those various types of responses the easier it can be to recognize them sooner.

Issues like anxiety don’t often go away on their own. And, if you keep ignoring your trauma responses, likely, they won’t go away on their own either. Maybe you’ve been ignoring them without even realizing it. Whatever the case, if you’re dealing with any of these common responses, you’re not alone. Help is available.

If you experience any of the responses listed here or you feel like something is “off,” you could be dealing with the effects of trauma. Thankfully, you don’t have to go through those feelings forever.

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Feel free to contact me to learn more about familiar trauma responses or to set up an appointment. Together, we can uncover your responses and what you can do to work through your trauma. That starts with identifying it and figuring out effective ways to manage your symptoms while bringing you into the present and looking toward the future.

Your trauma doesn’t define who you are, and acknowledging your experience(s) can help you realize that. Please reach out today or visit my page about law enforcement and stress to learn more about how I can help.

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Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Fuel a Wave of Addiction?

Will the COVID-19 pandemic fuel a wave of addiction? The 2020 pandemic is still a significant problem throughout the globe — especially here in the U.S. In addition to the physical issues associated with the virus, more research surfaces about the pandemic’s lasting mental health effects.

Unfortunately, many predict that mental health professionals won’t keep up with the number of people who need help with depression and anxiety due to this pandemic.

That means more people will undoubtedly turn to other coping mechanisms. As a result, we will likely see a wave of addiction in the coming months and even years.

Since February 2020, doctors and ER units nationwide have already seen an explosion in alcohol-related issues. Sales of alcohol have also consistently gone up throughout the pandemic.

Knowing this, how do we approach this wave of addiction?

The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 has caused plenty of more issues than merely physical illnesses. People who once dealt with addiction are at a greater risk of relapsing. Those who feel as though they don’t have anywhere else to turn may look at alcohol or harder drugs like opioids for the first time.

What aspects of the pandemic are contributing to these mental health issues?

The biggest one, undoubtedly, is loneliness. Even if you consider yourself to be an introverted person, people are social, by nature. Feeling completely isolated and disconnected from others can make you feel alone, without any support. Studies show the negative impact of loneliness lasts for years. It can even impact your physical health.

Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the uncertainties of this entire pandemic. People have lost jobs, children run risks going to school, and even though places have started re-opening, many states still have mask mandates.

There is still so much anxiety surrounding COVID-19, and it only builds up with the upcoming (and volatile) presidential election. Feelings of anxiety combined with feelings of loneliness, are often a recipe for disaster.

How People Cope on Their Own

Because depression and anxiety are so prevalent, there are a variety of ways to deal with them. Some people take medication; others seek therapy. Sadly, far too many people find harmful ways of coping, including drug and alcohol use.

Pseudo Comfort

Since January of this year, for example, Texas has seen a massive rise in both alcohol and guns/ammo sales — which is a horrible combination. But, people are looking for ways to numb whatever worries they may be feeling. That goes far beyond alcohol into harder drugs. When you learn more about opiate addiction and the brain, you find that it can lead to euphoria feelings. Who wouldn’t be looking for that right now?

Unfortunately, the effects of drugs and alcohol don’t last, so people need more and more to get by.

Substance Abuse

Will the COVID-19 pandemic fuel a wave of addiction? Absolutely. But, there is hope for those feeling anxiety from the effects of this pandemic.

If you are feeling anxious, depressed, stressed, or overwhelmed, you are certainly not alone. Still, you also don’t need to turn to a substance that will only compound the issues.

Even if you can only reach out to someone digitally, do whatever it takes to make connections and find your support system. The times are still uncertain. Together we will see it through, and you don’t have to depend on substances to feel better about the state of the world.

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Feel free to contact me if you’re struggling to get through this pandemic or visit my page on opiate addiction and the brainto learn more about how I can help. Together, we can work on more effective ways to work through your anxiety so you can manage your symptoms daily.

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How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts People with OCD

How does the pandemic affect people with OCD?

Now that we have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic for several months, specific areas of concern are starting to shift. Naturally, there is an ongoing concern for everyone’s physical health and safety — especially those at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

But, research suggests already that there is a significant risk for long-term mental health issues in the wake of COVID-19.

There are expected spikes in people with anxiety, depression, and fear over the coming months and years. Some experts have even expressed concern that the mental health community will not be able to keep up with all that society needs.

For people who already have conditions, however, COVID-19 can take an even higher toll. For example, people with OCD may have a harder time dealing with this pandemic than others. Let’s explore this concept.

What Are the Challenges for People With OCD?

People with OCD tend to have difficulties with discomfort. Well, nothing has been more uncomfortable than the uncertainty of this pandemic. COVID-19 is not just an irrational fear. It is a real virus that has swept over the world. Unfortunately, no matter where you stand politically, it’s clear that the U.S. hasn’t done the best job to keep it under control.

So, the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic can cross over into struggles those with OCD already have.

When most people think about OCD, the first thing that comes to mind is an obsession with cleanliness. If you have the disorder, you know that isn’t the whole story. Yet, it’s a big part of it for many people. The idea of worldwide contamination makes it easy to trigger common OCD symptoms.

There are several things related to this pandemic that can serve as triggers for people with OCD, including:

  • Being told to wash hands frequently
  • Staying six (or more) feet apart
  • Excessively searching for information about the virus
  • Emergency/panic shopping

Even now, as most states are starting to open up with restrictions, the idea of being in lockdown or staying away from people can make symptoms worse for those already struggling with OCD.

What Can You Do to Manage Your Symptoms?

What can you do to manage your OCD during this time of uncertainty? First, give yourself some slack. This pandemic is anything but an everyday occurrence. Most people are trying to get through it in their own way. If you notice your symptoms getting worse, take a deep breath, and give yourself a bit of a break.

If those symptoms are getting out of control, there are a few things you can do to manage them effectively.

Make a Plan

One of the best things you can do is to create a reasonable safety plan. That might include only washing your hands before you eat when you come in from the outside, or after you’ve been in a public place (instead of cleaning them obsessively throughout the day). Other coping mechanisms could include:

  • Limiting your time watching the news or looking at social media
  • Practicing self-care as much as possible
  • Talking to a therapist and leaning on your support system

Seek Professional Help

Talking to a mental health professional can make a big difference in how you feel. Things like counseling for loss can help you to come to terms with the things you might have had to give up because of this pandemic, whether you’ve lost your job, you know someone who passed away, or you’ve just had to deal with the loss of your everyday routine.

Therapy can also help you to learn healthy management skills to keep your symptoms at bay.

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This pandemic won’t last forever. For people with OCD, it can feel more overwhelming than it does for others. If you’re struggling to manage your OCD, please contact me or visit my page about counseling for loss to learn more about how I can help.

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Counseling for Stress and Anxiety

Counseling for Stress and Anxiety

Feeling down? Stressed? Anxious? Maybe you just want to talk to someone who will REALLY listen? Maybe you also want that person to be trained and experienced – someone whose advice you can feel confident of. Counseling for stress and anxiety might be new to you,  and that’s okay. But if you’re struggling with the pressures of life, this may be the perfect time for it.

Yes, we all live in a stressful world, especially in the past couple of years. It can feel like there is little time to relax, take care of ourselves and even our relationships. No, we can’t change the past but we can certainly learn from it. Most of us do everything we can to make our lives more stable. And many of us have pushed ourselves to extreme limits to weather the challenges of life and the pandemic. That’s too often what we do. When it comes to pushing our limits to the edge, we often disregard the negative impact on our lives. And yes, it is normal for everyone to at some point experience and encounter stressful events and situations along the way and in some cases most of the time.

So, what can we do? We can learn to train our mind not to be imprisoned by past negative events and even more so, to increase our focus on the positive events in our lives. Some anxiety is absolutely normal – we worry about our relationships going bad, how our children are getting on, how long we will keep our jobs, what will be the results of the medical tests we have just had, how we will do in the exams. This is real life. Short-term anxiety heightens our responses and reactions, helping us to deal with stressful situations. The problem is resolved, the question answered, we have something to work with, and then our anxiety subsides. Pretty normal run of short-term, mild anxiety as a sort of motivator.

When Is It Too Much?

Excessive anxiety is all about the “too much” ; too much worry, too much stress, too much adrenaline – leading to shaking, sweating, sleeplessness, a churning stomach, palpitations, even panic attacks and antisocial behavior. The anxiety might have had a real trigger at first, but then we start feeling that we have lost control over that aspect of our lives. When this happens, our anxiety can seem to move out of control, too. This living in a state of hyper-arousal can threaten our physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Sometimes, this problem hinders the most important things that you used to do. This keeps you from growing, engaging and developing in regards to relationships, works, college and other activities. So what happens when you feel like something isn’t right and you can’t solve it by yourself?

Maybe that’s a sign that it’s time to reach out and get some help. If you are already stuck and overwhelmed, why waste any more time in that space? Sitting in emotional and cognitive quicksand doesn’t serve you at all. This is your life – you want to spend it well.

Choosing to reach out and get help is like opening your own personal doorway for change. Yes, there are several ways; joining a support group, adopting a health-focused lifestyle or even seeing if you are a candidate for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA).

Whatever path you take, at your core, you are likely looking to secure a positive and sustainable change for yourself. This means personal growth and learning are a must. And when it comes to learning how to manage your anxiety and stress, working with an ethical, experienced and skilled professional counselor can really help.

Why not call today and find out how one-to-one counseling could help you narrow down the causes of your anxiety and also help you acquire the skills to tackle it?