Anxiety

The medical definition of anxiety provided in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is an “overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.” Social anxiety refers to fear or worry related to interactions in social situations. It occurs when someone is overly concerned about being humiliated, embarrassed, evaluated, and/ or rejected by others in social situations. The feelings of anxiety can range from mild (e.g., fluttering in one’s stomach) to severe (e.g., heart palpitations).  Although anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, it is helpful to arm oneself with a variety of coping strategies to navigate anxiety when it arises, particularly in social situations. The Cleveland Clinic offers suggestions to help assuage feelings of overwhelm and/ or distress in social situations as well as ways to overcome social anxiety, some of which include:

• Start small: To build your confidence and set yourself up for success, start with a small achievable social interaction goal and gradually work your way up to more challenging situations.
• Challenge your negative, anxious thoughts: Identify the anxious thoughts that surface when you think of social situations, analyze them, and challenge them to discern if your initial reaction is truly how you feel or if you are just assuming the worst, and adjust your mindset accordingly.

• Breathe: Research has found that practicing deep breathing techniques can effectively help with relaxation, stress management, control of psychophysiological states, and improve organ function.
• Focus on others, not yourself: Switching from an internal focus to an external focus can go a long way toward reducing social anxiety.
• Identify your fears: Exploring your fears and possible outcomes can bolster your confidence surrounding your ability to cope. Acknowledging that you can gracefully and effectively handle the worst-case scenario will allow you to remain present and engaged in the moment.

There is no single anxiety relieving method that is universally effective for everyone. Even if you are fully equipped with an abundance of different coping mechanisms and strategies that have worked in the past, there may be some situations that require additional, outside support. If you are experiencing frequent and/ or severe bouts of anxiety it is best to err on the side of caution and obtain an evaluation from a qualified mental health professional. At the very least, they will be able to provide you with more pointed guidance regarding how to deal with your anxiety most effectively.

Treatment In Calabasas

Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress and has been explained as “the body’s automatic fight-or-flight response that is triggered when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a challenging situation…” Anxiety will present differently in different people, and its associated symptoms can range from mild to severe. Workplace anxiety generally develops in response to stress at work and can manifest in and outside of the workplace environment. Fortunately, there is an array of effective coping mechanisms and anxiety management strategies that can help to prevent, reduce, and even become more resilient towards work-related anxiety. The U.S. News & World Report offers various suggestions and simple tips to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, such as:

• Acknowledge your feelings: Although it may seem that your anxiety will last forever, it won’t; by acknowledging and naming your feelings you can help diffuse your angst.
• Arm yourself with a robust supply of relaxation tools and techniques: Test out as many different relaxation methods as you can to figure out what resonates with you best. Consider trying meditation, yoga, reading, listening to music, journaling, etc. to quiet your mind. Research has found that meditation can help lower blood pressure, reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, improve insomnia, and more.
• Avoid getting overwhelmed: Slow down and do one thing at a time instead of attempting to multitask. By tackling one thing at a time, you can allocate undivided attention to completing each task accurately and efficiently.
• Breathe: Focus on slowing down your breath to help pull your focus away from your anxiety and onto your breath.
• Challenge your negative, anxious thoughts: Identify the anxious thoughts that surface when you think of work, analyze them, and challenge them to discern if your initial reaction is truly how you feel or if you are just assuming the worst.
• Draw your attention to external stimuli: Look around you and notice tangible items in your surroundings; this can be both grounding and helpful in gaining perspective over your anxiety.
• Focus on others, not yourself: Switching from an internal to an external focus can be helpful in reducing anxiety.
• Take a break: Carve out time each day to take regular mini breaks where you can conduct a quick body check and see where you may be feeling tension, exhaustion, or any unwanted feelings.

While some amount of work stress is generally unavoidable, it is atypical for an individual to experience persistent and debilitating symptoms of anxiety and could indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder. If you are experiencing frequent and/ or severe bouts of anxiety it is best to err on the side of caution and consult a mental health professional.

Treatment In Calabasas

Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress and has been explained as “the body’s automatic fight-or-flight response that is triggered when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a challenging situation…” While many factors can contribute to anxiety, one possible factor is perfectionism. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines perfectionism as “the tendency to demand of others or of oneself an extremely high or even flawless level of performance, in excess of what is required by the situation.” According to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, people who have been diagnosed with anxiety tend to display more perfectionistic traits than the average person.

The link between perfectionism and anxiety is complex and can be both a cause and a symptom of anxiety. As asserted by Dr. Gordon L. Flett, Professor of Psychology at York University, “Perfectionism and anxiety are consistently associated with each other, and this applies to people of various ages, including children and adolescents. Perfectionists are not only anxious, but they often also suffer from chronic worry.” Young people, for example, often strive to meet unreachable standards that result in anxiety when the goals are not met. Further, self-criticism that is associated with one’s perceived failures heightens their anxiety. An article published in the Universal Journal of Educational Research, that explored the role of dimensions of perfectionism on anxiety sensitivity, found a positive relationship between perfectionism and anxiety sensitivity. The results of the study revealed that concern over mistakes, personal standards, parental expectations, parental criticism, and doubts about actions, were directly associated with anxiety sensitivity in young adults.

It is not uncommon for perfectionists to struggle with chronic avoidance tendencies, and are prone to elevated levels of anxiety when faced with situations that make them feel self-conscious. For some people, according to the Harvard Business Review, perfectionism may reflect an attempt to control feelings of anxiety and avoid future situations that can add to existing levels of emotional arousal. Nevertheless, it is important to note that both perfectionism and anxiety are influenced by several contributing factors (e.g., genetics, upbringing, societal pressures, personal experiences, etc.). Therefore, although perfectionism and anxiety often coexist, it would be inaccurate to suggest that they are the sole causes of each other.

Treatment In Calabasas

Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines anxiety as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, and according to the Mayo Clinic, having occasional feelings of anxiety is a typical and unavoidable part of life. Further, psychologists have established that moderate amounts of anxiety can yield significant advantages. Researchers have found that anxiety can help you avoid danger because its presence elicits a heightened state of alertness which in turn can help to detect and attend to potential threats. Situational anxiety can contribute to boosting your motivation and increasing performance levels. Anxiety can enhance empathy. Nevertheless, the symptoms of anxiety can be unpleasant and difficult to control.

The Fight-Or-Flight Response

There is an evolutionary reason why controlling anxiety is not easy. Psychology Today asserts that “anxiety is built into our primate origins as a warning system.” Anxiety triggers the fight-or-flight response, also known as the acute stress response. This response refers to the automatic physiological reaction that occurs when in the presence of something mentally or physically terrifying and activates the sympathetic nervous system that prepares the body to fight or flee. It causes the brain to send a surge of adrenaline (which amplifies energy output by expanding the airways, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and redistributing blood to muscles) and cortisol (which rapidly increases blood glucose, providing a prolonged burst of energy to cope with acute stresses more effectively) throughout the body. Verywell Mind breaks down the three stages of fight-or-flight as follows:

• The alarm stage: During this stage, the central nervous system is ramped up, preparing your body to fight or flee.
• The resistance stage: This is the stage in which the body attempts to normalize and recover from the initial elevated fight-or-flight response.
• The exhaustion stage: If the first two stages occur repeatedly over time, such as when under chronic stress, this can cause the body to feel exhausted and begin to break down.

Psychology Today explains, “Through the process of evolution, our brains became hard-wired to be on the lookout for threat and mobilize our bodies to deal with a potential predator by fighting or running away.” Hence, controlling anxiety is not intended to be easy.

Treatment In Calabasas

Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.