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Stress, Happiness,
Modern Life & Therapy
 IS WHAT I'M FEELING ANXIETY?&
NORMAL ANXIETY: We have all experienced times in our lives when we have felt afraid or anxious. Fear and anxiety are normal components of everyday life and are often an appropriate response to certain situations.For example, it would be appropriate to feel anxious if a stranger approached us on a dark street at night. Similarly, we all have experienced fear in response to such stimuli as watching a suspenseful movie, or worrying about failing a test that we don't fe
el prepared for.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Anxiety is a cause for concern when it does not abate after exposure to a troublesome situation arises, or when we cannot pinpoint why we are feeling anxious. It is also a problem is the symptoms are severe and are interfering with our everyday functioning.
HOW DO I RECOGNIZE IT: The most common symptoms of anxiety include:
- Shortness of breath
- Heart palpitations
- Trembling or shaking
- Sweating
- Choking or difficulty in swallowing
- Nausea or abdominal distress
- Numbness
- Dizziness or unsteadiness
- Feeling of detachment or being out of touch with yourself
- Hot flashes or chills
- Fear of dying
- Fear of losing control
PHOBIA: When people associate their anxiety with a specific situation and then start avoiding that situation, we can say that they are developing a phobia. Sometimes the phobia is related to certain places such a highways, elevators or heights. Other people feel phobic in social situations. They might become anxious about being watched at a restaurant or work, or writing or signing a document in public. Some have a fear of public speaking. These are social phobias.
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS: Excessive worrying, obsessive thinking, or engaging in ritualistic behaviors that need to be repeated over and over is another way that anxiety can manifest itself.
TREATMENT: While anxiety can feel frightening and overwhelming, there is a good prognosis for recovery. Therapy can be very helpful and often is all that is needed to diminish the anxiety. For others, a combination of medication and psychotherapy is a more effective treatment. If you suffer from anxiety, don't feel embarrassed or alone. Millions of Americans struggle with it at one time or another. Think of your anxiety as a wake up call from your body to get the help you need. A mental health practitioner can be a great resource for you as you learn to overcome this problem. Please feel free to call us if you would like to discuss this further.
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 NURTURING THE SELF
WHAT'S IMPORTANT? In today's fast paced world, where productivity, competition, and perfection are the dominant values, it is easy to lose touch with what we need to feel healthy and energized. As a result, we live on a treadmill, spreading ourselves too thin, and sacrificing any real connections to the very things that bring us joy and vitality, namely, our relationships with others and with ourselves.
THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION: People seem to believe that satisfaction and contentment come from being always busy, working extra hard on our jobs, and having a full calendar. The whole concept of leisure as something to aspire to is virtually a lost value in our culture. As a result, more and more people are suffering from anxiety, depression, alienation, stress, and burn out. Instead of looking at these symptoms as a wake up call, many people continue to push, hoping that if they ignore their body's call for rest, they will develop resiliency and strength. Instead, what they end up with is chronic illnesses and disease because eventually their bodies break down from all the stress.
IS THIS ME? If after reading this you say, "yes, this is me," don't be discouraged. We all have the ability to change. Look at your current life style and ask yourself some tough questions.
- Do I have any down time?
- Do I have a hobby or a passion I want to pursue?
- How can you I reprioritize my current situation to allow time for this?
- Do I have time for my important relationships?
- Is there joy and love in my life?
START WITH MINI-BREAKS: Try giving yourself mini-energy breaks throughout the day and notice the contrast in your mind and body.
- Shut your door, close your eyes, and concentrate on slowing down your inhalation and exhalation. Follow your own breath.
- Visualize yourself in some calm setting and allow your imagination to take you on a little relaxation cruise.
- If you are aware of tension in your body, try stretching and yawning, and if you can, open your mouth wide and scream.
You will be amazed at how energized you can feel by doing these simple exercises for a few minutes every day.
BODY AWARENESS: Try to become increasingly aware of what your body needs and honor this. It may mean that you have to resist our culture's pull for more and better. However, as a result of nurturing yourself, you will end up happier, healthier, and more energized.
START MAKING CHANGES TODAY!
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HOW TO PICK A PSYCHOTHERAPIST
COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY is performed by a variety of professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and counselors. In addition, there are pastoral counselors, drug and alcohol counselors, as well as employee assistance counselors. With the advent of managed care, picking a therapist has become somewhat more difficult. Many therapists have contracts with some managed care companies and not with others; some therapists have started resigning from the panels of managed care companies because the restrictions place on therapists and clients have become intolerable.
HOW TO PICK A PSYCHOTHERAPIST:
- Ask other professionals you trust such as your family doctor, priest, minister, or rabbi, or school guidance counselor.
- Talk to friends who have had a positive experience with a therapist.
- If you are using insurance, your insurance company can give you a list of participating providers.
- Talk with your employee assistance office or company medical personnel for recommendations.
Once your have generated a list, call several therapists and feel free to ask about
- their clinical orientation,
- their fees,
- their level of activity in sessions,
- and their experience with the issues or problems you would like to discuss.
Remember, it is important to be an active participant in psychotherapy – it is not something that happens to you, but it is a collaborative process between you and your therapist. Feel free to ask questions and think how to use your time between sessions to get the most out of your experience.
You should always feel respected by and safe with your therapist. Good therapists are willing to discuss the relationship the two of you develop and its limits and boundaries. Psychotherapy can be enriching, frustrating, growthful, hard, challenging, and even life saving. We hope it is a positive experience in your continuing growth and development.
We at Silverside Counseling Center LLC are staffed with three licensed psychologists and a licensed professional counselor. Please feel free to call any one of us to discuss our training, background, and how we may be able to be of assistance.
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IS WHAT I'M FEELING DEPRESSION?
Sadness vs. Depression: Depression, in the sense of a sad mood or unhappiness, is a normal part of life and life's losses. Especially when the mood is related to a specific event (loss of a loved one, divorce, sadness associated with a life change), it is a normal response to feel sad, down, or depressed. However, when the depressed mood can't be shaken and there is significant impairment in a person's current functioning, a more serious condition, a depressive disorder, may be present. The depression might be severe or intense (a Major Depressive Disorder), a chronic but less intense mood disturbance (Dysthymia), or a depression related to the time of year (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Symptoms: In general, a person is considered to be clinically depressed when he/she shows one of the following symptoms for at least two weeks:
- Depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in things that were formerly enjoyable
- Irritability
and five or more of the following symptoms within the same time period:
- Changes in weight (in either direction) or appetite
- Sleep disturbance
- Fatigue, or loss of energy
- Excessive feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Lack of concentration and decision-making ability
- Physically agitated or slowed down
- Suicidal ideation, attempts, or plans.
Depression, as manifested with this group of symptoms (especially the suicidal thoughts), is serious and has emotional (e.g., tearfulness), cognitive (e.g., memory difficulties), physiological, and behavioral/motivational (e.g., lack of motivation to do things) disturbances associated with it. In addition, it has implications for the relationships with those closest to the person because the depressed person is often unable to be emotionally present or available to their fullest extent. The unavailability can lead to a feeling of distance or under-involvement with those in closest relationship.
What treatment is available? Depression has been shown to be very treatable. After a thorough assessment by a professional, psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both may be utilized to restore a sense of vitality and well-being. Therapeutic techniques might include cognitive-behavioral, grief, or interpersonal methods. In addition, a referral for a consultation regarding the usefulness of medication can be an important adjunctive treatment for severe or difficult to treat cases of depression. Be assured that all of us at Silverside Counseling Center LLC are knowledgeable about depression, sensitive to relational implications, and determined to help you restore your sense of emotional well-being in as short a time as possible.
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COGNITIVE THERAPY
WHAT IS IT? Cognitive Therapy (CT) has become a very popular treatment approach over the last several years. Clients will often be referred specifically for cognitive therapy. It is one of many different treatment approaches and has gained popularity over the past few years because it can be provided on a short-term basis and is effective with problems such as some anxieties and some depressions. Although it is not a cure-all for everything, it is often an important element in the overall work one does in psychotherapy.
HOW IS CT HELPFUL? The CT approach states that is not events or situations that cause us to be anxious or depressed, but what we make of those situations. CT postulates that our thoughts about events, people and situations are what make us feel sad, depressed or anxious and by changing how we think about things, we will change how we feel. Many of these thoughts about situations happen fast and often outside conscious awareness; one of the tasks of CT is to help us to become aware or mindful of what we are telling ourselves and how irrational those thoughts can be. Many people engage in catastrophizing or "awfulizing" about things and it is those thoughts that can directly impact how we feel. So, if we change our irrational thoughts to more realistic ones, our feelings may change. Thus, CT addresses three levels of thoughts:
- Automatic thoughts: the moment-to-moment, unplanned thoughts (words, images, and memories) that flow through our minds throughout the day
- Underlying assumptions: cross-situational beliefs or rules (i.e., "should" statements and conditional "ifthen" beliefs) that guide our behavior and expectations.
- Core beliefs (schemas): screens or filters that process and code incoming information. These are often absolute, all or nothing statements.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF THERAPY? Many of us can think of things as all or nothing and we can speak in extremes and exaggerate things in ways we aren't even aware of until we begin to feel bad (our core beliefs). CT asks us
- to begin to be aware of our thoughts,
- make them conscious, and
- examine just how realistic they are.
This gives us some power to change our feelings when we can't change situations or other people. CT is popular because it is easy to understand and it suggests a procedure for working on our irrational thoughts.
COGNITIVE THERAPISTS: There are therapists who identify themselves as Cognitive Therapists and work only from that perspective. All of us at Silverside counseling Center LLC are well trained in the theory and practice of cognitive therapy and often incorporate CT techniques into our work as is appropriate for the clients with whom we work. It is a helpful way to think about many problems. For us it is not the only approach we use since one theory isn't the solution to all problems.
Please feel free to give one of us a call to discuss how and if a CT approach may be of assistance to you."
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