Category: <span>Anxiety</span>

Why do we have Back To Work Blues? For over a year, people have been asked to self-isolate at home.  Many worked work remotely as a social distancing measure. In 2020, almost 70% of full-time workers went remote. But multiple studies have shown that longer durations of isolation were linked to poor mental health.

With limited movement and interactions, the quarantine period has caused stress and anxiety to many people. But returning to work after quarantine has brought up new mental health concerns.

The Center for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy, which offers dialectical behavior therapy in Westport, shares helpful ways to deal with the stress and anxiety that comes with going back to work.

Workers’ Mental Health  After Quarantine

It’s typical for people to experience stress and feelings of uncertainty following a sudden, major life change, whether it’s a personal tragedy or a global pandemic.

With the threat of COVID-19 still around, workers are likely to experience the following on the verge of returning to work:

• Feelings of dread and anxiety
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Difficulty functioning in social situations

One survey found that the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among working Americans is now 83% higher than before the pandemic. Those aged 40-59 have also shown 94% higher risk of general anxiety disorder (GAD). This could mean that a sudden return to the workplace won’t be easy for workers and can significantly impact their mental well-being.

How To Deal With Stress and Anxiety In Returning To Work

Feeling stressed and anxious over returning to work is a normal response after staying at home for a long time. But there are several things you can do to cope better.

Acknowledge Your Anxiety

Hiding your anxious feelings won’t make you feel better. It can only keep you feeling trapped, causing the anxiety to perpetuate. But recognizing anxiety and acknowledging it can help you take steps toward feeling better, even if it’s as simple as taking a deep breath or getting some exercise.

Establish A New Type of Routine

The routines you had during while working from home means you have to unlearn a few things. It might help to slowly transition yourself by establishing new routines for work, such as:

• waking up earlier than usual
• finding something to enjoy on your commute
• taking regular breaks
• making a point to catch up with colleagues

Communicate Your Concerns

Talking to a family or friend may help you deal with anxiety. You can also talk to your supervisor or HR department, many of which now recognize that many employees may have difficulty transitioning back to the office.

Seek Mental Health Support

You don’t have to go through it all alone. If you’re having difficulty coping with stressful events and managing your emotions, it’s best to seek mental health support or teletherapy. While everybody feels stressed and anxious at times, it’s important to recognize when these feelings have become more than a temporary thing.

Don’t hesitate to get help from a mental health professional, especially if feelings of sadness, hopelessness, exhaustion and frustration are:

• Present most of the time
• Persisting for about two weeks or more
• Affecting your daily life negatively

Remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Contact The Center for Cognitive Behavioral Health today. We have experienced and qualified therapists to help you navigate any emotional and behavioral challenges.

The occasional bout of anxiety is part of life. It can happen when you’re faced with an emergency or before making an important decision. While the current situation has caused feelings of worry and fear to arise more frequently, it doesn’t instantly mean you have an anxiety disorder.

Practice a little introspection to check how you are. The sooner you learn what’s happening, the easier it will be to find the appropriate remedy, whether It’s cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or medication.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists several types of anxiety disorder, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobia-related disorders. But they all share a commonality—the constant or excessive state of anxiety.

It can be debilitating, especially when it is undiagnosed. An anxiety disorder can interfere with your daily activities and affect your personal and professional relationships. In some cases, it can have physical manifestations, such as headaches and chronic fatigue.

What are the Signs of an Anxiety Disorder?

By familiarizing yourself with their differences, you can identify the signs and symptoms unique to different anxiety disorders.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Also known as GAD, it’s often characterized by over-worrying. People with GAD feel they have no control over anything in their life. They may also feel:

• Constant restlessness
• Increased irritability
• Persistent muscle tension
• Chronic Fatigue
• Difficulty in concentrating

Panic Disorder

It is characterized by regular panic attacks. These panic attacks often don’t have a specific trigger, with the person suddenly feeling an intense bout of fear. Any of the following can happen during a panic attack:

• Excessive sweating
• Uncontrollable trembling
• Accelerated heart rate
• Sudden shortness of breath

Phobia-related Anxiety Disorder

As the name suggests, this is triggered by a situation where the person faces the cause of their fear. People with this anxiety disorder experience fear that is out of proportion to the situation. They may go to great lengths to avoid facing their fear. Other signs of this disorder include:

• Irrational worry over the chance encounter of the feared subject
• Immediate anxiety when encountering the feared object

In recent months, mental health experts reported higher stress levels throughout the country due to the pandemic and its effects. They warned that the current situation is making people vulnerable to depression and anxiety disorders. Educating yourself on the matter can help you manage your mental health.

How to Treat Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are typically treated with either therapy or medication. In some cases, both are used. Consulting a professional before choosing a treatment is a must to get a proper diagnosis and care.

We understand how confusing and difficult it is to deal with anxiety, especially when it’s your first time experiencing it. The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health has a team of therapists that treat anxiety disorders. Let us help you live your life more comfortably.

To learn more about our treatments, book an appointment with us today.

Earlier in the year, colleges and universities across the country closed campuses and dormitories to help flatten the curve. They moved classes online to avoid an educational and achievement gap. But as the new academic year begins, many schools have decided to reopen campuses and dormitories for in-person classes. This can be a source of anxiety for many, especially as the pandemic continues to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. How Care of Your Mental Health in School?

The Mental Toll of the Pandemic

When news broke about the new disease, many felt the stress of its implications on “normal” life. The reasons ranged from the possibility of contraction to what’s going to happen if you do get sick. Although scientists and medical professionals around the world continue to work on a vaccine, many are still anxious about each passing day.

As campuses continue to welcome back students, many are worried about the coming months. Students can’t help but worry about their health and safety, even as colleges and universities implement new protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. The anxiousness over the situation, when coupled with the typical stressors of school life, can take a significant toll on students’ mental health.

How to Cope on Campus

The challenge many students face in these trying times is their lack of control over the situation. The following practices aim to help students going back to campus regain a sense of control over their mental health.

Understand that it’s normal not to feel “okay.”

It’s normal to experience feelings of anxiety, frustration, anger, and sadness over the situation. The sooner you accept these emotions, the easier it will be for you to communicate how you are feeling to others. If you’re uncomfortable talking about these emotions with family and friends, there are support services available to you. Our Westport clinic provides online counseling for anyone that needs the support of a professional during these trying times.

Maintain a morning and night routine.

A routine is helpful as it gives you a checklist of things to do every day. Create morning and night routines that are compatible with your classes and extracurricular activities. Include meals, study sessions, and time for your hobbies for a well-rounded schedule.

Take a “mental health” break when you need one.

Don’t underestimate your mental health, especially during these stressful times. Aside from taking time for yourself every day, consider taking a break from classes if you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious. If you are dealing with these types of emotions, it might be more difficult to concentrate in class and on your coursework. Talk to your professors and explain the situation so that they can help you.

Professional Mental Health Support Services

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health understands the struggle students are facing right now. We are here to help you cope with your stressors and triggers as you go back to school. We provide online counseling services to give you the appropriate support wherever you are.

Get in touch with us to schedule an appointment.

Workplace anxiety can manifest in various ways for every individual: whether it’s an intense worry over an imminent deadline or a shapeless feeling of creeping dread, these mental stresses invite unpleasant thoughts that most people have little control over.

Such situations often develop into a second layer of anxiety caused by attempts to quell the initial anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle, and the compounding negative feelings can lead to full-on panic attacks. This is all very real and something that many people experience every day.

Psychiatrists in Westport, CT suggest that breaking this self-destructive cycle is possible through gentler methods of meditation. We break this down into two important principles to help you manage workplace anxiety better, at least until you can consult a professional for help.

Validate Your Feelings

You might be afraid to admit to your co-workers that you’re plagued by anxiety. This might be due to pervasive notions that anxiety disorders aren’t as real as physical pain like migraines. On the contrary, the National Institutes of Health reports that anxiety disorders are pervasive medical conditions affecting as many as 1 in every 5 Americans.

Acknowledging that your feelings of anxiety are just as real and painful as physical conditions allow you to take better care of yourself.

Acknowledge Anxiety as Part of Yourself

Psychologists have advocated for a more compassionate approach to dealing with anxiety for quite some time. Yes, this means having compassion for yourself, and not treating your feeling as “the enemy.”

Acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) is a new and innovative form of therapy that hinges on the neutral and non-judgmental observation of your negative thoughts. The technique essentially helps individuals re-orient their negative feelings towards anxiety into realizing that those feelings are part of their being — that they should not be resisted or pushed aside but accepted instead.

Anxiety is a medical condition that can inhibit a person’s ability to function normally, and our treatment programs are designed to help you manage it better. Contact us today to receive the professional help you need.