When anxiety, fear, or panic attacks arise, it can feel like you’ve been swept up in an emotional riptide. But you don’t have to let daily stressors hijack your emotions. With a very simple strategy—so easy even children can do it—you can calm yourself and wash away anxiousness. What is this soothing technique? It’s called havening, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
“Havening is a technique that uses touch to create delta waves in the brain,” explains Sandlin Lowe, M.D., a neuropsychiatrist and former neurosurgeon who specializes in integrative psychiatry to enhance brain health at Amen Clinics. Certain surfaces of our skin—such as the palms of our hands—have special nerve endings called Pacinian corpuscles, and if you put pressure on them, they generate delta waves. These calming brainwaves, which typically occur during sleep, can help soothe anxious feelings.
Havening, which was developed by Ronald Ruden, M.D., an internist with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, generates delta waves that have a positive effect on regions of the brain that are involved in creating emotionally charged memories and trauma. One of these brain regions is the amygdala, which plays a major role in recording the emotions of our experiences. When it comes to traumatic experiences, the amygdala encodes emotions in a different way, and they become what neuroscientists call “potentiated.” This means they get hard-wired into your brain where they stick like super glue.
“That’s why you can close your eyes and within moments feel like you’re back in a traumatic moment,” says Dr. Lowe, who sees patients for havening appointments at Amen Clinics (via Zoom or in-person at the Amen Clinics New York location). “It’s Mother Nature reminding us not to do that again.”
Emotional trauma is usually related to an experience or event that is either unpredictable and/or inescapable. With the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Lowe says, “You could argue that we’re all being emotionally traumatized each and every day from what’s going on.”
Dr. Lowe, who uses this unique therapy with many of his patients, says the most common havening touch techniques include the following:
There are many forms of havening, but 3 of the most common are called transpirational, affirmational, and event havening.
If you feel anxiety from the day’s events, distressing news, or a desperate situation, transpirational havening can help. While you use one of the 3 touch techniques described above, talk about what you’re feeling. For example, as you stroke your arms in a downward motion, you may say something like, “I’m feeling so worried about our finances, and I’m feeling helpless.” As the touch produces delta brainwaves, the special nerve endings send signals to the amygdala that make it feel safe and secure. This helps take away the anxiety-producing effects of the words you are saying.
During the pandemic, this can be very effective for frontline healthcare workers who have gone through a difficult experience with COVID-19 patients and are having trouble coping. After a particularly stressful or sad shift, a frontline worker might do self-havening and talk about what they’re feeling. “There were so many sick people on my shift, and I’m so scared of getting the virus and infecting my family. I didn’t’ sign up for this and it isn’t fair.” While talking about these feelings, the emotions are being neutralized by the delta waves to help restore calm.
Saying positive affirmations while practicing one of the havening touch techniques can be very powerful. This is due to the fact that havening mimics the sleep stage when your brain incorporates the memories of the day. Because of this, saying affirmations while havening puts those positive thoughts into the brain’s memory centers—the hippocampus involved in declarative memory and in the dorsolateral striatum and ventral striatum involved in operational and procedural memory.
“This is like taking the power of positive thinking and exponentially supercharging it,” says Dr. Lowe. “Not only are you loading up your brain with wonderful, powerful affirmations, but you’re also putting them into procedural/operational memory. so you can operationalize these powerful positive aspirational thoughts.”
This can be very effective at resetting your anxiety levels. For example, during the day if you get anxious or frightened, think “safe, peaceful, calm” while you rub your hands or arms. This will help defuse your brain’s fear centers and promote soothing.
This form of havening is often used for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has been found to help eliminate the intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks associated with PTSD. Note that this form of havening is best done with a trained therapist
More from Dr. Sandlin Lowe on Havening:
Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Does having ADD/ADHD put you at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19? If the ADD/ADHD is untreated, the answer is yes, according to a new study in the Journal of Attention Disorders. The research involving 14,022 people in Israel found that people with untreated ADD/ADHD are about 52% more likely to have tested positive for the coronavirus illness compared with individuals who don’t have ADD/ADHD.
The researchers found, however, that in people with the attention-deficit disorder who are being treated with stimulant medication, the infection rate for COVID-19 is no higher than in those without ADD/ADHD. In these individuals, the infection rate was about 10%.
An estimated 6.1 million children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and approximately 8 million U.S. adults have the disorder. However, it is estimated that less than 20% of adults with the condition have received a diagnosis. And of those who have been diagnosed, only about 1 in 4 seek treatment. This adds up to millions of adults who are at increased risk of developing COVID-19 due to untreated ADD/ADHD.
What is behind the connection between ADD/ADHD and increased risk? It likely lies in the hallmark ADD/ADHD symptoms, including:
During the pandemic, these characteristics can manifest in potentially harmful ways, such as forgetting to wash your hands, impulsively hosting a wild party with a lot of people, or not following health directives. These actions put people at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 and to developing the illness.
What most people don’t realize is that ADD/ADHD isn’t just one thing. Over 30 years of brain SPECT imaging studies at Amen Clinics have shown that there are 7 types of ADD/ADHD. One size does not fit all, and each type has its own set of symptoms and requires a personalized treatment plan. What works for one person with ADD/ADHD may not work for another—or could even make the symptoms worse.
At Amen Clinics, brain scans of people with ADD/ADHD consistently point to decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Typically, when a person without ADD/ADHD tries to concentrate, activity increases in the PFC, but when someone with the condition attempts to concentrate, activity decreases. The harder they try, the worse it gets.
Type 1: Classic ADD: When most people think about attention-deficit disorder they think about this type, which is characterized by hyperactivity, restlessness, impulsivity, disorganization, distractibility, and trouble concentrating.
Type 2: Inattentive ADD: This is the second most common type of ADD/ADHD. People with this type tend to be labeled as slow, lazy, spacey, or unmotivated. They can be quiet and distracted.
Type 3: Overfocused ADD: People with this type have all of the core ADD/ADHD symptoms plus tremendous trouble shifting attention and a tendency to get stuck of locked into negative thought patterns or behaviors.
Type 4: Temporal Lobe ADD: The temporal lobes, which are located underneath your temples and behind your eyes, are involved with memory, learning, mood stability, and visual processing of objects. Learning and behavior problems are commonly associated with this type.
Type 5: Limbic ADD: In this type, ADD/ADHD and depression intersect. The core ADD/ADHD symptoms are present in addition to negativity, moodiness, sadness, low energy, and decreased interest in life.
Type 6: Ring of Fire ADD: Unlike those with type 1 who have low activity in certain areas of the brain, these people tend to have excessive activity throughout the brain. On brain SPECT scans, it lights up like a ring of hyperactivity. Symptoms commonly seen in this type include irritability, hyperactivity, excessive talking, overfocus issues, extreme oppositional behavior, and cyclic periods of calm behavior alternating with intense aggressive behavior. Stimulant medication tends to make these people worse.
Type 7: Anxious ADD: In people with this type it is common for ADD/ADHD symptoms to become magnified and to be accompanied by anxiety, a fear of being judged, predicting the worst, being conflict avoidant, and having physical stress symptoms (such as headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension).
Knowing your type of ADD/ADHD is the key to finding the most effective treatment.
ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Too many of us whine, moan, and complain about the hardships in our lives. And with everything 2020 has delivered so far, there are a lot of hardships to go around. You may be feeling that life is unfair or that you’ve been dealt a raw deal. Like many people these days, you may be wallowing in frustration, anxiety, anger, or depression.
The buildup of emotions due to the pandemic could be squashing your motivation and leading to creative destruction. It’s not uncommon for people to feel so overwhelmed by their emotions that they have trouble getting their work done let alone doing it creatively.
For others, the swirling emotions could be fueling a creative explosion. In fact, it is through our toughest trials that our greatest creative gifts tend to emerge. Take it from rapper Kid Cudi, who revealed in an interview with People magazine that “anxiety and depression ruled my life for as long as I could remember.” He says it took him a while to learn that “we can take our pain and turn it into something. I turn my pain into music.”
How can you be like Kid Cudi and turn your pain into passion that fuels your creativity rather than kills it?
Science shows that creativity is linked to emotions, and it appears that negative emotions may be behind some of the world’s greatest art. A 2008 study in Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin found that compared with social approval, social rejection was associated with greater artistic creativity.
A 2016 study used brain imaging in Scientific Reports to measure activity in the brains of jazz musicians as they created music. The researchers found that when the musicians were asked to play in a way that conveyed a positive emotion, it deactivated an area of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area involved in planning and monitoring behavior. This has been interpreted as a neural signature of being in a “flow state” or “in the zone.”
When the same musicians were asked to convey a negative emotion, the deactivation in the DLPFC wasn’t as pronounced. However, the negative emotions activated the reward centers of the brain, which are tied to drive and motivation. Negative emotions may make you more driven to create.
The act of engaging in a creative endeavor can enhance moods and emotions, according to research in the American Journal of Public Health. Because of this, it’s a good idea to find ways to channel your negative emotions in a creative way.
Don’t think you have to be “artsy” or “crafty” to get creative. Creativity crosses all domains—even mathematicians, business leaders, and neuroscientists need to innovate in creative ways. Here are some ways to turn your painful emotions into power through creativity.
ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Did you know that taking antidepressants can sabotage your sex life? Sexual dysfunction is a common complaint among people taking antidepressants. Research in Drug, Healthcare, and Patient Safety shows that these medications can make you less interested in physical romance, decrease sexual excitement, cause erectile dysfunction and lubrication problems, and make it harder to achieve an orgasm, among other issues.
In turn, this can have a detrimental impact on self-esteem and can lead to relationship problems and marital conflict, which can drive you even deeper into depression.
Many people don’t realize that sexual side effects are common when taking antidepressants and that they can affect both women and men. In some cases, if you’re given a prescription for antidepressants in a brief office visit with a primary care physician or a healthcare provider, you may not be fully informed about these potential side effects. Sexual side effects are a common reason why people with depressive disorder stop taking their medication.
Problems in the bedroom can occur with any type of antidepressant, but they are more pronounced with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Common brands of SSRIs include:
A review of existing research on antidepressants and sexual dysfunction estimated that as many as 73% of people taking SSRIs experience sexual dysfunction. In one study in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, the frequency of sexual side effects was 65% for paroxetine (Paxil), 59% for fluvoxamine (Luvox), 56% for sertraline (Zoloft), and 54% for fluoxetine (Prozac).
First, let’s look at how SSRIs are believed to work in treating depression. These medications enhance the availability of the “don’t worry, be happy” neurotransmitter serotonin, which has been found to be in low levels in people with depression. Low levels of serotonin are also associated with obsessive thinking—the way you might spend every minute of every day thinking about a new love interest. This kind of obsessive thinking is comparable to obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is also characterized by low serotonin levels.
Serotonin-enhancing antidepressants blunt the emotions, including the elation of romance, and suppress obsessive thinking, a critical component of romance.
Brain imaging studies show that SSRIs also calm the anterior cingulate gyrus (where overactivity can cause obsessive thinking) and the basal ganglia (where overactivity is associated with anxiety).
By increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain and by lowering activity in these brain regions, people feel more relaxed, less anxious, and less obsessive. They also feel more blasé when it comes to romance. With a lower libido, you’re less interested in lovemaking.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to antidepressants that don’t cause sexual dysfunction. Saffron, a spice from the Crocus sativus flower, is one of them. People have been using saffron, which has over 150 active substances in it, for 2,600 years and it’s been associated with happiness and reduced anxiousness. Scientific research backs this up as more than 20 studies show that saffron is more effective than placebo and equal to the SSRIs Prozac and Zoloft, as well as other antidepressants, such as Effexor and imipramine, for depression.
What makes saffron different is that this natural herb has been found to enhance sexual function. In fact, some call it an aphrodisiac and some women have referred to it as the “Viagra for women.”
A 2018 study in Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine found that saffron has a positive effect on erectile dysfunction. In a 2012 issue of Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical & Experimental, researchers studied the effects of saffron on women with major depression who were experiencing sexual dysfunction from taking fluoxetine (Prozac). The women in the study taking 30mg of saffron a day for 4 weeks experienced a greater boost in arousal and vaginal lubrication compared to those taking a placebo.
Before taking any medication, it is wise to understand the potential side effects. Taking pills may seem like an easier and quicker solution to bad moods than taking the time and effort to develop brain healthy habits and build skills. But treating one problem only to create another one isn’t smart medicine. A better approach is to look for alternatives to antidepressants and other medications that provide comparable benefits without the unwanted side effects while you work on incorporating brain healthy habits into your life. That’s a win-win for you.
Depression, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Pop quiz! On a scale of 1 to 10, where is your anxiety level these days? How about your significant other? And what about your kids? Are you a 9 while your significant other is a 4 and your kids are a 2? Do you feel safer at home, but your partner keeps prodding you to hop on a plane for a little vacation, and your kids are begging you to let them visit their friends? Or are you on the lower end of the scale itching to host a party while your family’s fears are holding you back?
If you’ve got an anxiety level mismatch in your home, it can escalate tension, ramp up fear, fuel frustration, and irritability, and wreak havoc with your relationships.
At Amen Clinics, many patients have been struggling with mismatched anxiety levels within the home. Here’s how Amen Clinics helped them and what you can learn from their experience.
One couple named Sarah and Shawn contacted Amen Clinics for help saying this has been the most difficult challenge they’ve gone through in their entire relationship. On the anxiety scale, Sarah’s a 9—actually, closer to a 9.5—and Shawn’s hovering around a 3. She feels safer cocooning at home, having groceries and meals delivered, and disinfecting everything multiple times a day. Shawn, however, thinks he’s invincible and is one of those “don’t worry, be happy” types. He doesn’t see any danger in going out to restaurants, visiting friends, or hitting the gym.
Whenever he sets foot out of the house, even if it’s just to go to the grocery store, Sarah unleashes a tirade, telling him about all the frightening statistics she’s seen that day on social media. She tells him he’s putting himself and her at danger of contracting COVID-19 and thinks that means he must not love her very much. He counters that she’s overreacting and too much of a worry wort who needs to lighten up. It’s led to some marital conflict that has left them wondering if their relationship will survive.
Another Amen Clinics patient had a similar problem with her teenage daughter. Amy’s teen daughter Olivia said she was done with the quarantine and needed to go visit her boyfriend and other friends. Hearing this, Amy felt waves of anxiety wash over her as she imagined her daughter contracting the virus and having to be put on a ventilator. It conjured up painful memories of Amy’s own mother years earlier who had gone into the hospital for cancer surgery that led to complications, including being put on a ventilator and suffering a blood clot stroke that ultimately killed her.
For Amy, her past anxieties related to her mother’s death came roaring back to life with the threat of COVID-19. She was so terrified that her daughter might get sick, have to be put on a ventilator and die as a result. Her daughter’s cavalier attitude infuriated her and filled her with dread.
With therapy and treatment at Amen Clinics, these two families were able to develop better communication and understanding to align themselves more equally and strengthen their relationships during these challenging times. Here’s what they learned that you can draw from if you’re also in an anxiety mismatch.
When communicating, avoid what renowned author and marriage therapist Dr. John Gottman calls the “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse”—contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Contempt implies that you know better than the other person. Criticism goes beyond criticizing specific behaviors and attacks a person’s character or personality. Defensiveness is when you flip things around to be someone else’s fault, effectively making you a victim who is powerless to change anything. Stonewalling is when you shut down and refuse to engage in any conversation or in any effort to find solutions. For Sarah and Shawn, changing their conversations from contempt and criticism to mutual respect and shared responsibility made a dramatic difference.
If there are reasons for your heightened anxiety, like Amy’s experience with her mother’s death, share that with your family member. When others understand where your angst is coming from, they are generally more willing to work with you to come up with solutions you can all agree on. When Olivia learned about how her grandmother died, she softened her stance and became more willing to find solutions that worked for both her and her mom.
Making ultimatums and attempting to keep others in lockdown can backfire. Teens tend to rebel when parents are overly controlling. For Amy and Olivia, this meant allowing her Olivia to visit her boyfriend as long as she agreed to wear a face mask, maintain physical distance, and stay on the patio at his parents’ house.
Have each member of the family write down their goals for this extraordinary time and share with the others. Is your goal to keep everyone healthy? To keep the home humming with positivity? Sarah and Shawn found ways to create shared goals that helped them feel more united.
Shawn learned that rather than attacking Sarah for her fearful feelings, it is more helpful to encourage rational thinking and healthy behaviors that reduce anxiety. He discovered how to help her talk back to the frightening ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that infested her mind. He bought and prepared anti-anxiety foods that help fight nervousness and keep blood sugar levels balanced. He joined her in doing some gentle exercises like yoga that reduce stress. He also checked into natural supplements—such as GABA and magnesium—that help calm busy minds. In your family, if someone’s anxiety levels go through the roof, consider seeking professional help and offer to accompany them for moral support.
Having some anxiety is good for you. According to research, the “don’t worry, be happy” people die the earliest from accidents and preventable illnesses. When you or a family member fall at the bottom of the anxiety scale, it can be a sign of underactive frontal lobes, which is associated with impulsivity, risky behavior, and poor decision-making. This is often seen in people with ADD/ADHD or undetected head injuries. Shawn’s brain scan showed “sleepy” frontal lobes and with treatment, he developed healthy anxiety levels and took fewer risks. In your family, brain imaging can help determine if extremely low anxiety is related to underlying brain dysfunction.
Anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Celebrity moms from Chrissy Teigen to Gwyneth Paltrow have spoken openly about their struggles with postpartum depression. But there’s another condition that affects new moms that hasn’t gotten the press it deserves—postpartum anxiety.
Having new-mom jitters is normal, and it’s completely natural to have some anxious thoughts when bringing a new baby home. Does that cry mean they’re sick, or is it just a dirty diaper? Am I doing this wrong? Should I check again to make sure the baby is still breathing?
In some women, however, these fearful thoughts become unrelenting and eventually interfere with the ability to enjoy motherhood. And the condition is more common than you might think.
In a study of 4,451 postpartum women, 18% reported having symptoms of postpartum anxiety. Other studies have found that up to 28% of women experience anxiety within the first 6 months of their baby’s life. That’s over 1 in 4 women!
Postpartum anxiety disorder can show up in a variety of ways, and in some women, it may start during pregnancy. Some of the more common symptoms include:
In addition, postpartum anxiety may be associated with some physical issues, such as:
If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of a disorder that needs investigating.
Generalized postpartum anxiety is the most common form of the condition, but there are other specific types of anxiety that can affect postpartum women.
Having postpartum anxiety does not mean you’re a bad mom. It isn’t your fault. Brain imaging studies show that there are biological brain-based reasons for the way you’re feeling. Here’s what brain scans using a technology called SPECT have found about the various types of postpartum anxiety.
As you’ve seen, the number of women struggling with various forms of postpartum anxiety is significant, and those numbers could be even higher because many women suffer in silence and don’t seek help for their symptoms. This is a mistake because postpartum anxiety can affect your ability to bond with your baby and can get in the way of your parenting.
Because of this, it’s vitally important that you have an open and honest discussion about any symptoms you’re experiencing with your healthcare provider. With the proper treatment, you can optimize your brain health to heal the underlying brain issues so you can start feeling better about yourself and your little bundle of joy.
At Amen Clinics, when we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to identify various types of postpartum anxiety. Importantly, we believe in using the least toxic, most effective forms of treatment that work for moms who may be breastfeeding.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already visited Amen Clinics and enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and learned how to feel better fast, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
After 40 years of psychiatric practice with tens of thousands of patients at Amen Clinics, it has become clear that there’s one self-defeating behavior that is guaranteed to ruin your life. What is it?
Blaming others.
These days, there’s a tsunami of blame going around. Just scroll through your social media feed, and you’ll find angry, anxious, helpless, and sad posts from people blaming someone else for their current situation. Heck, you may even be one of those people posting about how others are to blame for your misfortune. But this is not helpful. In fact, it’s toxic thinking.
The tendency to blame others when things go wrong in your life is a hallmark of self-sabotage. It means that when anything goes wrong in your work life, in your relationship, or with your health, you’re quick to say it’s somebody else’s fault.
But blame triggers a dangerous downward spiral that leads to inaction and helplessness that just makes things worse. Here’s how it goes:
“It’s your fault.”
“My life would be better if it wasn’t for…”
“If only that didn’t happen, then I….”
“Nothing will ever go right for me, so why bother trying?”
Blaming others feels good at first. It basically absolves you of any feelings of guilt or responsibility for the things that are going wrong in your life. However, it also reinforces the idea that your life is out of your control and that others can determine how life goes for you. This is disempowering and causes much inner turmoil. Eventually, by giving up on trying to change things, it can lead to even greater problems in your life. Your career goes nowhere, your relationship disintegrates, or your health deteriorates. It can also lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.
Blaming others is a type of ANT (automatic negative thoughts) that infests your mind and ruins your day and your life. Of all the types of ANTs (there are at least 9 types of self-defeating ANTs), Blaming ANTs are the most toxic. They not only steal your happiness but also drain your personal power.
Is your mind ruled by Blaming ANTs? Ask yourself if you have a tendency to say things like:
1. “It’s their fault that COVID-19 infections are going up in my area.”
2. “It’s their fault I lost my job.”
3. “It’s not my fault I eat too much; my mom taught me to clean my plate.”
4. “I’m having trouble meeting this deadline because the client keeps changing his mind. I’m miserable, and it’s all his fault!”
5. “It’s my boss’ fault I did not get promoted.”
6. “It’s my child’s fault.”
7. “It wasn’t my fault that [I wasn’t prepared for the meeting, they never give enough notice, etc.]”
8. “That wouldn’t have happened if you had been better to me.”
9. “How was I supposed to know [the boss wanted the reports in two days. He should have told me, etc.].”
10. “If it was so important, why didn’t you remind me?”
In order to break free from the Blaming ANTs, you have to start taking responsibility. Rather than automatically placing blame on others, ask yourself this simple question:
“What can I do today to make things better?”
Think about things you can do to make yourself more valuable at work, to make your relationships better, to improve your health and well-being, to make your thinking more rational, and to make your brain healthier?
For example, at Amen Clinics, patients with relationship issues often tend to blame the other person. But when they look at their own behavior and admit that there are things they do that drive their partner crazy, it helps them stop the blame game. Then when they think about what they do that makes their partner happy, they can take ownership of their behavior and choose to do the things that make their partner smile. It makes them feel empowered to enhance their relationship with their words and actions.
Responsibility isn’t about taking the blame for everything, rather it’s about your ability to respond to whatever situation you’re in. Even in a pandemic when you may feel like so much is out of your control, you can still take responsibility for your own actions.
Make today the day you commit to stop blaming others and start asking what you can do today that will make the biggest positive difference in your work life, your relationships, and your brain and body health. After all, don’t you want to be in the driver’s seat of your own life?
Anxiety, depression, ADD, memory loss, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Even though stay-at-home orders are easing, and many counties and states are re-opening for business, a number of people are still feeling anxious about leaving home. You may be one of them. But how can you tell if you’re just being appropriately cautious, or if you’re developing the mental health condition known as agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by an overwhelming and irrational fear of specific places, situations, or spaces. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 1.3% of U.S. adults will experience agoraphobia at some point in their lifetime. People who experience the condition often feel trapped or think they won’t be able to escape from places like a crowded elevator, an airplane, or even a wide-open space like the beach. When in these situations, people with agoraphobia can feel intense anxiety and may experience symptoms of a panic attack.
The dread of experiencing that panic and anxiety while in these places and situations can make your world become smaller. You may feel compelled to stick to familiar routes or to stay within a specific “safety zone.” Over time, that safety zone may shrink until you feel unable to leave your home without experiencing extreme anxiety.
This can have devastating consequences on all aspects of your life, including personal relationships, career, school, and physical health.
Agoraphobia is very different from staying at home due to the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the pandemic may be contributing to an increase in agoraphobia.
Months of sheltering at home due to the pandemic, combined with non-stop news reports about the threat of contracting COVID-19 from other people or from high-touch surfaces, has created a perfect storm for agoraphobia. In people who were already at increased risk for the condition, the pandemic and quarantine may have pushed them over the edge.
Factors that increase the risk of agoraphobia include:
In people already affected by agoraphobia, the pandemic and stay-at-home orders may have triggered an increase in the severity of symptoms. People who were previously managing their condition may be suffering more in the current situation.
Simply hearing news about the possibility of shortness of breath or having difficulty breathing from COVID-19 may remind them of the symptoms they experience when panicked, which can be anxiety-provoking. The notion of self-isolation can fuel fears of being trapped or unable to get help if needed. And warnings about the risk of contracting COVID-19 in crowds can trigger heightened anxiety in people who are already panicky about such situations.
Functional brain imaging studies show that agoraphobia and other phobias are not mental health problems. Rather, they are brain health problems that steal your mind. Functional brain imaging studies using SPECT technology show that people with phobias, such as agoraphobia, tend to have excessive activity in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia. Other biological changes in the brain have also been noted.
At Amen Clinics one patient was housebound for 40 years before venturing out of her home to get a brain scan. Seeing the abnormal activity in her brain helped her understand that her fears were not her fault and that improving her brain health could help heal her life.
Agoraphobia is manageable, even while sheltering at home during a pandemic. Adopting the following brain healthy lifestyle habits can make a difference:
If you venture out of your home and begin feeling panicky—whether it’s at the grocery store, in a park, or in your own neighborhood—follow these 4 steps:
Seeking treatment is important if you feel like you are slipping over the edge from being cautious about developing agoraphobia. The earlier you get treatment the better. And if you already have agoraphobia and your symptoms are worsening, don’t hesitate to reach out for support from a professional.
Agoraphobia and other phobias, as well as other forms of anxiety, can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
You may pride yourself on having really high standards, but if you’re one of those people who are so focused on getting every little detail just right, it could backfire. In fact, perfectionists face a troubling paradox—feeling superior for having such lofty goals but feeling inferior because you can never attain them.
Experts generally define 3 types of perfectionism:
All types can be damaging, but most experts agree that socially prescribed perfectionism can be the most harmful and even lethal, in some cases.
If you struggle with perfectionism, you aren’t alone. A 2019 study that evaluated more than 40,000 college students found a 33% rise in perfectionism from 1989 to 2016.
Perfectionists tend to set sky-high goals that aren’t attainable, which sets you up for failure. Either you fail to reach your goal, or you give up due to fear of failure. Either way, you feel like a loser.
People who are perfectionists are usually filled with lots of automatic negative thoughts (ANTs), especially All-or-Nothing ANTs (thinking that things are either all good or all bad) and Just the Bad ANTs (seeing only the bad in a situation). For example, if you have to create a multimedia presentation at work, you think that if it isn’t the best one ever created, it’s an abysmal failure. Those are the All-or-Nothing ANTs inside your head.
Here’s an example of how the Just the Bad ANTs can ruin your life. Let’s say you’re getting ready to go out on a first date with that really awesome person you’ve had your eye on for a while. You’re excited and you feel the need to be flawless, but as you’re getting ready, you notice that a pimple has popped up. So, the whole time you’re out to dinner, you’re so filled with obsessive thoughts about whether your date is staring at your pimple that you can’t relax and be yourself. Result? No second date.
Perfectionism often leads to paralyzing procrastination. On that report you need to write, you feel like you can’t start writing until you’ve looked up more sources, interviewed more people, and come up with the greatest introduction of all time. Before you know it, it’s the night before the deadline, and you have to bang out something to avoid being late. Now you’re berating yourself for letting it slide for so long. Once again, you feel like a failure.
Decades of research have found that perfectionism fuels mental health problems, such as anxiety, and depression. Even more disturbing is the link between perfectionism and suicide. A 2014 study in Review of General Psychology suggests that perfectionism is a bigger risk factor for suicide than previously thought. Research has found that among young people who die by suicide, nearly 70% placed high demands on themselves and had high expectations. Another study from 2007 in which researchers interviewed loved ones of people who died by suicide, over 56% of those who had taken their own lives were described as “perfectionists.”
A number of studies, including a 2002 paper in Cognitive Therapy and Research, have found ties between self-oriented perfectionism and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and control their intake by attempting to create a perfect diet.
Even if you have spent a lifetime chasing perfection, you can learn to let go of your unhealthy tendencies.
If you’re struggling with mental health issues related to perfectionism and want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Do you feel like you’re cracking under the stress? When did you start losing it? Was it when the pandemic hit? When the lockdown dragged on and on? When the economic devastation took root? Or when the social unrest exploded? For many of us, our ability to cope with the multiple traumas of these uncertain times went out the window at some point.
Why?
What makes some people able to cope with the most abominable situations while others struggle? Researchers have found that in high-stress situations, people who can’t weather the storm typically believe 3 things:
With the current pandemic and the ensuing fallout, plus the protests over social injustice, there is a lot of this type of thinking going on.
You may fear the threat of illness or death from COVID-19 will always be with us and that the economy will never recover. The pandemic, as well as the social unrest, have already spread worldwide, and you may be worried things will never go back to normal. And you may be feeling like you’re utterly powerless to change the situation.
This ramps up stress and anxiety and makes you feel hopeless. That’s when you lose it.
Researchers have discovered that people who are more resilient in the most desperate times tend to believe in TLC. This is a strategy that flips your thinking to help you calm stress and anxiety and feel more hopeful about the future.
Here’s what TLC stands for:
In terms of our current environment, here’s how TLC can help you cope.
Temporary: The coronavirus pandemic will not last forever. Think about all the pandemics from the past—the Spanish Influenza, bubonic plague, and cholera, for example. They all eventually resolved. This will pass too. And every time our economy has dipped into a recession, it has rebounded. The same goes for social unrest, which has already calmed down in most areas of the country.
Local: Although COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, the illness has not hit every street in every neighborhood in every city in every country of the world. According to the latest statistics, there have been over 9 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 473,000 deaths. Those are certainly heartbreaking numbers, but remember that there are 7.7 billion people on earth, which means the vast majority of people have not developed the virus.
Control: Always remember that you can control your own behavior and thought processes. Focus on what you can control and understand that the solutions for health and wellness lie in 4 circles—biological, psychological, social, and spiritual.
No matter how awful a situation is, if you believe in and practice TLC, you can strengthen your resilience to get through it.
Anxiety, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
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