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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!

Signs and Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety

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:

Constant anxious thoughts and worries
Fear that something bad will happen
Disrupted sleep
Racing thoughts
Difficulty concentrating or focusing
Forgetfulness
Having trouble relaxing

In addition, postpartum anxiety may be associated with some physical issues, such as:

Loss of appetite
Fatigue
Feeling shaky or jittery
Muscle tension
Heart palpitations
Hyperventilation
Dizziness
Upset stomach

If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of a disorder that needs investigating.

Postpartum Anxiety and the Brain

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.

Postpartum anxiety and panic disorder commonly involve heightened activity in a number of areas of the brain, including the basal ganglia, amygdala and hippocampus, insular cortex, and parts of the prefrontal cortex.

Postpartum OCD is generally related to increased activity in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate gyrus. This region is known as the brain’s gear shifter and when activity is too high, it causes you to get stuck on worries and negative thoughts.

Postpartum PTSD is associated with increased activity in the limbic system, basal ganglia, and anterior cingulate gyrus.

Hope for New Moms

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.

Why Blame is so Toxic

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:

1. You blame others.

“It’s your fault.”

2. You start to view your life as being out of your own control.

“My life would be better if it wasn’t for…”

3. You feel like a victim of circumstances.

“If only that didn’t happen, then I….”

4. You feel helpless and give up trying to change things.

“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.

Blame is a Sign of Toxic Thinking

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?”

Stop Blaming, Start Taking Responsibility

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?

What Is 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.

Is the Quarantine Creating Agoraphobia?

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:

Having another anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder
A family history of anxiety disorders or phobias
Having depression
Having other phobias, such as hypochondria (fear of illness), mysophobia (fear of dirt and germs), or nosocomephobia (fear of hospitals)
Exposure to trauma
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
Learned responses, which is when parents with phobias transfer their fears to their children
Exposure to toxins, such as toxic mold
Chronic infections, such as Lyme disease

How Quarantine is Affecting People who Already Have Agoraphobia

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.

Agoraphobia in the Brain

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.

Ways to Manage Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is manageable, even while sheltering at home during a pandemic. Adopting the following brain healthy lifestyle habits can make a difference:

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine
Engage in physical activity on a regular basis, but avoid high-intensity exercise that may trigger anxiety
Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night
Eat nutritious foods and avoid sugary sweets
Practice meditation or prayer to calm an anxious brain
Stay connected with friends and family even if you can’t visit in person
Consider brain-boosting supplements, such as a high-quality multiple vitamin-mineral complex, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D

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:

Slow your breathing. By taking slow, deep breaths you’ll boost oxygen to your brain and start to regain control over how you feel.
Don’t leave. If you leave, you give that place or situation power over you.
Write down your thoughts. If your thoughts are distorted, talk back to them.
Take calming supplements or medication to help, if needed. Remember that this is the last step—to be used if the first 3 aren’t effective.

When to Seek Help

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.

Have you ever gone through a bad breakup or a divorce? Too many of us have suffered through it. Sadly, about 50% of marriages in America end in divorce, and that doesn’t include the dissolution of all the relationships between non-married couples. After the forced togetherness of quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, that percentage could surge even higher. Research shows that after Hurricane Hugo, divorces, as well as marriages and births, increased, suggesting that facing a life-threatening event motivates people to take significant actions in their close relationships.

Heartbreaking, or Brain Breaking?

When relationship troubles or marital conflict lead to a breakup, we typically say it breaks our heart. From a biological and psychological standpoint, however, what we really should be saying is that it breaks our brain.

Look at Nick and Shawna. When they broke up, Nick was a mess. He couldn’t stop thinking about Shawna, hearing her voice in his head, feeling her touch on his body, and smelling her scent in his clothes. After being together for 5 years, everything reminded him of her—from songs to pictures to movies to waking up and going to bed. He couldn’t sleep, he felt constantly anxious and unbalanced, and he even had panic attacks when his longing for Shawna overwhelmed him.

What happens in the brain when you lose someone you love? Why do we hurt, long, or even obsess about the other person?

Breakups in the Brain

When we love someone, they come to live in the emotional or limbic center of our brains. They actually occupy nerve cell pathways and physically live in the neurons and synapses of the brain.

When we lose a lover through a breakup or divorce, our brain gets confused and disoriented. Since the person lives in the neuronal connections, we expect to see them, hear them, feel them, and touch them. When we can’t hold them or talk to them as we usually do, the brain centers where they live become inflamed searching for them.

Overactivity in the limbic system—the brain’s emotional centers—has been associated with depression and low serotonin levels, which is why we have trouble sleeping, feel obsessed, lose our appetites, want to isolate ourselves, and lose the joy we have for life. A deficit in endorphins, which modulate pain and pleasure pathways in the brain, also occurs, which may be responsible for the physical pain we feel during a breakup. Basically, we’re a neurochemical mess.

When a loved one leaves us, we have deep wounds that leave lasting scars. Many of us use alcohol or drugs to medicate the pain. There are smarter ways to cope with the loss of love.

7 Brain Healthy Ways to Work Through Marital Conflict and Breakups

1. Take responsibility for your part.

No breakup or divorce is completely one-sided. Be honest about how your behavior may be contributing to the disintegration of the relationship and learn from what went wrong. Taking responsibility for your part also prevents you from feeling like a powerless victim. It empowers you to take action and make changes in your own behavior that will benefit you—and your future relationships—in the future.

2. Seek counseling before parting ways.

If you feel strongly that your relationship is worth saving, marital counseling can help you explore ways to find some common ground. A therapist can help you learn to communicate more effectively so you can navigate rough patches and emerge with a stronger bond. In some cases where there is no saving the relationship, therapy can provide you with tools that can help you cope better with a breakup.

3. Consider if underlying brain issues may be at play.

Brain imaging studies show that underlying brain dysfunction can ruin relationships. Impulsively saying hurtful things to a loved one, holding grudges, drowning in negativity that sucks the joy out of others, being constantly irritable, or flying off into a rage over small things—these are all signs of brain health issues. Brain SPECT imaging can help identify problems with brain function. Optimizing the brain can make marital therapy work faster.

4. Maintain brain healthy habits.

If you do end up splitting, you may be tempted to drown your sorrows with ice cream or alcohol, to stay up all night bingeing on Netflix, or to cocoon under the covers by yourself. Don’t! Your brain is already hurting from the loss, so it’s important to treat it gently during this time. Watch what you eat, exercise more not less, and spend time with people you like. One of the most important keys to recovering from a breakup is keeping a regular sleep schedule. If you’re having trouble sleeping, consider supplements that promote relaxation, such as melatonin, magnesium, GABA, vitamin B6, l-theanine, and 5-HTP. This will help you heal from the hurt faster.

5. Do not idealize the other person.

When you lose someone, there is a tendency to exclusively remember the wonderful things about them. Idealizing people impairs the grieving process and makes you hurt more. By focusing only on someone’s good qualities, the pain increases. Paying attention to their bad qualities causes the pain to decrease because we’re glad to be rid of them. Spend time writing out the bad times and your ex’s bad points.

6. Cry, then hide the pictures.

At the beginning of a breakup, take some time to allow yourself to feel the pain. Crying can be a wonderful release of the built-up tension in your limbic brain. But after a good cry, eliminate the constant triggers to your nervous system. Go through the house, your computer, and workplace and collect the pictures and gifts, then hide them somewhere. Resist the temptation to permanently delete photos from your phone because you never know what might happen in the future. If you get back together, you’ll feel terrible about having deleted them.

7. Be tough in love.

When you act weak, needy, or demanding during a breakup, you literally push the other person away. You are no longer attractive or appealing. You seem and act like a victim. Forget the notion that being happy is the “best revenge,” being happy and feeling good about yourself is the best for your well-being. And it will help you approach a new relationship with healthier self-esteem.

Marital conflict, anxiety, depression, ADD, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your relationships and mental well-being are more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your situation worse.

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 couples, families, and individuals. 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.

Everybody knows that maintaining a healthy weight can be beneficial for physical health, but what does the weight of your body have to do with your brain function and mental health? At Amen Clinics, we analyzed the brain SPECT scans (SPECT measures the brain’s blood flow and activity) of 20,000 of our patients to see how body mass index (BMI) impacts brain activity.

The results were mind-blowing.

Weight Gain = Brain Drain

In our analysis, it was clear that as a person’s weight went up, all the regions of the brain went down in activity and blood flow, in a linear correlation.

Here is just one graph showing how blood flow and activity went down in the prefrontal cortex. 1 = underweight; 2 = normal weight; 3 = overweight; 4 = obese; 5 = morbidly obese

Take note that although this chart shows that activity was highest in people who are underweight, this doesn’t mean that being underweight is healthy. Being underweight is associated with a number of health risks, including nutritional deficiencies, reduced immune function, fertility issues, and a lack of protein reserves in case you get into an accident. It just doesn’t seem to shrink your brain.

What’s Wrong with Low Brain Activity?

Having low blood flow and activity across the entire brain is terrible for psychological wellbeing, mental clarity, and cognitive function. A “sleepy” brain is associated with

increased risk-taking
poor judgment
impulsiveness
low motivation
slowed thought processes
trouble problem-solving
memory problems

Low blood flow on SPECT has been seen with depression, suicide, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, seizure activity, and more. Low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Your Brain Is What You Eat

What this analysis shows is that a junk-food diet leads to a junk-food body and a junk-food brain. Eating pizza and Doritos, drinking Coke or Budweiser, stopping at fast-food joints—it’s the American way! But the Standard American Diet (SAD) is making us fat. The latest statistics show that 70% of Americans are considered overweight and 40% fall into the obese category.

A wealth of research shows that excess fat on your body is not your friend. Studies in the Archives of General Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine show that obesity is detrimental to mental health and is associated with a greater risk of depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (fear of going out), and addictions. Untreated ADHD, lower self-esteem, and poor body image are also associated with being overweight. And research in the American Journal of Public Health shows that among women, increased BMI is also linked to a rise in suicidal thoughts.

The Good News from Analyzing Over 160,000 Brain Scans

Although the results of our analysis on 20,000 of our patients is distressing, there is hope. The most important lesson we’ve learned from treating tens of thousands of patients and reviewing over 160,000 brain scans is that even if you’ve been bad to your brain and have been consuming a SAD diet, you can change your brain and heal your mind.

The scientific community is finally beginning to see how food is so strongly linked to brain health and mental wellbeing. In 2015, a group of 18 scientists concluded that “the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology.”

Adopting brain healthy eating habits can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight and boost your brain function. Count your calories, eat colorful fruits and vegetables, and help your body, brain, and mind get healthy.

At Amen Clinics, we take a unique brain-body approach to diagnosis and treatment that includes brain SPECT imaging, as well as laboratory testing to check physical health, weight and diet assessments, and other important factors that could be contributing to symptoms. By getting to the root cause of your symptoms, we can create a more effective, personalized treatment plan for you.

If you 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 (or your child) have ADD (attention-deficit disorder) or ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)? Do you think prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall are the only treatment options available? They’re not.

Although stimulants may be helpful for some people with ADD, they aren’t effective for everyone and they can make some people worse. It all depends on which type of condition you have. Brain imaging studies show there are 7 types of ADD, and knowing your type is critical for finding the right solutions.

In general, medication should never be the first or only thing you do for any mental health condition. There are many alternatives to medication that can improve ADD symptoms, such as lack of focus, impulsiveness, being easily distracted, having difficulty staying organized, and a tendency to put things off until the last minute.

Here are 7 alternatives to ADD medication that can be effective.

1. Get moving.

A wealth of research shows that physical exercise works like a drug in children and adults with ADD. Classic ADD (one of the 7 types of the condition) is associated with low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a chemical heavily involved with attention span, focus, follow-through, and motivation. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are believed to work by boosting dopamine availability in the brain. Similarly, physical activity increases the production of dopamine. A 2019 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that exercise minimizes ADD symptoms and enhances cognitive performance in children with the condition.

2. Reduce screen time.

Endlessly scrolling through your social media feed or playing video games for hours on end can be harmful and addictive for people who have vulnerable brains. More screen time has been linked to a greater risk of problems with inattention. A 2019 study in Plos One found that children with more than 2 hours of screen time per day had a 7.7-fold increased risk of meeting the criteria for ADD.

3. Try an elimination diet.

Some foods may trigger a worsening of symptoms in people with ADD. To find out if you or your child has a food sensitivity, try a 3-week elimination diet by getting rid of the most common food allergens—artificial dyes (including red dye #40, which has been connected to symptoms of ADD), preservatives, sugar and artificial sweeteners, gluten, corn, soy, and dairy. In 2011, researchers put children with ADD on a restricted diet that allowed them to eat only turkey, lamb, vegetables, fruit, rice, and pear juice. Their findings in The Lancet showed that the elimination diet decreased symptoms associated with the condition in 70% of children.

4. Protect your head.

Common accidents, like falling off a ladder, getting into a car crash, or taking a tumble down the stairs can cause a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which increases the risk of problems with attention and concentration. According to research in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, people with ADD are more likely to have head injuries.

5. Investigate sleep problems.

Did you know that kids with ADD have higher rates of daytime sleepiness compared with kids who don’t have the condition? Or that according to a study in the journal Sleep, half of ADD kids have sleep-disordered breathing compared with only 22% of kids without the condition? Having large tonsils or adenoids can lead to sleep-disordered breathing in children which can lead to attentional issues and hyperactivity. A study in the Eurasian Journal of Medicine found a reduction in these symptoms when the tonsils and adenoids were removed. Sleep problems are also common in adults with ADD, so be sure to investigate any sleep issues.

6. Check important health numbers.

Your physical health can impact symptoms of ADD. Some of the most common biological issues that are associated with symptoms include:

abnormal thyroid levels (low levels are tied to cloudy thinking and low motivation, high levels are associated with hyperactivity)
low ferritin levels
low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc

Having a functional medicine physician check these levels and help balance them can be helpful.

7. Try neurofeedback.

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, interactive therapy that helps you retrain your brain to achieve the desired state. A 2014 review of existing research on children with ADD who did neurofeedback found that teachers noticed a significant improvement in their attention and parents noted improvements in hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to findings in a 2019 study in Current Psychiatry Reports, researchers stated that neurofeedback “should be considered as a viable treatment alternative” for ADD.

ADD, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, 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.

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?

Why You Might be Cracking from the Stress

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:

The situation is permanent.
The situation is global.
You have no control over the situation.

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.

The Power of TLC in the Face of Trauma

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:

Temporary: Seeing the situation as temporary.
Local: Seeing the situation as local.
Control: Believing you have some control over the situation.

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.

In the biological circle, this means washing your hands frequently, but it also means eating right, exercising, getting adequate sleep, and shoring up your immune system with vitamins D and C and zinc.
In the psychological circle, you need to practice mental hygiene and disinfect your thoughts. Your head may be filled with ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that lie to you and making you feel anxious, angry, stressed, and depressed. Every time you feel mad, sad, nervous, or out of control, write down what you’re thinking and ask yourself if it is true.
In the social circle, you need to know what you want out of life and if your behavior is helping you or hurting you. It’s also important to connect with people—safely—who help you become the best version of yourself.
In the spiritual circle, think about why you are on this planet and consider giving back in some way to help your community.

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.

If you find this information helpful, please pass it on. Share it with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or wherever you connect with the people you care about.

There’s only so much you can take—a global pandemic, an economic shutdown, sheltering at home, social injustice, societal unrest—it’s enough to make your anxiety go through the roof. But how can you tell if it’s just heightened stress or if your anxiety is a real problem?

Here are 7 signs that your anxiety is out of control and 7 strategies to soothe it.

1. Your sleep is disrupted.

Having trouble falling asleep or tossing and turning throughout the night is a common red flag of anxiety disorders. And it’s a 2-way street. Anxiety can lead to sleep issues, and a lack of adequate rest can ramp up nervousness and stress. In addition, when you sleep for 7 hours, it turns on 700 beneficial genes, but without 7 solid hours of shuteye, you lose out on this important process.

Soothing Strategy: Make sleep a priority. Create a calming nighttime routine and consider natural supplements that promote relaxation, such as magnesium, melatonin, GABA, 5-HTP, l-theanine, and vitamin B6.

2. You have trouble catching your breath.

If you feel like you can’t take a deep breath, you may be worried it’s a sign of COVID-19 or a garden-variety cold or flu. But feeling like you can’t catch your breath is a common indicator of anxiety. The tree branches in the lungs are wrapped with smooth muscle, and when you’re anxious, those muscles clamp down.

Soothing Strategy: Learning diaphragmatic breathing can help loosen those muscles in the lungs so you can breathe freely again. Here’s a very simple yet powerful breathing technique. Breathe in for 3 seconds, hold it for 1 second, breathe out for 6 seconds, hold it for 1 second. Do this 10 times, and you’ll start to feel more relaxed almost immediately.

3. You have an ANT infestation.

ANTs are the automatic negative thoughts that infest your brain and ruin your day. If you’ve got an army of ANTs swirling in your head, they can drive anxiety.

Soothing Strategy: Be careful what you listen to. Don’t subject yourself to hours of TV news, which is constantly spewing out frightening stats and ghastly projections. And understand that you don’t have to believe every stupid thought in your head. You can challenge your thoughts. Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, ask yourself if what you’re thinking is true. During these difficult times, mental hygiene is just as important as washing your hands. You need to disinfect your thoughts, so they won’t steal your mind or ramp up your anxiety.

4. You’re trying to calm your stress with sugar.

During the pandemic, a lot of people have put on the “Quarantine 15.” If you’re stress eating with cookies, cakes, and candy or other foods that quickly turn to sugar—think pasta, bread, potatoes, and rice—it’s a sign of anxiety. Be aware that sugar may provide short-term relief, but it adds to anxious feelings in the long-term. And packing on the pounds doesn’t help either. Research on 35,000 brain scans shows that as your weight goes up, the physical size and function of your brain goes down.

Soothing Strategy: If you’re struggling with sugar cravings, try intermittent fasting, which has many brain benefits and can diminish cravings. Wait 14 to 16 hours after eating dinner before having breakfast. For example, if you finish dinner at 7 p.m., don’t have breakfast until 9 a.m. or 11 a.m.

5. You’ve stopped caring about taking care of yourself.

If you’ve lost the will to work out or go for a walk even though you know you’ll feel better afterward, it can be a red flag that anxiety has taken control. You may feel so worn out by the chronic bombardment of stress that you don’t want to do anything.

Soothing Strategy: Do something! Even if you just take a 5-minute walk outside or you change up your routine in some small way, it can help get you out of a funk and reset your frame of mind. To get inspired, combine physical activity with things you love, such as listening to an audiobook or a podcast while you go for a walk.

6. You’re more irritable.

If you’re uncharacteristically snapping at your family, your neighbors, or the grocery store checker, it could be due to relentless anxiety. In a 2017 study in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, over 90% of people with generalized anxiety disorder said they felt very irritable during periods of especially high anxiety.

Soothing Strategy: Before you snap at someone, ask yourself this question: Does it fit? Will saying something nasty to your spouse, coworker, or friend help you get you what you want in life? To help you get irritability under control, figure out what you want out of life, and write it down. Then every time you’re about to snap, take a moment and ask, “Does it fit?” If your behavior isn’t going to help you get what you want in terms of the big picture, don’t do it.

7. You’re experiencing repetitive negative thoughts (RNTs).

If you’re ruminating on negative thoughts—repeatedly worrying about the future or fretting about something that happened in the past—it’s time to get serious about your anxiety. RNTs are really nasty thoughts. They’re like ANTs that link to other ANTs, then stack together and attack your mind. A 2020 study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia shows that RNTs are associated with an increased risk of dementia, so it’s critical to change your thinking patterns.

Soothing Strategy: If you’re mired in repetitive negative thinking during these uncertain times, try a little TLC. Researchers have found in extremely stressful situations, people who struggle tend to think that things are permanent (this will never change!), global (it’s everywhere!), and out of control (I’m powerless to do anything!). People who are able to thrive in challenging times think differently, telling themselves that the situation is Temporary (this will pass), Local (it isn’t happening everywhere), and Control (I have control over my own behavior). Try the TLC approach to help calm anxiety.

Everybody feels blue once in a while. When you experience a death in the family, a divorce, a job loss, a health scare, or a global pandemic, you may feel down. But how do you know if you’re depressed or just sad? There’s a difference between normal feelings of sadness and clinical depression.

Here’s are 7 questions to ask yourself to help determine if you may have a depressive disorder.

1. How long do your negative feelings last?

So you feel sad and blue and just want to cry. That may be normal if the feeling is temporary and goes away in a few days. It’s when crushing negativity lingers for weeks or months and you just can’t shake it that it’s a sign it may be depression.

2. Do you find joy in anything?

If you’ve lost interest in activities you usually enjoy—whether it’s work, hobbies, sports, socializing with friends, or having sex with your spouse—it may be a symptom of depressive disorder. One of the most hallmark symptoms of this condition is no longer deriving joy from the things you used to think were nice, fun, or awesome. Psychiatrists call this “anhedonia,” a term that indicates an inability to feel pleasure.

3. Are you experiencing significant changes in your appetite or weight?

Classically, people with depression tend to lose their appetite, eat less, and lose weight. In fact, loss of appetite can be an early sign of the condition, so if you’ve lost interest in eating, it’s time to pay attention. In winter depression, however, people tend to feel hungrier and put on weight. If you notice any changes in appetite or weight, it’s worth investigating. Be aware that the sudden onset of feelings of depression (and anxiety) in people who have never experienced them before can also be a warning sign of pancreatic cancer. Speaking with your physician and getting a CT scan of the abdomen may be recommended.

4. Do you think about dying, have recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or have you begun planning how you would take your own life?

You may be surprised to discover that having thoughts of suicide is not unusual. In fact, a study among college undergraduate students found that 55% had thought about killing themselves at some point in their lifetime. Just because you have the thought that you want to end your life, however, doesn’t mean it’s true. You don’t have to believe every thought you have because your thoughts can lie, and they lie a lot. Your brain’s frontal lobes help protect you from acting on such thoughts. Having a suicidal thought doesn’t mean you need to share it. But if you begin to plan how you would carry out a suicide, you need to share with loved ones or with a mental healthcare professional because you need outsiders to protect you from yourself.

Brain imaging studies show that people with suicidal thoughts who make a plan or an attempt on their own life often have abnormal activity in the left temporal lobe. Problems in this area of the brain—often due to some form of head trauma—is associated with violence, either toward yourself (suicide) or toward others (homicide). Understand that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary feeling. In addition, taking one’s life damages loved ones. Children of parents who die by suicide are more than 3 times as likely to also die by suicide, according to a 2015 study in JAMA Psychiatry.

5. Are you experiencing changes in your sleep?

Do you find that you are sleeping more than usual or that you’re having trouble sleeping? A common pattern seen in people with depression is falling asleep, then waking up at 2 a.m., and being unable to go back to sleep. Smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol as a way to induce sleepiness can backfire and is likely to cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.

6. Do you have low physical and mental energy levels?

People with a depressive disorder often feel physically and mentally fatigued. “Brain fog” is a common complaint among those who have been diagnosed with clinical depression. If you typically feel energetic and mentally sharp but have been experiencing a prolonged period of low energy or a fuzzy memory, it can be a sign of a more serious issue.

7. Are you wracked with feelings of hopelessness?

Most people have fleeting moments when they feel worthless or hopeless, or are filled with guilt, but when you can’t get rid of these feelings for weeks or longer, it’s more likely to be a symptom of depression.

WHEN IT’S TIME TO SEEK HELP

If you have several of the symptoms described above and they have lasted for an extended period of time, it’s time to get help. It’s also critical to find out what’s causing your depression. Research shows that biological risk factors—such as inflammation, head trauma, exposure to toxins, neurohormone deficiencies, and diabesity (diabetes and obesity)—can contribute to mental health issues, such as depression. Addressing these risk factors with alternatives to antidepressants can help minimize symptoms of depression.

Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, 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.

As the pandemic and safer-at-home orders drag on, people are searching for ways to cope with the heightened stress, anxiety, and depression. In a recent webinar, three board-certified psychiatrists from Amen Clinics— Dr. Melissa Quinn, Dr. Michelle Flowers, and Dr. Jennifer Love—shared some of their own personal survival secrets.

Here are 5 strategies they use that you can try too to feel better fast.

1. Practice “square breathing.”

Dr. Quinn—a psychiatrist who is also board-certified in holistic/integrative medicine and trained in transcranial magnetic stimulation and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy—is an advocate of a technique known as square breathing. “We call it square breathing because we do it in counts of four and it forms a square.” The technique is simple: inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, then hold your breath again for another count of four.

“I like to incorporate my mantra—live, love, connect, serve,” says Dr. Quinn. “So as I do the diaphragmatic breathing, I say ‘Live two, three, four. Love two, three, four. Connect two, three, four. Serve two, three, four.’” Dr. Quinn says that of all the things she does in her own practice, “this is the one that grounds me the fastest.” If you want to try square breathing with a mantra, you can choose any four words that have special meaning to you.

2. Allow yourself to let go.

Letting go of some things has helped Dr. Flowers, a general psychiatrist and a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is also the mother of four, get through these trying times. “I had just finished a fitness challenge when this thing hit. I was in my best shape in years, but it was high-intensity exercise,” she says. “And because of all the stress of the pandemic, I decided to take it back a notch. I have continued to walk, but the high-intensity exercise has been out for me because there’s plenty of stress in the environment right now.”

High-intensity physical activity can ratchet up stress levels even higher, and according to the American College of Sports Medicine, it may suppress the immune system in some people who aren’t used to vigorous exercise. Give yourself permission to adjust or let go of some goals or habits that don’t serve you now.

3. Accept the ups and downs in energy levels and emotional health.

Like so many others, Dr. Love— who practices adult psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine—has experienced fluctuating energy levels. And she admits that some days, even with all the coping tools she has in her psychiatrist’s toolbox, it isn’t enough. “A few weeks ago, I just crashed and felt exhausted,” she says. “It’s like we work all day, we’re living in a pandemic, and it takes three hours to go to the grocery store. On top of that, I had someone steal my identity, file my taxes, and steal my tax return.” In times like these, Dr. Love—who is also the author of the upcoming book, When Crisis Strikes: Five Steps to Heal Your Brain, Body, and Life From Chronic Stress—says her coping strategy is basically acknowledging it’s a lull and riding out that wave. Expecting that you’ll experience ups and downs can help you accept the downs rather than feeling overwhelmed or defeated by them.

4. Be willing to help others but also to accept help.

As a psychiatrist who provides therapy, Dr. Flowers says she’s typically very comfortable helping others. But a story she heard author David Kessler share on Brené Brown’s podcast really stuck with her and reminded her of the importance of allowing others to help her. It’s called the allegory of the long spoons. “Basically, there’s a woman who wants to see what heaven and hell are like,” she says. The woman is taken into a dining room where this amazing aroma hits and her mouth starts watering. “But then the next thing that hits her is this sound of wailing and people who are groaning. And she looks around the room, and they’re all starving,” she says. “There’s food available, but the spoon is so long that people can’t get the spoon to their mouth.” In essence, this is what hell is—when what you need is available to you, but you can’t get it to yourself.

Then the woman in the story asks to see heaven. To her surprise, she ends up in the same room, and again, the same aroma hits, and her mouth starts watering. But the sound is different in this room because people are laughing and conversing. “What’s different is that instead of trying to feed themselves with the long spoon, they’re feeding each other,” says Dr. Flowers. “Over the last several weeks, I’ve had to remind people, myself included, that we need to allow ourselves to be fed.” If you’re a natural caregiver, it’s important to remind yourself to accept the kindness of others.

5. Remember, you’re doing the best you can.

For Dr. Quinn, reminding herself that she’s doing her best is a powerful feel better fast strategy. “When I’m washing dishes for a half an hour and my little guy is screaming and running around in his undies, I tell myself, ‘I’m doing my best,’” she says. Consider making this a daily mantra that you recite to yourself in challenging times—doing my best, doing my best, doing my best.