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8 More Tips to Knock Down Anxiety

It’s funny how things come full circle, isn’t it? I know that I wouldn’t have guessed that we’d still be in the pandemic environment a year later. Yet, here we are, so we thought it would help to provide more tips to help knock anxiety down a notch! Supporting skills​​ As I’ve mentioned before, we shouldn’t focus on getting rid of anxiety entirely, but rather on reducing its impact on our…

I’ll Be There for You!

As we wrap-up this series on mental health, we’re now focusing on how to help others. We’ve discussed helping those with mental health challenges by examining how to reduce anxiety, bust common anxiety myths, and more.

If you don’t experience those mental health challenges, how do you support those who do? Or what if you’re looking for support for yourself and want to help others as well? In…

Three Tips to “Knock it Down a Notch!”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and every year the goal is to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. If ever there was a time to focus on mental health awareness, now is that time.

Everyone has likely experienced some level of worry or anxiety in their life. Unfortunately, present times can…

Good Enough, As Is.

I am not good enough.

I am not worthy.

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder you have likely had these thoughts. I know I have.

But what if your child or a friend told you that they weren’t good enough? Would you agree with them? Or would you tell them they are worthy and rattle-off a list of reasons why? It is so much easier to give others grace and understanding which we cannot seem…

We Lose 20 Vets Every Day.

Veteran suicide rate continues to climb. (Jeff Goertzen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The least we can do for their service is to help those who have served us.

Like millions of Americans I have not served in the armed forces. However because we did not serve does not mean we can’t help. We can, should, and must help those that have enabled the freedom we enjoy.

In reality, veterans…

Broken Bracelet, Big Milestone

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that can help us see the bigger picture. Hopefully sharing my experiences helps those living with mental health challenges – and to see the bigger picture too.

I have a bracelet that I wear to help raise money and awareness for mental health. Last night it broke which seems odd for a sturdy rubber bracelet to do. Just another seemingly inconsequential…

Why May is so Damn Important

May is Mental Health Awareness Month which is a topic near and dear to my heart. With the corresponding news stories, social media posts and other news coverage it occurs to me – who cares?

At its most basic, awareness literally means “knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists.”

So why is awareness important?

I look at it this way: If we are to solve, or try to solve, any…

Alone in the Crowd

Did you know that anxiety disorders can make someone feel like they don’t belong?

That’s what I felt and I’ve heard from others who feel the same way.

I struggled for years knowing I had an anxiety disorder which made me feel like I was the only one and I didn’t belong. See, anxiety disorders can make someone feel like they don’t belong because we are different than others. I know I lived…

Real Stories of Anxiety from Real People

Anxiety disorders are more common than we may think, but since it is silent and not easily visible we often think we are alone.

While there are 40 million Americans diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, with many more who have not been diagnosed not including children! We are not alone in this, and I have included real stories from real people with anxiety disorders courtesy of the Anxiety and…

Why Key Supports Help with Anxiety Disorders

Having key people in your life at the ready has been critical for my success living with anxiety and just may help you too.

When you have an anxiety disorder it can seem like you’re the only one that does. I am here to tell you that is not the case…I have an anxiety disorder as do at least 40 million others Americans.

I struggled for years to avoid my anxiety and even hide it. Friends and…

Observations from the Mic

Last Thursday I spoke at a People Tree event, sharing my experience with anxiety within the theme of the event, “Comfort Zones.”

Photo courtesy of Katharine Gilbert

Specifically I shared recent aspects of my history with anxiety ranging from hospitalization, why I shifted from my prior comfort zone of avoidance to now acceptance, and more.

As I shared during the talk, “So as I’ve gone through…

Those of us with anxiety disorders tend to steer away from situations that (we think) will induce high anxiety or panic. Here is why you should not avoid discomfort and what you can do to grow stronger.

I have lived with anxiety for most of my life and it grew worse with age. I avoided situations that induced panic, which meant I gradually moved further away from my values as I avoided more…

This past Thursday marked 90 days since I was admitted to the hospital from overwhelming anxiety. I can’t say that I’m totally cured but hell, what fun would that be anyway?!

I can say without a doubt that I am feeling better than I have in years, on a fraction of the meds and am much happier and more present in my daily life.

Life spent avoiding anxiety in my experience is a first class ticket…

My anxiety disorder made me feel I wasn’t strong enough, man enough or good enough.

Society tells me (and the collective male sex) that men must be strong and not show any signs of weakness. Terms like “suck it up, “be a man” and “don’t be a pussy” firmly support this. Our male role models have likely told us the same.

So if we have an anxiety disorder that is “in our head” we may think we need…

Speaking at Anxiety Program

Today I had the honor and humbling experience of speaking at the anxiety treatment program where I spent weeks learning how to accept anxiety.

I completed outpatient therapy for my anxiety two months ago (already?!) to share my experience with the program and where my life is now.

When I started program in December 2018 I was at rock-bottom. I had lost hope that I could live life with my…

Close Relative of Club Drug Offers New Hope for Depression Treatment

New fast-acting anti-depressant drug administered as nasal spray is first released in decades, offers new hope for depressive disorder treatment

Depression and anxiety often afflict people simultaneously, and there is new hope to the 16.1 million adults suffering from treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder.

The new drug, Spravato®, offers hope to those that have…

Bad Medicine: Alcohol, Depression and Anxiety

The link between alcohol, depressive and anxiety disorders

It is widely known, and speaking from personal experience, that those with anxiety and depressive disorders are more likely to drink alcohol since it is readily-available and can bring (short-term) relief to anyone feeling nervous, anxious or stressed in a self-medicating fashion.

Alcohol and Anxiety

Anxiety and alcohol use are…