Let my say be important to you too. I have only recently taken the time to really think about what happens to the other person, when I interrupt their conversation, or when my own conversation is interrupted. Often we can justify this by thinking that what we want to say is “important.” Maybe it is. […]
Are you smart enough to be anxious?
How to worry like a Pro. Like most people, I like to wake up in the middle of the night with a fright. I was terrified that I forgot to send a work email and muse over all the things that I got wrong during the day ( or over the course of my life.) […]
Iron Man 3 – did Tony Stark have an anxiety attack?
It happens to superheroes as well as mere mortals! My worlds have collided :) I love Iron Man, work as a psychologist and have had anxiety myself – my head is about to explode! In a way, I think it is kind of cool. You can still be a superhero and have anxiety on the […]
Does anxiety run in families?
When I work with people with anxiety, people often say that one or both of their parents were anxious, or their brothers or sisters are anxious. It makes sense then, to the person, that maybe anxiety is just in their family – it is in the genes. My concern with this is that if the […]
Breathing into a paper bag for hyperventilation
Does it work or not? Many people believe that breathing into a paper bag will help them if they are hyperventilating. Usually if a person is having a panic attack, someone will pull out the trusty brown paper bag and ask the distressed person to breathe into it. First we need to look at why […]
Dealing with stress
10 things to try right now Managing how we feel, is about looking at all aspects of our life. Cutting down on things that make us feel worse and increasing the things that make us feel good. The strange thing is, most of us love to keep talking and thinking about the things that are […]
You are what you think
You are what you think . . . and I think I’m useless! How’s that working out for me? What we think and do; we become. You are probably familiar with the phrase “You are what you eat“, but what about “You are what you think?” Is there any truth in that phrase? More than […]
Medical conditions that mimic panic attacks
Medical Reasons for panic and anxiety When someone comes to see me with symptoms of anxiety or panic, the first thing I do is rule out medical causes first. There are medical conditions that mimic the symptoms of anxiety. This means that you may be having panic attacks, but the underlying cause may not be […]