mindfulness

15Aug

3 Tips to Handle an Anxiety Attack

August 15, 2016 by

1. Awareness

Many therapists have agreed that when a patient feels a panic attack coming on, it is essential to craft a short checklist to keep in mind while the situation occurs. Although each individual experiences anxiety in a different way, following the below steps is important to maintain some calmness.

Accept the anxiety and try to assess what is going on from an objective standpoint. Try your best to act normal and not let the anxiety overtake your mental state. As difficult as it may seem, do your best to gain control of what is happening.

2. Consult a doctor

Consulting a doctor may be necessary after you notice your panic attacks either increasing or becoming more frequent in your day to day life. It is in your best interests to meet with a doctor on a semi-regular basis. With this in mind, your doctor may prescribe you medication or refer you to a mental health physician for further evaluation.

3. Deep Breathing

Taking deep, consistent breaths is one way to most effectively deal with a panic attack when it comes. While it is common for people to breathe very quickly due to stress, keep in mind that this actually augments the level of anxiety. It is important to practice taking deep slow breaths, even when you are not experiencing a panic attack. In other words, focusing on deep breathing will allow you to relax a bit.

It is important to note that everyone’s panic attacks differ. Consulting a medical professional is highly encouraged as you experience any discomfort. Remember that you are not alone and thousands of other Americans across the country are going through the same issues and experiences as you are. Reading up on how other people cope with anxiety in their day to day lives will also help you try out other ways to improve your emotional or mental health.

01May

Applying Creativity to Help with Life Transitions

May 1, 2016 by

Awareness
When undergoing intense, often times unpleasant or emotionally difficult life changes, it is natural to attempt to ignore the current predicament that you are experiencing. Although this defense mechanism is common, it takes a great deal of mental strength to actually come to terms with this difficult life stage. Becoming emotionally aware of what’s going on around you is absolutely essential to better grow and stay in touch with your feelings about the transition.

Making big decisions such as resigning from a job or switching schools are serious life stages that require substantial thought and emotional preparation. Taking the time to thoroughly process the decision before you make it, or talk it through with family members or other loved ones is a great way to gain relief and support from this hardship.

Facing your fears
Another great way to deal with a new life transition is to normalize any fear that comes with the difficult issue that you are currently dealing with. In other words, an essential way to normalize your fears is to envision these barriers as a form of motivation to move forward in this life stage. Fear that debilitates has the unfortunate power to hinder any emotional progress as you delve deeper into your life transition. By shaping the fear into a motivational source, you can actually mold a more positive mentality in a healthy way.

Lesson learning
A key takeaway when confronting difficult situations is to challenge your perception when dealing with the transition. Take this negative situation and spin it in a way that is more focused on making the environment as positive as possible. Even though the pain or sadness may be unbearable in that moment, be mindful that this extreme emotion you may be feeling is simply temporary.

After an intense or high emotion situation passes, there is a strong chance that this fact will improve over time. Another incredibly valuable lesson to take away from any difficult situation is to master the art of being mentally and emotionally present. In other words, appreciate who and what is currently surrounding you. Even if you are undergoing an emotionally draining situation, taking the time to take your mother out to lunch or spending more time with a friend who is in even a more difficult predicament is allows you to attain a new level of emotional strength.

Experience sharing
After you have gone through this experience, there is no question that you’d be in a position where you can mentor or help guide others who have gone through a similar situation. The lessons you have learned from this experience will allow you to be better equipped with skills and emotional strength to help others in need of guidance from a confident individual who has gone through a similar predicament.

26Jun

5 Ways to Treat Depression, Naturally

June 26, 2015 by

1. Consider the reasons why your depressed. Being depressed can be a result of the circumstances in your life. Depression is a symptom of the people and things around you, rather than biochemical imbalances. Being honest with yourself about what might be off putting in your life might be the first step into understanding why your are feeling depressed.

2. Exercise. Exercising releases endorphins that produce happier emotions happy-making endorphins. These endorphins act like natural anti-depressants. This process is casually known as “Runners High”.

3. Breakfast is Important. Never skipping a meal will result in keeping your blood sugar stable and reducing mood swings.

4. Enhance your diet with serotonin. You can increase your brain’s serotonin levels by eating foods that boost your serotonin levels naturally. Anti-depressants are not needed to enhance the serotonin level sin your diet.

5. Avoid Caffeine. Supplement coffee with L-Tyrosine (500 – 1000 mg). Caffeine reduces serotonin levels.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/owning-pink/201103/11-natural-treatments-depression-md-s-tips-skipping-the-prozac

25Mar

Meditation in Many Forms

March 25, 2014 by

Meditation comes in all different forms.

Meditation comes in many forms. Depending on the individual, some meditation techniques may work better than others. Meditation has become so popular that even doctors, therapists and nutritionists are suggesting it for their patients and clients.

Some basic forms of meditation are mindfulness, zazen, transcendental meditation, kundalini, qi gong, guided visualization, trance-based practices, and heart rhythm meditation. These 8 different kinds seem to be the most popular today according to the Institute for Applied Meditation.

Mindfulness meditation is also known as Vipassana. This type of meditation derives from Buddhists. This is more of an observational process than it is active. During mindfulness, one keeps the mind running and accepts each thought as it comes, but tries to detach himself/herself from the thought. While it is not necessary to change your breathing during this type of meditation, you can often tell what type of energy state you are in by recognizing your breathing pattern and just letting it be. Zazen is another type of meditation that is derived from Buddhists. Zazen means seated meditation. Zazen is done with great posture and not much more instruction. In order to succeed at this type of meditation, you must have a great deal of self-discipline.

Transcendental meditation comes from Hinduism. This is also done seated with great posture and usually in the lotus position. Many times there is a sacred word that is repeated. The purpose of this meditation is to calmly rise above any temporary negativity. Kundalini also comes from Hinduism. Kundalini focuses on rising energy and breath. Essentially, your breath is used to push energy upward continuously.

Qi gong comes from Taoist tradition. This form of meditation also focuses on breath and energy but this time in a circular motion throughout your body, organs, and your soul. Guided visualization is a simple form of meditation that also demands focus and discipline. The object of this meditation is to concentrate on an image or scene, whether real or made up. This has to come from your own thoughts. Trance-based practices are a bit different from the types of meditations listed above. For example, in order to really be in a trance, one must lack self-awareness, awareness of his or her surroundings, and rational thinking. This state is usually not self-induced, but may be from drugs, music, or hypnosis. This is not a suggested form of meditation and can be harmful.

Last, but certainly not least is heart rhythm meditation. This form of meditation focuses on your breath, heartbeat and your emotions. Understanding the energy of your heart and breathing gives you the opportunity to be in complete control of yourself and to comprehend your purpose and worth. This method is absolutely recommended and can benefit one’s spiritual development.

As stated above, depending on the meditator, the best meditation methods may vary. It is important to test a few out to see what type is most beneficial to you. Meditating is very powerful and can truly change someone’s life for the better.