Category: Management & Treatment of Anxiety/Depression

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lives and caused widespread fear and distress. Especially for people with existing mental health conditions, its impact may be more pronounced than others. They were spiraling in a vicious cycle, which caused them depression and tiredness. Adding to the excessive and persistent worries of people with anxiety disorders experience is the fear of contracting the virus and losing their financial stability. Not only for themselves but also their loved ones.

Appointments with mental health professionals are also being held off due to social distancing and staying at home guidelines. People with anxiety and depression now have to resort to telehealth or teletherapy, where they can connect with their therapists through a virtual medium. If you want to learn the coping strategies for anxiety and depression amidst the ongoing pandemic, there are helpful habits you can do while at home.

Start The Day With Gratitude

The situation the world is in right now can quickly weigh you down. Decide to start your day with gratitude so you will have an improved mood for the entire day. More than what you expect, it can have a significant impact on your mental health. 

Although it may be hard, think of something you’re grateful for before stepping out of bed. You can also write gratitude letters to remind yourself of the blessings you have. It can change how your brain functions as you gear towards positive thoughts.

Make A Daily Routine

Due to the pandemic, people with anxiety and depression felt a loss of control in their lives. They can no longer meet their friends regularly, or buy groceries in the way they used to. Establishing routines and schedules can help them regain the consistency they missed.

Children also need a regular schedule to help them feel in control as they are used to the routine in schools. It can help them thrive while performing school activities at home. You can also be more focused on finishing tasks if you have a definite plan. Therefore, a daily routine can give you time for self-care since you can complete your work early.

People with anxiety and depression rely heavily on habits and routines to cope with their intense emotions. It helps them improve their physical, emotional, and mental health, most importantly during stressful times like this.

Distance Yourself From The Media

It’s hard not to worry when news outlets these days are broadcasting the COVID-19 pandemic 24/7. Limiting yourself from the media can prevent you from succumbing to anxiety and catastrophic thoughts. The more fearful and anxious you feel, the more you need to distance from any sort of media.

But yes, you will need to read the news to have updated information on what’s happening to the world. Knowledge is power, after all. You can do this by only reading news from trusted sources. Social media is particularly good at spreading misinformation and lies to gain clicks. Read from websites like the World Health Organization, among others, so that you will perceive health details and less opinionated perspectives.

Take Action

Keeping yourself busy can drive your mind away from thinking worst-case scenarios. According to Ken Goodman, LCSW, “When your mind tries to bait you into worry, don’t take the bait. If you do, like a fish in a lake, you will be caught. Anxiety will try to bait you with many “what if” questions.” So instead of worrying, attempt to solve your problems by finding creative solutions.

It may be uncomfortable, but try to push yourself one step at a time. Lack of confidence in handling challenges is where the anxiety begins. If you have financial problems, you can ask for help, seek out loans, or search online for ways to earn while being in self-isolation. You can also re-sell your things after cleaning your house.

Stay Healthy And Perform Stress Reduction Activities

Eating healthy and regularly exercising affect your mood and emotion. What you put in your body will determine how you think and feel. Proper nutrition is associated with lower levels of anxiety and stress. As most people say, you are what you eat. It also applies to your mental health, not only to your physical health.

Engage with relaxing practices such as guided meditation or yoga. It can give you the peace of mind you need at times like this. Look for sources online to help you in starting.

Having faith that everything shall pass is not an easy thing to do. But when the world is full of ambiguities, you can’t keep your mind in the dark—staying faithful means being a light for other people who need help. Providing aid to others can give you the happiness and control your mind demands right now. Always remember that you’re not alone in this fight. We’re all in this together.

I have been battling depression and anger issues since I was ten years old. Yes, you read that right. I’ve been depressed and angry since I was very young. You see, my parents neglected me, and as early as six years old, they’ve shipped me to boarding school. I was six years old, and they left me alone to fend for myself.

Continue reading “My Way Of Coping With Anger And Depression”

Dealing with depression is never easy. There are many challenges that you need to face before you could successfully get over this mental condition. Take note that once you are diagnosed as clinically depressed, the first thing that you must do is to find the right therapist to help you deal with this matter. It is essential to look for the perfect professional who could motivate you to feel better about the situation. Selecting a therapist to hire is difficult, especially when there are so many individuals qualified for this profession.

Continue reading “The 3 Questions You Need To Ask A Therapist”

Are you sad, depressed, or stressed? Do you think you need counseling?

In modern times, one of the most effective ways of dealing with problems and understanding life issues is to go through online counseling. This method has gained popularity due to the benefits that it provides to many people.

With the latest advancements in the field of psychotherapy, anyone can already get the help, support, or assistance needed to solve the puzzling concerns of most people. Going virtual has a wide range of benefits. Read on to find out more about the accessibility of online mental health help.

Online Counseling: The Benefit Of Online Counseling

It Bridges The Distance Because Of Technology

A lot of people are starting to go for online therapy because of its convenience in terms of mental and physical health care for just a few reasons. There are also many benefits of online counseling, which are just as effective as in-person therapy but without the limitations of physical health. The need to go to an actual room office for in-person therapy and other mental health services is already eliminated. All that needs to be done is for the patient to go online and start the traditional therapy sessions with his chosen therapist or counselor.

At the same time, fortunately, those who live in rural areas can already have direct access to counselors for therapy online ervices. As such, they no longer need to maintain and deal with issues such as not finding an available professional counselor in their area for in-person therapy. Health matters so seek in-person therapy.

 “Online therapy is also known as teletherapy, distance therapy, internet therapy, e-therapy, telehealth, telebehavioral health, email therapy, text therapy, phone counseling.” –Sena Moran, LMHC

The Treatment That Is Less Expensive

Talking to a counselor for a convenient mental health treatment would cost a lot of money. However, when it is done through a web or mobile application, there is a high possibility that the patients would pay lower fees in dealing with their mental health issues so they should not have to worry.

The reason behind this is the limited decrease in administrative and maintenance costs on the part of the counselors. For this reason, they can start to offer discounts or price cuts to their therapy services so more people can start accessing mental health care. As a result, more people will patronize their appointments availability and schedule in providing track treatments and services for mental illness despite living in an unfamiliar place.

It Gets Rid Of Awkwardness

Online therapy programs or counseling session makes individuals feel more comfortable opening up. They find comfort in knowing that they are only interacting in a virtual environment with mental health professionals. They can also start to share their secrets quickly without fear of rejection or being rejected by others. Because of this, the patients are expected to enjoy a faster recovery from the mental health care and well-being problems they are going through.

At this point, it is beneficial to emphasize that honesty is an integral element in curing the issues that they have. This is why patients are encouraged to open up truthfully about their mental health during traditional therapy or in-person therapy sessions. They should not hesitate to access mental health services or mental health treatment sessions.

As Elana Schechtman-Gil LMFT explains the process:
“The foundation of therapy is based on the relationship you build with your therapist. When seeking someone out it’s important you feel comfortable with them.”

It Is Easy To Understand

Another significant benefit of a mental health counseling appointment is that the process is easy to understand. In looking for the best online therapy programs, the initial step is to look for the right counselor who would assist in the problem-solving stage. It must be noted that the professional chosen must have a license to act as a counselor in the state and is capable of dealing even with serious psychiatric illnesses. Second, the patients must go online to talk to the selected online cognitive behavioral therapy expert.

These individuals can access mental health care in an unlimited way at any time, anywhere. However, it is significant to emphasize the fact that as the demand for the time of the counselor increases, the number of fees charged also increases. After the first two steps, the troubled persons and the counselors can already interact in a remote environment.

But note that “online care is not for every patient or practitioner.
Clients with more serious mental illnesses or addictions likely need more treatment than digital mental health counseling can provide. And some clinicians may find certain telehealth modalities difficult.” clinical psychologist Nina Barlevy, PsyD said.

How To Prepare To Enjoy The Advantage of Virtual Therapy Treatment

Be sure to conduct your research first before contacting an online counselor. Equip yourself with some basic knowledge that is needed for this accessible online method of healing. Talk to your insurance provider for more options too and find qualified therapists, online counseling experts, or face to face mental health therapy sessions immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why Is Virtual Counseling Important?

2. What Are Some Of Its Advantages As A Mental Health Professional?

3. Does Online Therapy Effective Or Reliable?
4. What Are The Disadvantages Of Virtual Therapy?
5. What Are The Pros And Cons Of Therapy?
6. Is Online Therapy As Effective As Face-to-Face?
7. Is Online Therapy Right For You?
8. Does Online Therapy Work For Anxiety?
9. How Is Online Counselling Done?
10. Can Online Therapists Diagnose You?

Depression should not be dismissed as trivial. People with depression don’t wish to be depressed. It is something to be understood, from the perspective of the person experiencing it and not the other way around.

Continue reading “Tips To Successfully Conquer Depression”

Actions are often fueled by one’s thoughts and beliefs. The positive line of thinking delivers positive output. Negative thoughts usually result in actions with negative consequences.

Continue reading “Five Thoughts Of A Depressed Person And How To Deal With Them”

The social stigma of help-seeking is one of the reasons why people, who are secretly battling depression, hate the idea of going to counseling. This stigma, which has long been living in the mind of many, still tops the lists of the common misconceptions about the topics of depression and anxiety.

Continue reading “Dealing With The Stigma Of Counseling”

When the burdens of anxiety and depression reach an uncontrollable level, the body and the mind go through a meltdown. Meltdowns are periods of intense mental distress wherein people fail to function correctly in their daily activities. Unique to each person, stressors, traumatic events, life changes, and chronic medical conditions may trigger these meltdowns. However, it is essential to remember recovery is always possible even after such outburst.

How It Helps In The Recovery Process

The main culprit of a mental breakdown is stress. “Stress can seem omnipresent. Between working, socializing and taking care of the home, it sometimes seems we don’t have a minute to ourselves, let alone enough time to really take care of our bodies and minds.”  Sonja Seglin, LCPC elaborates. Anything that triggers or stresses us is capable of shutting our mind and body down. This highly possible event happens when undergoing heavy but regular stressful events. We must learn to tame our mind and pace ourselves to take back our control.

And this is where holistic health comes in. A holistic lifestyle starts with a certain amount of mindfulness as a critical component. It means accurately knowing how you react to situations or merely acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses. Using a holistic approach in this article, we will enumerate steps on how to live a holistic lifestyle after a meltdown.

Recovering From A Meltdown

Practice Mindfulness

Sometimes meltdowns come with raging outbursts or embarrassing bawls in the presence of others. Park that embarrassment for a while and look back to what had triggered that meltdown. Was it related to a person? A particular assignment at work you thought you could not accomplish? Was it an offensive remark someone had said or were you just extremely vulnerable that day? If this is not the first meltdown you have experienced, assess the other times you have had anxiety attacks. You will realize more things about yourself, and this will empower you to become better.  Because according to Jennifer Bradley, Psy.D., HSPP, Clinical Psychologist “I believe that human beings have an inherent longing and need for wholeness and balance, which is our natural state of being.”

Allocating time assessing yourself and the situation is considered mindfulness. Identifying your trigger points will be useful for further exercises in the future. Once you have started practicing mindfulness, you can easily apply this in other daily activities like mindful eating and managing emotions.

Other exercises of mindfulness may be meditation, daily examination of conscience, and introspection.

Respect The Limits Of Your Body

Mindfulness also comes with respecting our body’s limits. Avoid activities or situations that are “too much” for you. These activities may cause stress and adversely affect both your mental and emotional health. It is good to disconnect once in a while. Simple meditation or downtime can melt away the angst.

Eat Clean

“It’s important to underscore here the importance of monitoring your mental health and knowing how different medications and lifestyle changes can impact your mental health.”  Julia Hogan, LCPC sais. With that, eating clean, green food is only one component of holistic practice. It works hand in hand with other measures that promote mental and emotional health. Eating vegetables, a balanced diet, and healthy food nourishes our bodies and flushes out toxins.

If you are not a fan of vegetables, try a cup of tea a day. It has soothing effects on the body and the mind. A cup of green tea can calm away nerves.

Stay Active

Regular exercise serves as a stress reliever. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, do an activity or exercise to blow off some steam. For others, it serves as a momentary distraction.

If your work entails long sedentary hours, take a break once in a while and walk around the office. Getting your red blood cells moving can help you channel negative energy into something more productive.

Your recovery is possible by leading a holistic lifestyle. Holistic health encompasses the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health of a person. Start living a holistic life through the practices we mentioned above.