All posts tagged: anxiety

‘Obsession’ Takes Gen Z’s Social Anxiety to the Extreme

‘Obsession’ Takes Gen Z’s Social Anxiety to the Extreme

Published by Sam Flores

The following contains spoilers for the film Obsession. The premise of the hit horror movie Obsession may sound relatable: What if you had a totally debilitating crush on someone but were too afraid to confess your feelings to them? In the early scenes of the director Curry Barker’s feature debut, a 20-something record-store employee named Bear (played by Michael Johnston) can’t work up the nerve to ask out his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette)—even when she demands to know, point-blank, whether he likes her. Instead of confirming that he does and dealing with the consequences, he opts for a different way into her heart. He snaps a magical tchotchke (called a “One Wish Willow”) in half with the hope that Nikki will love him more than anything in the world. That desire becomes more than Bear ever bargained for. Nikki transforms from a free-spirited girl next-door into a woman possessed by jealousy who duct-tapes Bear’s front door shut, puts flesh from his dead cat into his sandwiches, and lurks in dark corners watching him sleep. She …

Why Does My Child Stop Speaking In Certain Situations?

Why Does My Child Stop Speaking In Certain Situations?

Published by Sam Flores

What Kids Are Carrying is a HuffPost UK series focusing on how the nation’s youngest generation is *really* feeling right now – and how parents and caregivers can support them. When children are unable to speak around certain people, or in certain settings, they could be struggling with selective mutism, which is often underpinned by anxiety and impacts roughly one in 140 young children. Fiona Yassin, a family psychotherapist and founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, said the phenomenon can present very differently depending on the context. “A child may be completely unable to speak with adults, while still managing to communicate with peers. They may speak freely and confidently at home, yet become entirely silent within a school environment,” she explained. “For some children, speech may fluctuate depending on how safe, relaxed, or pressured they feel.” For parents, it can be “deeply confusing” having a child who is expressive, creative, and articulate at home but unable to communicate verbally at school – “yet this contrast is often a key feature of selective …

A molecular biologist explains the ultimate body hack for daily anxiety

A molecular biologist explains the ultimate body hack for daily anxiety

Published by Daniella Wilson

We ought to listen to our bodies more. Yet, we rarely make time for this, even though it is completely fundamental to our well-being. But being in tune with our bodies, not just our brains, is exactly what Dr Estanislao Bachrach, who holds a PhD in molecular biology specialising in neuroscience, encourages us to do.  The scientist and author invites us to reconnect with ourselves and truly get to know our body, because it’s what actually provides the brain with vital information for everything it decides to do, feel and think.  The aim? To use the body as a tool for self-knowledge to achieve a major goal: strengthening our sensory intelligence to help us with anxiety, decision-making and even empathising with people we don’t like.  We caught up with the expert to find out more in an in-depth Q&A. You highlight a fascinating idea: ‘Let your body be your brain’. Why should we make this our goal? Well, it’s not so much a goal we must set ourselves. My job is simply to share a …

Psychologists reveal if it’s a common trait or hidden OCD

Psychologists reveal if it’s a common trait or hidden OCD

Published by Daniella Wilson

It happens to me all the time. Whether I’m out for a meal or at home, I have this overwhelming urge to clear the crumbs off the tablecloth. Sometimes I do it discreetly, other times without even realising.  And since I know I’m not the only one who does this, I wanted to ask a few psychologists if it’s common, or if it’s a sign of some underlying cleaning-related Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD. Psychologist Lara Ferreiro tells me that, generally, the need to keep your eating area clean isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. However, if the behaviour becomes obsessive and is accompanied by other symptoms, it might be worth taking more seriously – especially if it involves compulsive habits that affect your quality of life and feel impossible to control.  Fellow psychology expert Juvenal Ornelas concurs: “It may be a behaviour born out of a need for control, often linked to perfectionism.” But before we start worrying, let’s take a look at what might actually be causing this habit. When sweeping table …

Beyond Anxiety Avoidance and Wishful Thinking

Beyond Anxiety Avoidance and Wishful Thinking

Published by Jenni Sidey

Long ago, I worked with a youngster dreading a class camping trip. When I asked if she had a plan, she said confidently, “Yes, I do.” Surprised, I asked her to share it. “I hope it rains and the trip is cancelled.” We might think—Ah, kids! But substitute in our own fears: that meeting you’re nervous about, the question you don’t want your client to ask, the flight you really don’t want to take, the medical procedure you have put off… and put off again—we understand exactly that teen’s game plan. It’s ours too. We are fingers-crossed hoping against hope to be airlifted out of our discomfort. The emotional pin we drop essentially says: “Don’t!” and we think: “I can’t!” And that “I can’t” describes our relationship with anxiety more broadly: We don’t want to be in one. No, thank you. We wish we could block it or ghost it, but there it is. Understandably, we don’t want to feel trapped in a discomfort corner. So we become proactive—or pre-emptive—and avoid things where anxiety might …

What anxiety is really trying to tell you

What anxiety is really trying to tell you

Published by Jenni Sidey

Most people, if given a button that could permanently switch off their anxiety, would press it without hesitation. Intrusive and tiring, anxiety is the unwanted houseguest of the emotional world. But evolution rarely preserves pointless traits for eons — and unlike conditions that affect a small fraction of people, mild anxiety is nearly universal. So before you reach for that button, it’s worth asking what you’d actually be switching off. Anxiety is not a modern glitch. It is one of the most ancient behavioral responses in the animal kingdom, predating language, culture, and even the neocortex. You can see it as the oldest alarm system in the brain. At its core, anxiety is a threat-detection system: the brain’s way of modeling possible future danger and nudging the body to do something about it. When you experience anxiety, the amygdala flags a potential threat and triggers a cascade of physiological responses. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart rate increases. Your attention narrows. Your muscles tense. Then, the prefrontal cortex, …

Looking Your Way Out of Anxiety: The Neuroscience of Awe

Looking Your Way Out of Anxiety: The Neuroscience of Awe

Published by Jenni Sidey

When we feel anxious or overwhelmed, our first instinct is usually to try to think our way out of it. We analyze our problems, we ruminate endlessly, and we try to logic our way back to peace. But modern neuroscience has discovered a profound truth: You cannot think your way out of an anxious ego. You have to look your way out of it. I have experienced this firsthand. I recall one of the toughest times in my life when the person I thought I was going to spend my life with decided to leave. Everything had seemed to be going so well, and I was looking forward to the future. Suddenly, the future I had planned was gone, and it felt truly hopeless. I could not sleep, and I could not figure my way out of the pain. But in those early morning hours, something shifted. A profound realization came over me—a deep sense of connection to the Universe—and it showed me that I was going to be okay. I did not know how, …

Teens invent first chewing gum to tackle anxiety

Teens invent first chewing gum to tackle anxiety

Published by skeptic

adolescent: Someone in that transitional stage of physical and psychological development that begins at the onset of puberty, typically between the ages of 11 and 13, and ends with adulthood. annual: Adjective for something that happens every year. (in botany) A plant that lives only one year, so it usually has a showy flower and produces many seeds. antioxidant: Any of many chemicals that can shut down oxidation — a biologically damaging reaction. They do this by donating an electron to a free radical (a reactive molecular fragment) without becoming unstable. Many plant-based foods are good sources of natural antioxidants, including vitamins C and E. anxious: (n. anxiety) A feeling of dread over some potential or upcoming situation, usually one over which someone feels they have little control. chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe …

Study Reveals The Most Relaxing Song Ever Made

Study Reveals The Most Relaxing Song Ever Made

Published by Jenni Sidey

Everyone will experience anxiety at some point, whether they actually have generalized anxiety disorder or find themselves facing down a distressing situation. In those moments when it’s hard to take control of your pounding heart and racing thoughts, most people are willing to do whatever it takes to feel a bit more calm. Music has been known to help alleviate both mental and physical health problems for years now, so it’s not uncommon for someone to turn on a favorite song when they’re feeling anxious. One song might just work better than others, though. A study found that an eight-minute track called ‘Weightless’ will relax you more than any other. Researchers at Mindlab in the U.K. conducted an experiment on behalf of Radox Spa using a song the spa commissioned from the band Marconi Union. The goal was to create the most relaxing song possible to be used as a part of massage therapy, with the help of sound practitioner Lyz Cooper. “Weightless” was the result, and scientists discovered that it was not only 11% …

A Mop, a Broom and a Calmer Mind. Why Some Find Mental Health Benefits in Everyday Tasks

A Mop, a Broom and a Calmer Mind. Why Some Find Mental Health Benefits in Everyday Tasks

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid spring cleaning season, it can be tempting to dismiss housework as drudgery, so dreaded or anxiety-inducing that it’s best delegated to others if at all possible. But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. These tasks can encourage mindfulness or permit the mind to wander, all while producing a concrete sense of achievement in accomplishing the basic tasks of daily life. As one famous Zen saying goes: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” Zen apprentices, or “unsui” monks, spend much of their time cleaning and tidying. “We sweep dust to remove worldly desires. We scrub dirt to free ourselves of attachments,” Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk living in Kyoto, Japan, wrote in his book “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind.” “The time we spend carefully cleaning out every nook and cranny of the temple grounds is extremely fulfilling.” Holly Schiff, a clinical …