Artwork by Andy Warhol
The recession has most of America in its clutches, but it’s not time to roll over and play dead. It’s time to be proactive!
The magnitude of the this calamity causes people to have a great deal of stress and anxiety over their financial situations. They react to this stress and anxiety in a variety of different ways — unfortunately among them is denial, paralysis, and sticking their heads in the sand.
It doesn’t have to be so. I hope that the main thing you come away with from this series is that you can be proactive; you can maintain control over your life even in the worst of times.
This is the fourth and final part of a four-part series on “Surviving the Recession.” Today’s installment has 16 tips to help you regain control of your finances, your emotional life, and your relationships. Yesterday’s post, “Surviving the Recession, Part 3: 15 Things You Can Do to Regain Control” has 15 more tips, for a total of 31.
The tips are presented in no particular order. They come from over 20 different sources, each with a particular point of view. There may be some overlap, there even may be some contradictions, but there is a wealth of good advice among them.
Be sure to read the first and second parts of this series. The first, “Surviving the Recession, Part 1: What It’s Doing to Us,” discusses the effects of financial crisis on Americans under these subject headings:
- How are people handling the recession?
- Women in particular are stressed by the economy
- What the recession and economic worry are doing to us
“Surviving the Recession, Part 2: Anxiety, Harmful Behavior, and Paralysis” is the second part of the series, and deals with how the recession is affecting our mental health. It covers the topics:
- Economic stress and mental disorders
- Excessive worry may lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- If you’re stressed out, anxious or depressed, avoid turning to harmful behavior
- Paralyzing yourself: Denial and catastrophizing
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Economy,
Recession,
Stress
Artwork by Andy Warhol
The current economic crisis has been a disaster for many individuals and families, to say the least.
As has been pointed out in Parts 1 and 2 of this series, the recession is causing almost unbearable stress and anxiety to untold millions of Americans. For some, it is pushing them into harmful behaviors and mental illness. Yet, however bad your situation is, there are things you can do to help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety it is causing you.
This is the third part of a four-part series on “Surviving the Recession.” Today’s installment has 15 tips to help you regain control of your finances, your emotional life, and your relationships. Tomorrow’s post, “Surviving the Recession, Part 4: 16 More Things You Can Do to Regain Control“ has 16 more tips, for a total of 31.
The tips are presented in no particular order. They come from over 20 different sources, each with a particular point of view. There may be some overlap, there even may be some contradictions, but there is a wealth of good advice among them. I hope that the main thing you come away with is that you can be proactive; you can maintain control over your life even in the worst of times.
Be sure to read the first and second parts of this series. The first, “Surviving the Recession, Part 1: What It’s Doing to Us,” discusses the effects of financial crisis on Americans under these subject headings:
- How are people handling the recession?
- Women in particular are stressed by the economy
- What the recession and economic worry are doing to us
“Surviving the Recession, Part 2: Anxiety, Harmful Behavior, and Paralysis” is the second part of the series, and deals with how the recession is affecting our mental health. It covers the topics:
- Economic stress and mental disorders
- Excessive worry may lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- If you’re stressed out, anxious or depressed, avoid turning to harmful behavior
- Paralyzing yourself: Denial and catastrophizing
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Economy,
Recession,
Stress
Artwork by Andy Warhol
Sometimes there can be just too much of a good thing!
Part 3 of the current series, “Surviving the Recession, Part 3: Things You Can Do to Regain Control,” provides you with over 25 great tips to help you proactively deal with the recession.
The only problem is that the article has grown to over 4,000 words, which is way too long for a single post. You would be scrolling into next week!
So I’ve decided to split the article into 2 parts to be posted tomorrow and the next day. I’m reformatting it to make it easier to read and use while I’m splitting it.
Thank you for reading parts 1 and 2! I hope you’re looking forward to parts 3 and 4 as much as I am!
Artwork by Andy Warhol
The sustained economic tensions of the recession are taking a dire toll on Americans.
Stress and anxiety are now everyday demons threatening to overcome your life, rendering you helpless and hopeless.
In this climate, many Americans are finding that their stress and anxiety are growing to the point where they are more than annoyances, but real problems in and of themselves. We see more and more people self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. Others curl up in a ball of denial, hoping it will all just go away.
This series of 4 articles about surviving the recession offers an understanding of the situation that so many of us find ourselves in, as well as positive suggestions to help you regain control of your life and finances.
Today’s installment details how stress and anxiety can tip you over into Anxiety Disorder or other mental illnesses, as well as leading to harmful behaviors. It covers these topics:
- Economic stress and mental disorders
- Excessive worry may lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- If you’re stressed out, anxious or depressed, avoid turning to harmful behaviors
- Paralyzing yourself: Denial and catastrophizing
The final two installments, “Surviving the Recession, Part 3: 15 Things You Can Do to Regain Control,” and “Surviving the Recession, Part 4: 16 More Things You Can Do to Regain Control” is a list of proactive steps that you can take to regain control, not only of your financial situation, but your and your family’s lives. It will be published tomorrow.
Be sure to read yesterday’s installment, “Surviving the Recession, Part 1: What It’s Doing to Us.” It discusses what the recession is doing to us, and has the following sections:
- How are people handling the recession?
- Women in particular are stressed by the economy
- What the recession and economic worry are doing to us
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Economy,
Recession,
Stress
Artwork by Andy Warhol
With the nation’s housing market in a ditch, the stock market in freefall, food prices rising, and government bailouts making the news almost every day, it’s no surprise that so many people are feeling anxious and stressed about the economy and their financial futures.
Anxiety and mild stress are a normal reactions to these events. It’s your body’s way of telling you to stay alert and work harder to protect your finances and your family’s future.
But with the nation in a recession, more Americans are feeling panicky about their future, leading to a remarkable increase in stress about their finances and job.
More than that, local and national mental health experts say that the loss of jobs, homes and retirement savings has triggered an increase in the number of people with symptoms related to toxic stress, Anxiety, or depression, such as changes in sleeping and eating patterns, headaches, and nervousness.
This series of 4 articles about surviving the recession offers an understanding about the situation so many of us find ourselves in, as well as positive suggestions to help you regain control of your life and finances. Today’s installment covers what the recession is doing to us, and has the following sections:
- How are people handling the recession?
- Women in particular are stressed by the economy
- What the recession and economic worry are doing to us
Part 2, “Surviving the Recession, Part 2: Anxiety, Harmful Behavior, and Paralysis” details how stress can tip you over into Anxiety or other mental disorders, and can lead to harmful behaviors. It will have these sections:
- Economic stress and mental disorders
- Excessive worry may lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- If you’re stressed out, anxious or depressed, avoid turning to harmful behaviors
- Paralyzing yourself: Denial and catastrophizing
The final 2 installments, “Surviving the Recession, Part 3: 15 Things You Can Do to Regain Control,” and ”Surviving the Recession, Part 4: 16 More Things You Can Do to Regain Control“ are lists of proactive steps that you can take to take back control, not only of your financial situation, but your and your family’s life.
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Economy,
Recession,
Stress
Stress was only named as a factor in our lives only in the 1930’s! What did we do before then?
Certainly, human beings have been experiencing stress for eons, but it seems to be getting worse as we become more entangled locally and interconnected globally. The current economic situation is only the latest major cause for stress in many people’s lives.
As much as we all live with stress, many of us do not understand the basics about stress and its role in our lives. This ignorance can lead to very real negative consequences: Stress can bring on and exacerbate a host of physical illnesses — from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. And stress can also trigger or make many mental illnesses more severe. Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders are among the most susceptible to stressors.
This post examines 7 common myths about stress, with explanations for why they are not true, under these headings:
- Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody
- Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you
- Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it
- Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones
- Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress
- Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention
- Myth 7: Stress always comes from the outside
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety Disorder,
Stress
Artwork by Robert Mickelsen
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder affects almost 7 percent of the American people. Yet it was unheard of only 15 years ago.
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder sufferers experience extreme anxiety and fear when separated from major attachment figures; avoidance of being alone; and fears that harm will befall those close to them.
Because the diagnosis is so new, there is no standard way to treat Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder. Sadly, it is hardly mentioned in the standard diagnostic manuals that mental health care professionals use.
This two-part post accompanies the posting of the reference article on Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder. The current post is the second of two. The two posts are a short version of the reference article, which has full information about the disorder. The information in today’s post falls under the following headings:
- How does Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder affect your life?
- Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder and other mental disorders
- What is the treatment for Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
Yesterday’s post, part 1, had these headings:
- Just what is Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- How many people have Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- What are the diagnostic criteria for Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder
Artwork by Cristine Cambrea
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD) did not exist 15 years ago, at least as far as the psychiatric community was concerned.
Separation Anxiety Disorder is well recognized as a psychiatric disorder of childhood, but it is rarely diagnosed in adults. Yet the core symptoms of Separation Anxiety — excessive and often disabling distress when faced with actual or perceived separation from major attachment figures — may persist or even arise during adulthood.
A recent study led by Katherine Shear found that the adult lifetime estimate for ASAD was a conservative 6.6 percent of the American population. That’s 20,207,408 adults who will suffer with ASAD in their lifetimes! In contrast, only 4.1 percent of children will have childhood Separation Anxiety Disorder.
This two-part post accompanies the posting of the reference article on Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder. The current post is the first of two. The two posts are a short version of the reference article, which has full information about the disorder. The information in this post falls under the following headings:
- Just what is Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- How many people have Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- What are the diagnostic criteria for Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
Tomorrow’s post continues with these headings:
- How does Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder affect your life?
- Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder and other mental disorders
- What is the treatment for Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder
Acne can cause Anxiety and can lead to Anxiety Disorders and depression.
Up to 60 percent of acne sufferers show significant levels of Anxiety. Some researchers even think that acne can cause these mental disorders. It is certain that stress can cause acne and exacerbate existing Anxiety Disorders and depression.
What is not apparent is how many suicides are attributable to acne. Thirty-five percent of teenagers with bad acne have suicidal thoughts, and more than 10 percent have tried to kill themselves. The numbers are not available for adult suicide ideation and attempts, but there is reason to believe that they are similar.
The first post in this series described how acne affects the lives of both adolescents and adults. This post discusses the interrelation of acne and the Anxiety Disorders and stress, as well as getting help. The headings are:
- Acne and Anxiety
- Acne and stress
- Warning signs that your mental condition is getting out of control
- Get help
The first part of this series details how acne can affect people psychologically and emotionally under the following headings:
- How many people have acne?
- How acne affects your life
- Acne and quality of life
- Adult acne
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Acne,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Depression,
SAD - Social Phobia
Acne would seem to be a strange topic for a blog on the Anxiety Disorders.
But acne is one of the leading causes of Anxiety among adolescents and adults. A recent study published in the British Journal of Dermatology found that acne sufferers experienced social, psychological, and emotional consequences at the same level of those with chronic health problems, such as epilepsy, diabetes, and arthritis.
Adults have acne, too, on into their 30’s and 40’s and beyond. And they are more likely than adolescents to feel that acne negatively affects their lives, regardless of how severe their acne is. This may be because there is a greater social stigma for adults with acne. It can lead to clinical Anxiety Disorders, depression, unemployment, and social isolation.
This post is part of a two-part series. Today’s post details who can have acne and how it affects their life under the following headings:
- How many people have acne?
- How acne affects your life
- Acne and quality of life
- Adult acne
Tomorrow’s post goes into the interaction of Anxiety, stress, and suicide, as well as getting help:
- Acne and Anxiety
- Acne and stress
- Warning signs that your mental condition is getting out of control
- Get help
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Acne,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
Depression,
SAD - Social Phobia
