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The Importance of Anxiety and Sleep

 

 

 

By: Rebecca Ray

Since the start of the pandemic, more adults is experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms while sleeping. Sleep deprivation worsens anxiety and depression, and this vicious cycle of little sleep, worry, and sadness perpetuate our loneliness and isolation.

Anxiety Symptoms

Adults juggle working from home during an uncertain financial time, sometimes late into the night. Some of us are starting to think that life IS stranger than fiction, and experience anxiety symptoms while sleeping. These symptoms can include insomnia, restlessness, panic attacks, a racing heart, sweating, and rumination. Learn how to sleep when stressed and anxious.

Natural Remedies for Insomnia and Anxiety

Learn how to calm anxiety at night. There are things you can do to improve your sleep. I recommend that people develop and follow a consistent sleep schedule and reserve your bed for sleeping and sex.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, heavy meals, and exercise late in the day. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. You can use a sleep mask, white noise machine, black-out curtains, and a fan to help keep your body cool and relaxed. Avoid anything longer than a 10-minute nap during the day and engage in something relaxing before bed. Create a bedtime ritual that includes herbal tea, a good book, or restorative yoga.

At night, avoid news stories and social media posts that create anxiety, and practice putting your worries away. Visualize a beautiful log cabin and be as detailed as you can while you focus on the trees and path leading to the house. One at a time, let your worries float into the house as you relax for sleep.

If you are isolating more than normal, reach out to friends and let them know you want to talk or set up a virtual meeting. Regular social interactions will help reduce your anxiety and depression.

Move your body! Research shows that regular physical activity reduces anxiety and depression while improving your health and sleep.

We cannot control the pandemic, but we can control how we care for ourselves and others. If you are struggling to sleep well at night, try these tips to calm anxiety at night and sleep better while stressed and anxious.

Anxiety Treatment 

Sleep dread is a real problem and you might experience frightening sleep anxiety symptoms. If you are experiencing anxiety at night or waking up with a racing heart, reach out to a qualified therapist for anxiety treatment that improves sleep.

 

 

How to Cope with Anxiety from the Coronavirus

 

Our anxiety increases when we are confronted with threats to our health. The coronavirus constitutes such a threat.

In this article, I present steps to help you cope with the increased anxiety stemming from the coronavirus.

1. Understand Your Odds

We often experience spikes in anxiety when we believe that a threat is imminent and unavoidable. Considering the extensive media coverage over the coronavirus, it may appear that the overall risk of being infected is very high.

A good practice to lower your anxiety is understanding what are the odds that your fear will become reality. Recognizing that there is a low probability that fear will become reality reduces anxiety.

2. Recognize What You Can Control

The continued coverage over the spreading coronavirus can make us feel helpless and powerless. One may feel that taking any action is futile. Such a stance will only exacerbate one’s level of anxiety over the potential threat.

Take a moment to recognize what is within your sphere of control. There are steps you can take to promote your safety and protect your loved ones. Taking such action does not only lower the odds that you will be infected. It can also make you feel empowered and give you a sense of control over the potential threat.

The CDC has published guidelines to protect the public from being infected and further spread the coronavirus. They include:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places — elevator buttons, door handles, handrails and handshaking with people.
  • Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places.
  • Avoid touching your face, nose, and eyes.
  • Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs.
  • Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.
  • Avoid all non-essential travel including plane trips and cruise ships.

3. Increase “The Dose” of Your Coping Skills

The use of healthy coping skills is critical for the management of anxiety. Using your coping skills becomes even more critical during times of heightened stress. Some of my favorite coping skills include:

  • Exercise
  • Journaling my thoughts and feelings
  • Deep breathing exercises
  • Meditation and or prayer

During times of heightened stress, you may consider increasing “the dose” of your coping skills by using them more frequently. For example, if you typically exercise three times per week, you may consider exercising an extra day to help you better cope with anxiety. If you normally practice deep breathing exercises in the morning and at night, you may consider adding a third session during lunch.

Cost of Anxiety

Our brains are really good at focusing on potential threats. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is what our brains are supposed to do. They are not designed to make us happy. They are designed to protect us by looking for potential threats and creating hypothetical “what if” scenarios.

As a result, we often fail to maintain perspective and see the big picture. However, there is a cost if we become prisoners to the anxiety stemming from the spreading coronavirus. Living in fear will negatively affect the quality of our lives. We have to find a balance between taking the proper precautions to protect ourselves and living fulfilling lives.

Please take the proper precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones from the coronavirus. However, do not fall prisoner to the anxiety stemming from the virus. Use your coping skills wisely, limit media coverage and live your life to the fullest of your ability.

Finally, if your anxiety symptoms are interfering with your daily functioning or are experiencing difficulties with physical symptoms, please contact your local healthcare provider or mental health professional for further help.

For Therapy Services, you may Contact Dr. April Brown @ 239-565-6921 or visit www.fortmyerstherapist.com

 

Most Common Reasons for Seeking Help from a Therapist or Counselor

 

Contrary to the myth that only “crazy people” seek help from a therapist, many individuals and families have discovered the value of working with a mental health professional for various personal and social issues that are causing them severe distress. The following is a list of some of the most common reasons individuals seek help from a therapist or Counselor:

1. Major life events such as an impending divorce or break-up, a financial crisis, serious health issues or accident, dealing with a mid-life crisis, or aging concerns. Utilizing the services of a skilled impartial and nonjudgmental professional can sometimes help individuals or couples find new ways of communicating and resolving the difficulties that they had not previously considered. Understanding that as we get older, it is important to find new ways to find meaning in our lives, whether that means reinventing ourselves with a new career, volunteering, developing a new interest, and meeting new people that are positive and nurturing.

2. Depression: If you find yourself struggling to get out of bed and feel that your life has no meaning, or that the things that used to bring you joy now seem insignificant, it may be time to seek help.

3. Anxiety-related disorders: Feeling nervous or panicky in social situations such as public speaking, fears or phobias such as fear of flying, PTSD from traumatic experiences, and numerous other activities that create extreme stress often improve when an individual receives treatment from a qualified professional.

4. Anger Management: Today we face more demands on our time from work and family, with constant stimulation from technology. Many individuals feel unable to cope with the stress of everyday life and find themselves exploding in anger, often with the people they love the most. Learning healthier ways to communicate and cope with anger can be beneficial to not only the individual seeking help but to their friends and family as well.

5. Parenting concerns: “Failure to launch” young adults; bullying or other problems at school; children who become anti-social and spend excessive periods of time playing video games, watching on-line porn, texting, tweeting or otherwise alienating themselves from their family and friends all are frequent reasons that mental health professionals see frustrated parents in their offices.

6. Addictions: Whether the problem is a common as a desire to quit smoking or as serious as a gambling, alcohol or drug addiction, this category is a very troubling issue that if left untreated can lead to broken marriages, job loss and serious health risk.

7. Grief and Loss: The loss of a spouse, child or other family members, or even a close friend can cause extreme distress and, if not resolved, can lead to Depression. Finding a support group can be helpful as is finding an empathetic therapist who can provide well-thought-out suggestions for honoring the loss of a loved one and methods for coping.

8. Lack of self-esteem: Poor self-image and lack of assertiveness can cause an individual to become socially isolated, leading to difficulties in creating healthy relationships and being left behind in the workplace. Learning how to become more confident and assertive without becoming aggressive can be extremely helpful to young and old alike.

If you are struggling with any of these issues above, or just need someone to talk to, do not hesitate to reach out to one of our Therapists here at Cape Coral Therapist. https://fortmyerstherapist.com/ and click on the counselor’s tab.

How The Love Of Music Improves Your Mental Health?

 

It has been generally accepted that both listening to and creating music can have various positive effects on mood and mental health. Incorporating music into your everyday life can help to:

  • elevate your mood and motivation
  • aid relaxation
  • increase the efficiency of your brain processing.

Ways to use music for mental health

So, we have learned that music is more than just a form of entertainment and that there are lots of links between music and mental health. But how exactly can you use it in your day-to-day life? Check out some of the ways here:

  • Focus. Classical music is a winner at helping you focus. Music that has a tempo of 60 bpm (beats per minute) increases the efficiency of the brain in processing information. The best way to use it is to have it playing softly in the background as you get on with your tasks.
  • Expression. The next time you’re finding it hard to talk about or express your emotions, try turning to music for help. Creating your own music whether simply strumming a guitar or composing lyrics to a song can help you express and process your emotions. It’s more about how it makes you feel, than how it sounds. Remember that no one ever has to hear your music if you don’t want them to.
  • Social connection. Music can stop you from feeling lonely or isolated. Whether it’s sharing playlists with your friends or meeting new, like-minded people at your favorite band’s next gig, music connects people.
  • Creativity. Did you know that listening to or making music allows your brain to think creatively? So, whether it’s a creative project you need to complete or some new ways to improve your mood, try some different types of music and see what works best for you.
  • Relaxation. Okay, so this isn’t a huge scientific breakthrough, but it’s worth repeating: music helps you to relax. If you choose the right kind of music, change into some comfy clothes and put your feet up, it’s a safe bet that you’ll feel relaxed in no time.
  • Motivation. You need to vacuum the house/study/get some exercise, but you just can’t get off the couch? Use your favorite music as a motivational force. Crank up the volume on a killer tune and chances are you’ll find it that much easier to get started.

If you would like to reach out to someone, to help you work through mental health challenges please contact, info@draprilbrown.com or call (239) 565-6921