The 3-3-3 rule for anxiety is a technique that uses emotional grounding to reduce anxiety. The technique gets you to focus on the present, shifting your focus away from your worry. Negative thoughts tend to stem from the future or the past, so by focusing on the here and now, you can reduce your negative thoughts and gain some clarity. The 3-3-3 rule is a short exercise that you can use on a daily basis or during moments of high stress or anxiety.
Filling up your positivity gas tank is a term that can be used to help convey a similar idea as when one fills up their actual gas tank in their car. When you know you will need to drive your vehicle, and it needs to get you places reliably, and the gas tank is running low, you ensure that you stop and fill up the tank so that your car may perform as you need it to when you need it to. This metaphor is fitting for how our tolerance works in our daily life. Many people who suffer from common mental health challenges struggle with a thought distortion referred to as “filtering out the positive .”
Summer is quickly approaching which can bring up mixed emotions for students. There is the excitement for warm weather, field trips, prom, and the end of the school year. But this also means the stress of final exams, end-of-the-year projects, and the anticipation of finding out grades and GPA for the year. Sometimes, the stress can be unmanageable, and overwhelming, and make it difficult to even feel excited about the good times that come with the end of the year. As a parent, it is important to be mindful of the stress that your child may be experiencing during this time of year in providing support and not placing excessive pressure on academic performance.
After a stressful day it can be difficult to turn off our negative thoughts and feelings. It can be easy to bring stress home after a long day at work, an argument with a friend, or whatever it may be that brought you down. It is important to take care of yourself after a stressful day by checking in with yourself and allowing a mental reset. Taking a mental reset can help in better managing your stress and not allowing it to continue the remainder of the day into the next. The following are ten tips and strategies you can use to help unwind after a stressful day:
Imagine this, you have to do some form of public speaking, or you are driving and the car in front of you stops short, or you are out for a walk and a strange animal jumps out in front of you. What would you do? Flight or fight are the body’s natural way to response to stressful, scary, or dangerous situations. After extensive data collection, researchers now acknowledge that there are other automatic responses in addition to flight or fight and they are freeze and fawn.
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is based on a dialectical module which helps one to find the middle path or gray thinking with cognition and behaviors. When you think in a "all or nothing" way, you take on unnecessary stress and tension in life. DBT helps you think in terms of "all or at least something".
Being mindful is about remaining in the present moment and being aware of your current surroundings, thoughts, emotions and feelings. It is a practice often used in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy but also across different types of therapies. Read on for ways that mindfulness can support your overall wellbeing, particularly when it comes to managing stress.
Parenting kids of any age is one of the most emotionally challenging things most people go through. It is filled with daily struggles to motivate yourself and motivating your kid(s), sometimes even motivating your spouse as well. Trying to get your kids to go to sleep on time, wake up on time, get ready for school, eat their vegetables, get dressed, get bathed, do their homework, catch the bus, put down the cell phone, and another thing, and another thing without conclusion. While being a parent has its built-in rewards like cuddle time, hearing your kids laugh, and the occasional unsolicited “I love you mommy” or “I love you daddy”, the day-to-day can be very emotionally, mentally, and physically exhaustive. It is at this point where a lot of parents fall into a trap and build a series of assumptions that decrease their effectiveness as parents. While there are plenty of ways to reframe your thoughts and build more effective assumptions, these are three worthwhile assumptions that have been born out of my experience in the field of family therapy.
Autumn typically makes us think of many things: pumpkins, fall foliage, apple-picking, hayrides, and colder temperatures. While there are many themes that come up when fall comes to mind, mental health is typically not one of them. However, as we enter a new season, there are a lot of lessons the seasonal change can provide, with regard to overall wellness. Here are a few lessons from the transition of fall that can support overall wellbeing.
Losses of loved ones, losses of jobs, relationships ending, lack of being able to see our loved ones, and more, all have a significant impact on us. When experiencing a loss of any kind it’s normal to experience a variety of emotions including guilt, anger, fear, and shock. There are coping strategies to care for yourself as you process loss and feelings of grief, in addition to seeking support from friends, family, and maybe even a therapist. Seeking some strategies to assist in coping with the process of grief as we transition to a new period, here are a few:
As we grow, our families hope that we remain healthy, feel satisfied with our careers, have satisfying friendships and romantic relationships, and feel positive overall about our lives. Are there factors that might impact the transition from adolescence to adulthood, ensuring we feel positive about these life transitions? Absolutely.
Research suggests that a teen’s affect, particularly positive affect, is a critical factor impacting positive outlook. So what is affect? It’s the tendency to express positive or negative emotions, which in turn influences how we experience things and determine whether to judge a given situation as positive or negative.
COVID-19 has brought us a year of anxious uncertainty. Sheltering in place, working remotely, or facing daily hazards as essential workers, we’ve been unable to see our extended families, meet a friend for coffee, or even go to the gym, a sports game, concert, or movie. Some of us have lost loved ones, leaving a heartbreaking hole in our lives. All of us have lost touch with the normal rhythms of life. With no breaks in routine and fewer simple pleasures, the past few months have been an endless blur. Recent studies have shown that depression rates in America have tripled since the pandemic began (Berman, 2020).
While the holidays may bring up thoughts of spending time with friends, delicious food, and other festivities, for others the holidays can bring up feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. This year, these feelings may be stronger with many unable to see family and friends. If you’re experiencing stress during this holiday season, below are some coping strategies to manage increased levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness.
Often we may feel we have to brave through stress and worry, and that this is the only way to tackle the holiday: by grinning and bearing it. While this may seem like the best option in the short-term, when you add up the holidays each year and multiple by the many years you may manage holiday stress, this can seem overwhelming. The holidays are not a mental health sprint, but a marathon thus why not strategize on how to make the most of the holidays. Read below for some tips and tricks to manage stress during the holiday season.
