如何帮助父母减轻老年抑郁和焦虑 How to Help Older Parents Reduce Anxiety and Depression

Posted on March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 by junecao

如何帮助父母减轻老年抑郁和焦虑

随着父母步入老年，您是否注意到他们最近变得更加沉默寡言？经常紧张焦虑、担心害怕？对以前爱好做的事情也失去了兴趣？经常表现出烦躁不安？这些可能是老年抑郁或焦虑的迹象。了解这些症状并知道如何帮助父母，可以直接影响到父母的身体健康和心理健康。

了解老年抑郁和焦虑

深入了解老年抑郁和焦虑的症状至关重要。我们有时可能会误解甚至忽视这些症状，以至于延误治疗，严重影响到老年父母的生活质量。

老年抑郁症状：
- 情绪变化：持续的悲伤、难过、绝望或无助感，这些情绪变化可能比较微妙，不如年轻人那样明显。老年人可能会更加沉默，不去表达自己的感受。有的会担心成为孩子的负担或让孩子嫌弃，所以干脆什么也不说，而子女就更难了解情况。
- 兴趣丧失：对以往享受的活动或爱好失去兴趣。有的甚至跟亲人、朋友和其他社交活动都很少来往，经常把自己一个人关在家里，或者整天躺在床上，原来的爱好也不再参与。
- 身体症状：食欲减少、体重减轻、经常感到疲劳、浑身无力、说话和动作变慢，甚至被误会成人变“懒”了。这些身体症状有时会被误认为是老龄化的正常部分，但其实很可能是老年抑郁的表现。
- 认知障碍：特别容易忘事、注意力很难集中，对事情难以做出决定，也害怕做决定。这些症状可能被误认为是自然出现的老年认知衰退，俗称的“老年痴呆”，但其实老年抑郁症经常有认知减退的问题。
- 睡眠问题：有的老年人出现失眠，躺下睡不着觉或晚上经常醒来后难以再入睡，有的则是过度睡眠，每天起不来床。睡眠模式的改变可能会加剧老年抑郁症状。
- 自我评价低：经常感觉自己“老了，没用了”，有负罪感，觉得自己拖累孩子。更严重的，一些老人会觉得自己活着没有意义，不如做个了断，甚至出现老年人自杀的情况。
老年焦虑症状：
- 持续担忧和紧张：老年人可能会对日常生活的小事感到过度担忧，这种担忧感通常是持续的，不易消退。比如，“万一这样可怎么办？”类似的焦虑想法不断在脑子里过电影一般挥之不去。他们可能会因为健康、财务或家庭问题而感到焦虑，即使这些问题看起来对外人来说并不严重。这种持续的紧张感可能导致他们难以放松，总是感觉有未完成的事情挂心上。
- 回避社交：与抑郁症中的兴趣丧失相似，焦虑的老年人可能会避免参与社交活动，害怕与人交往可能带来的压力或不确定性。他们可能会拒绝参加家庭聚会，或者避免与朋友见面，因为这些活动可能引发或加剧他们的焦虑感。
- 身体症状：焦虑不仅影响心理状态，也会引起身体症状，如心悸、头晕、肌肉紧张、消化不良或胃痛。有的出现惊恐发作，类似于心脏病发作的症状，而被老年人归咎于身体健康问题，却没有意识到它们实际上是老年焦虑症的体现。
- 睡眠障碍：与老年抑郁中的睡眠问题类似，焦虑也会导致睡眠障碍。老年人可能难以入睡，或在夜间醒来后难以再次入睡。他们可能会因为即将到来的活动或未解决的问题而在夜间翻来覆去，无法安心睡眠。
- 集中注意力困难：持续的焦虑可能干扰老年人的注意力和记忆力，使他们难以集中精力完成任务或跟随对话。这种注意力分散可能被误解为认知衰退的正常迹象，而实际上是焦虑的结果。事实上，老年人焦虑发作的时候，经常无法清楚的思考任何问题。
- 过度担忧健康状况：老年焦虑患者可能会对自己的健康状况感到过度担忧，对普通的身体变化或小病小痛反应过度，担心这些可能是严重疾病的前兆。这种对健康的过度关注，往往会使老年人频繁不断的找医生做各种检查，甚至也不相信医生的诊断和建议，似乎必须要给自己找出点身体疾病才能罢休，但又容易进入下一个焦虑的死循环。

帮助父母减轻老年抑郁和焦虑

一、增进与父母的沟通

沟通在帮助缓解父母的老年抑郁和焦虑中扮演着关键角色。以下是一些具体的策略，可以帮助您更有效地与父母沟通，从而减轻他们的心理负担。

建立日常沟通的习惯：定期与父母交谈，不仅仅在您察觉到他们有问题时。这种日常的交流可以帮助您更好地了解他们的感受和需求，同时也让他们感到被关心和支持。
鼓励表达感受：鼓励父母表达他们的担忧和感受，即使这些感受可能对您来说难以理解或接受。确保他们知道您愿意倾听，而不是立刻提供解决方案或评判。
使用开放式问题：使用开放式问题鼓励父母分享更多信息，例如问“您今天感觉如何？”而不是“您今天感觉好吗？”这样的问题可以让对话更加深入，让父母有机会分享他们的真实感受。
倾听并确认感受：在父母分享时，给予他们您的全神贯注。通过点头、眼神接触或重复他们的话来表明您在倾听。确认他们的感受，让他们知道他们的感受是合理的，您理解他们。
避免批评或轻视：避免批评或轻视他们的感受，即使您不同意。批评或轻视可能会让他们在未来不愿意分享感受，加剧他们的孤独感或焦虑。
提供信息和支持：在了解他们的感受后，您可以提供相关信息和支持。这可能包括提供关于老年抑郁和焦虑的资料，或者一起探索可用的支持资源，如心理咨询或社区活动。
共同寻找解决方案：与父母一起探讨可能帮助他们感觉更好的活动或策略。这可能包括参与社交活动、开始新的爱好或定期进行身体锻炼。确保这些活动是他们感兴趣的，以增加他们参与的可能性。

二、给父母提供实际的支持和帮助

在理解了老年抑郁和焦虑的症状，并通过有效沟通了解父母的具体感受后，下一步是提供实际的支持和帮助，帮助他们缓解这些症状。以下是一些具体的策略：

社交互动：鼓励父母与家人、朋友和社区成员保持联系。社交互动可以提供情感支持，减少孤独和隔离感，对抗抑郁和焦虑。
培养新的兴趣或爱好：帮助父母发现新的兴趣或爱好，这可以为他们的生活带来新的意义和乐趣。无论是学习一门新技能、加入兴趣小组，还是开始一个新项目，新的活动可以提供积极的心理刺激。
改善生活环境：确保父母的居住环境舒适、安全，有助于提高他们的生活质量。小的改变，如增加自然光照、保持室内整洁，甚至室内植物都可以对心情产生积极影响。

三、促进老年人健康的生活方式

鼓励健康饮食：健康的饮食对心理健康至关重要。鼓励父母摄入均衡的营养，包括新鲜水果、蔬菜、全谷物和适量的蛋白质。避免过多摄入糖和加工食品，这些可能会影响情绪和能量水平。
确保充足的休息和睡眠：良好的睡眠对于维持心理健康至关重要。帮助父母建立稳定的睡眠习惯，如每晚同一时间上床睡觉和起床，确保睡眠环境安静、舒适。
参与日常活动：鼓励父母参与日常活动，如散步、园艺或其他轻松的体育活动。这些活动不仅有助于改善身体健康，还能提高心情，减少孤独感。

四、寻求心理咨询专业帮助

当家庭支持和个人干预措施不足以帮助父母克服老年抑郁和焦虑时，寻求心理咨询专业帮助变得至关重要。专业的心理健康服务可以为父母提供专业的评估、治疗计划和持续的支持，帮助他们更有效地管理他们的症状。

了解专业服务的重要性：心理健康专业人员可以通过一系列的评估工具来识别抑郁和焦虑的具体症状，制定个性化的治疗计划，这可能包括认知行为疗法、心理治疗、支持性咨询或药物治疗。
选择合适的心理健康专家：寻找具有老年心理健康专长的心理学家、精神科医生或咨询师。确保这些专业人员了解老年人的特定需求，并且在处理老年抑郁和焦虑方面有经验。
参与治疗过程：家庭成员可以在治疗过程中发挥支持作用，例如陪同父母前往咨询，或在家中帮助他们实践治疗中学到的策略。
持续的评估和调整：心理健康治疗是一个持续的过程，可能需要根据父母的反应和进展进行调整。保持与治疗提供者的沟通，确保治疗计划满足他们的变化需求。

Dr. June的咨询师团队专业治疗老年抑郁和焦虑

中文心理治疗老年抑郁症在寻求心理咨询专业帮助时，Dr. June和Mind Connections的心理咨询师团队，对老年抑郁和焦虑提供专业治疗服务。我们的团队不仅具备丰富的心理健康知识，还对老年人群体的独特需求有深入的理解。

专业团队：Mind Connections的专业团队由经验丰富的心理学家和心理咨询师组成，我们在老年心理健康领域具有专业的训练和实践经验。
文化敏感性：我们认识到文化背景对老年人心理健康的影响，特别是在华人社区中，很多老年人还把心理咨询和心理治疗当作一件羞耻的事情对待。我们的专业咨询师团队有这方面的经验和专长，帮助老年人更好的接受心理辅导。
中文心理咨询：我们的服务不仅考虑到文化因素，还提供中文普通话和粤语心理咨询服务，确保沟通无障碍。所有的咨询师都精通汉语普通话和英语，可以兼顾老年父母和子女的语言需求。
综合治疗方法：Mind Connections的中文心理咨询师采用多种治疗方法，包括但不限于认知行为疗法、人际疗法和家庭疗法，以满足不同老年客户的需求。
持续支持和关怀：我们提供持续的支持和关怀，确保老年客户在整个治疗过程中感到被理解、尊重和支持。

选择Dr. June 和Mind Connections中文心理咨询师团队，意味着选择一个致力于提高老年人生活质量的专业团队，我们深信通过专业的支持和适当的干预，您的父母可以有效地管理他们的抑郁和焦虑，享受更加充实和快乐的晚年生活。

Strategies to Cope with Social Anxiety at Work

Posted on June 1, 2023June 15, 2023 by Victoria

Having social anxiety at work? Living with social anxiety can cause additional stress in your daily life. You may feel apprehensive about being around other people in public places and worry about how they perceive you. Individuals with social anxiety often find it difficult to attend school or work because they are frequently surrounded by others. Large group settings, like classrooms or offices, can intensify the social anxiety experience.

If you are struggling with social anxiety at work, please know you are not alone. Mind Connections wants you to know that you can take control of your anxiety and find healthy coping mechanisms. Keep reading to learn more about managing anxiety and thriving in the workplace.

What is Social Phobia or Social Anxiety at Work?

If you identify with the questions below, you may be dealing with signs of social anxiety disorder (SAD) or social phobia.

Encounter high levels of stress in your daily life that you may be judged or humiliated
Participating in class, maintaining casual conversation with strangers, or even entering a crowded place make you feel very anxious
Experience not only an emotional reaction to this fear but a physical one as well, such as blushing, trembling, etc.
Fear and anxiety lead to avoidance that can disrupt your life
After a social interaction, spend significant amount of time analyzing your performance and ruminating about your flaws

When someone has social anxiety it can make each day a struggle. Social anxiety makes people fear that others may scrutinize them or make a fool of themselves. In turn, this constant worry leads to dread and even avoidance of social interaction.

How Does Social Anxiety Affect Me in the Workplace?

Social anxiety causes individuals to fear being the center of attention or being perceived and judged by others. Apparently this could lead to self-isolation and avoidance of large group settings. However, many professions require interacting with people regularly, which can be challenging for those with social anxiety. For instance, if you aspire to be a doctor or work in a helping profession, you will likely interact with people throughout the day.

Don’t let social anxiety determine what you can do with your life. If you have always wanted to be, for example, a doctor, do not let your social anxiety prevent you from pursuing your dreams. You deserve to fulfill your aspirations while managing your stress.

If you experience social anxiety at work, you may constantly feel nervous about how you are perceived and judged by your colleagues and supervisor. That is, you may worry about being mocked, criticized, or doubted about your job performance. Additionally, you may struggle to interact with customers or patients due to these fears.

Common Thoughts of Work-Related Social Anxiety

“Everyone is judging me right now they must think I’m doing a horrible job”
“My boss hates me and he’s going to fire me because he noticed that mistake I made 3 weeks ago”
“My coworker seems upset with me- I am anxious! What did I do?”
“I have to make a phone call to a customer I’m very nervous I wish I could just be home by myself”
“My job evaluation is coming up and I don’t want to meet my boss. I am very fearful of what they will say and how they are judging my performance”
“What if someone doesn’t like the work I did and leaves a mean review about me online? How will I defend myself? Will everyone hate me?

How to Deal With Social Anxiety At Work?

1. Practice Relaxation Techniques

If you’re experiencing anxiety, it can be helpful to practice relaxation techniques. For instance, deep breathing exercises can calm your nervous system. Specifically, it entails taking slow, deep breaths and exhaling slowly. Another relaxation exercise is progressive muscle relaxation. You simply tense and relax different muscle groups in your body, promotes physical and mental relaxation. Visualization techniques can also help alleviate anxiety. It is fairly simple to practice as well. Just close your eyes and imagine yourself in a calm and confident state. By doing so, you can help you to stay calm.

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts

Social anxiety often stems from negative thoughts or self-doubt. By challenging negative thoughts, you can develop more realistic and balanced perspectives, reducing social anxiety at work. A typical example is social anxiety during job interviews. How to challenge these thoughts? Here are some strategies:

A). Identify the negative thoughts:

First of all, pay attention to the thoughts that arise before and during job interviews. That is, notice any self-doubt, self-criticism, or negative predictions about the outcome of the job interview. Some negative thoughts could include “They can see how nervous I am”; “I’ll say something stupid”; “They think I’m incompetent”; or “I won’t get the job”.

B). Question the evidence:

Second, ask yourself if there is concrete evidence supporting your negative thoughts. Often, social anxiety leads to distorted thinking. Are your negative assumptions valid? For instance, about the negative thought “I’ll say something stupid”, what’s your track record of saying anything stupid in the past? If you never had such an experience, what is the likelihood you would do it this time?

C). Consider alternative explanations:

After questioning the evidence, you may generate alternative explanations or interpretations for the situation. Literally ask yourself, “Is there another perspective that is more balanced or realistic?” Challenge the automatic negative interpretations with more positive or neutral ones. For example, anxiety might impact your confidence temporarily during the interview, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you will say something foolish.

D). Evaluate the impact of the thoughts:

Next step is to assess the impact of your negative thoughts. Are they helping you perform better or hindering your performance? Recognize that negative thoughts are not necessarily accurate or helpful.

E). Gather supportive evidence:

Last but not least, recall past successes or positive experiences in similar situations. Remind yourself of your skills, qualifications, and strengths. Focus on the evidence that contradicts your negative thoughts. Recall moments when you have spoken confidently and articulately in professional or social settings. Remind yourself of positive feedback or successful interactions you’ve had in the past.

3. Gradual Exposure

Overcoming social anxiety at work can be achieved through a strategy called gradual exposure. This involves facing situations that make you anxious in a gradual manner, starting with less challenging scenarios and progressively moving on to more difficult ones. To some extent, this is like building a fear ladder for you to gradually climb till you feel comfortable with all challenging situations.

For example, if you have social anxiety in team meetings, you can begin by having small conversations with colleagues you are familiar with and then gradually work up to more complex interactions. Before you know it, this gradual approach helps you become less sensitive to social situations and increases your confidence over time.

4. Seek Support

As a matter of fact, it can be very beneficial to seek help from people you trust, like colleagues, pals, or mental health experts, when dealing with social anxiety. They can offer empathy, motivation, and advice on coping methods that work best for you. It’s reassuring to have someone to confide in and rely on during challenging moments, which can significantly improve your mental and emotional health.

5. Prioritize Self-Care

Obviously, overcoming social anxiety in the office requires taking care of your physical and mental health. To achieve this, prioritize getting enough rest, engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and participating in activities that bring you happiness outside of work. By practicing self-care, you can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve your resilience in dealing with social anxiety.

6. Treatment for Social Anxiety or Phobia

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Social Anxiety

As we all know, individuals with social phobia often exaggerate the potential adverse outcomes of events and expect the worst. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a helpful approach to help them view the world in a less intimidating way and positively manage anxiety. CBT enables clients to restructure their beliefs to be more realistic, making social interactions less overwhelming and more manageable for individuals with social anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based therapy

Managing social anxiety disorder can be done through mindfulness meditation. This involves being aware of your thoughts and emotions without reacting or judging them. Guided meditation can help you stay in the present moment and reduce over-analysis. Additionally, a grounding exercise can be effective in managing anxiety quickly. If you experience fears in social situations, you can redirect your attention to focus on your senses, which is an effective

Exposure in Behavior therapy to Treat Social Anxiety at Work

As. mentioned before; exposure therapy is a behavior therapy technique that effectively treats fear and anxiety, including social anxiety. It uses habituation to reduce fear by gradually exposing people to their fears in social settings using a Fear Ladder.

Call now to learn more about how therapy can help you learn how to deal with social anxiety at work!

Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao

How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy

Posted on February 19, 2023June 15, 2023 by Victoria

How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy

During times of economic uncertainty, such as the current recession, it is hard not to feel stressed, anxious, and even depressed. In particular, more companies have layoffs, recent launching of ChatGPT may cause more job loss. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize your mental health. How can you manage your stress levels when a job loss is a possibility? What methods can you employ to lessen your anxiety and future worry? And how can you put emotional health and self-care first in the middle of a turbulent economy? In this post, we’ll look at how to prioritize your mental health amid tough economic circumstances and find the answers to these concerns.

Why You Don’t Prioritize your Mental Health

There are many reasons why you may not prioritize your mental health. Here are some possible reasons:

Stigma about Mental Health

There, unfortunately, is a lot of stigma about mental health still in this world. As mentioned in a previous article, mental health stigma can be very dangerous. The more stigma there is, the more you don’t feel comfortable discussing your mental health. You may not even discuss, let alone prioritizing your mental health.

For example, there are many stigmas surrounding depression. Many people think of depressed people as lazy people who can’t get over things or get their life together. They don’t see how people who are dealing with depression are really struggling in life. Their depression can make them feel more lethargic, unmotivated, and sad about life; this can make it extremely hard for people to put themselves out there and achieve what others expect of them. The stigma can lead to someone struggling a lot and lacking support in their lives.

Taking Care of Others

You may not prioritize your mental health simply because you are too busy caring for others. For example, many parents or caregivers might put their mental health on the back burner because they have to take care of their kids or loved ones.

Work is Your Priority

You may feel like you are too busy to sit down and prioritize your mental health. As a matter of fact, you may have a very demanding job and find it hard to take time off to care for your mental health. Or, you may be a student, actually it can also feel like a full-time job. Students are so busy studying and trying to do well on exams that addressing their mental health diminishes their study time.

Lack of Self-Worth or Value

If you happen to have low self-esteem, you may not feel the need to prioritize your mental health. If you don’t value yourself or your worth, you may find it hard to take your needs seriously. You may be really struggling with your anxiety or depression, but you can’t find it in yourself to fix these things. This lack of self-worth can stem from your mental issues, and addressing them may help you feel better and find more worth in yourself.

How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy

1. Acknowledge Your Emotions in Times of Uncertainty

In uncertain times, it’s normal to feel concerned, apprehensive, or worried; it’s vital to recognize and validate these sentiments. Spend some time checking in with yourself to see what feelings you are going through. Then, think about coping mechanisms you may employ, such as speaking with someone you trust.

You may be concerned that your emotions make you weak or fragile. This idea, however, is untrue! Showing your emotions and having the courage to be vulnerable is a powerful and brave thing to do. We all have emotions. Embracing your feelings helps you deal with them, especially the difficult ones. It only makes things worse when you push them aside and pretend they aren’t happening or suppress or voice your emotions. Embracing your feelings allows you to face things that scare you.

Journaling to Express your Emotions

As we all know, Journaling is a great way to express and explore your thoughts and feelings. One benefit is that journaling helps you to discover yourself. When you write out your thoughts and visualize them in front of you, it helps you dig deeper into yourself and learn new things about yourself. Here are some helpful journal prompts:

How am I feeling today?
When do you feel the happiest?
What is something you do to make other people happy, but it makes you miserable?
Name three things you love about yourself

Creative writing helps people feel more self-aware and confident. It also is just a really fun activity to take part in. You can be as imaginative and innovative as you’d like. Of course, it is a wonderful way to prioritize your mental health.

2. Prioritize Your Mental Health by Enhancing Self-Care

Self-care is critical at all times, but uncertain times can make it much more so. Ensure that you are attending to your basic needs, such as getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising. To aid in reducing stress and fostering wellbeing, think about adopting additional self-care techniques like yoga, meditation, or going outside. Indeed, various hobbies help you to improve your mental health!

3. Lean on your support systems

In particular during times of stress and uncertainty, social support is essential for maintaining mental health. Social support helps people feel supported in tough times. Go to a loved one to vent to and receive support from. We feel seen and heard when we connect with people who share similar experiences as us. Try talking with a friend who understands what you are going through.

As we all know, social support is critical for people to have. It promotes feelings of safety and comfort in those who need it most. When you need help and support, it’s okay to ask for it! You don’t have to do this alone and deserve to have time for yourself to recharge and take care of your mental health. If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, think about joining a support group or speaking with a mental health expert.

4. Develop Mindfulness

You may be present and focused in the present by practicing mindfulness, which can be very useful when faced with uncertainty. Think about include mindfulness exercises like deep breathing exercises, meditation, or visualization techniques in your everyday routine. These techniques can aid in calming the mind and reducing anxiety.

5. Establish a Work-Life Balance

If you are someone who works a lot, you are probably familiar with a work/daily schedule. Here is an idea…try implementing or scheduling in time to relax and take breaks. Stick to this scheduled time and don’t deviate from it- you deserve to get time off of work to relax and do things you enjoy. Watch an episode of your favorite show every night, listen to music you enjoy on your way to work, or plan a dinner that makes you excited to go home and eat it!

If you need, have a mental health day! A mental health day is a day where you dedicate yourself to caring for your well-being. This day allows you to recuperate and get back in touch with practices that improve your mental health.

Taking care of your mental health is vital to living a healthy and happy life. Work and school take up much of our time and can drain us completely. Burnout is real! Researchers share that burnt-out people face intense exhaustion, aversion to their job, and meaninglessness in their work.

6. Find Certainty in the Time of Uncertainty

Focus on What You Can Control

Even while there may be many factors outside your control in uncertain times, there are still certain things you may influence. Pay attention to these things, like your own thoughts and deeds, your daily schedule, and your interactions with other people. You can give your life a sense of security and certainty by concentrating on the things you can control.

Have Structure and Routine

It can be beneficial to establish structure and routine in your life during uncertain times. This can give you a sense of stability and greater control. Create a schedule for yourself that includes regular times for work or school, self-care, and time with family.

Limit your Exposure to Media

In times of uncertainty, it’s critical to keep informed, but too much exposure to the news and media coverage can be debilitating. For example, too much exposure to media about how ChatGPT could take over jobs could heighten feelings of apprehension and doubt. To lessen tension and anxiety, it is essential to stay informed through trustworthy sources while limiting your time spent on news and social media.

Plan for the Future

Even while making plans for the future might be challenging in uncertain times, having a feeling of direction and purpose can be beneficial. Think about making a plan to reach your personal and professional objectives and setting them for yourself. This is another good way to prioritize your mental healthy, that is, it ultimately provides you a sense of structure and stability, as well as more control.

7. Try Therapy to Prioritize Your Mental Health

If you notice that you’ve been continuously struggling in life, you should consider going to therapy. Therapy can help you find tools to build self-esteem, manage stress better and deal with any feelings of sadness or depression.

My team at Mind Connections wants to support you to prioritize your mental health in the trying time! We provide coaching that helps people healthily achieve success and goals in the new year. You deserve to live a happier and healthier life. Call us now to learn more!

Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao

如何应对裁员焦虑

Posted on November 21, 2022March 6, 2023 by junecao

科技大厂裁员的消息不断传来，很多人出现裁员焦虑，担心害怕自己失去工作。特别一些人是家里唯一的顶梁柱，有些仍然是H1B工作签证，还有留学生刚找到实习或工作，还处在OPT期间。所以压力特别大，甚至出现焦虑、失眠、抑郁、不断emo。这里总结几个减轻焦虑的小方法，希望能帮到你。

1. 分清你能控制和无法控制的事情。

. 对于你无法控制的事情，接受现实。
经济不景气的时候，裁员几乎是必然。你对公司和市场大环境没有控制。
裁员裁的都是职位，不是个人。所以裁员通常跟你个人的业绩没有关系。

所以接受这些事实，心态可以更平和。

. 对你能控制的事情，积极采取行动、做出改变。
～搞清楚状况，与主管、同事保持畅通的联络和沟通。希望这样能比较早的得到消息。
～提升在自己组里的重要性。争取跟主管有更多的1-on-1，加深老板对你工作重要性的认识。
～保持跟过去的老板、同事、同学、校友联系，积极寻找内推机会，或者寻找合适的recruiter推荐。
～每天花时间修改、投简历、更新LinkedIn资料。
～寻找合适的freelance机会，或者学习新的技能，甚至回学校充电
～照顾好自己，饮食、睡眠、运动、健康，留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。
～跟家人、朋友分享，他们的关爱能给你提供情感上的支持和帮助。

做好这些，即使工作没有危险，至少你知道可以随时采取行动，也会感觉更放松。

2. 你的确定性是什么？

因为有很多不确定性，我们才会感到焦虑。但我们往往容易关注不确定性，而忽略了我们还有很多确定性。这些确定性是指什么呢？是你自身的光环啊。用来减轻焦虑、增强信心。具体来看，你可以写下你的各种清单，经常提醒自己你的真正力量来自哪里。

. 个人成绩清单List of your achievements
. 个人素质清单List of your personal qualities
. 能力清单List of your skills
. 资源清单List of resources

3. 强调你的心理韧性resilience

在适者生存的世界里，你肯定经历过大大小小的各种困难。回顾过去，看看你曾经克服过的各种逆境。比如你想进的学校没录取你；你喜欢的人拒绝了你，你曾有过最痛苦的失恋、分手；家里发生的变故；身体健康出现问题。无论这些失望、伤害或困难是什么，你是怎么从逆境中崛起的？你的心理韧性怎么让你重新适应了环境？过去你有能力应对困难，今天相信你同样能够度过难关。也许你的mental toughness不仅使你走出低谷，这个力量甚至帮助你打开了一扇新的机会之门。

4. 最坏的情况下，我可以怎么做?

我们如果想到坏的情况，就无助的停在那儿，肯定会特别焦虑。而当你问自己，最坏的情况性我能做什么？人类的生存本能会帮助你找到行动的计划和答案。比如，最差就是真的被裁了或暂时找不到工作，你会做什么?具体计划和步骤有什么？怎么处理财务、医疗保健和找新工作？如果身份是个问题，有什么缓冲的办法？

5. 你生活中比工作更重要的事情

改变认知。工作诚然重要，但自我、家人永远更重要。Don’t marry your job. 在工作之外的兴趣和爱好中找到满足感。无论是游泳、爬山、跑步、打球、瑜伽、冥想，提醒你自己，生活远比工作重要，这样可以消除一些自我施加的压力。

如果你发现自己的压力过大，已经影响到了身体和心理健康，需要找咨询师得到专业帮助，那么我们心念心理的咨询师团队可以更好地帮助你改变认知、提高行动力，调整情绪，进而更好的适应变化，提升自我。请致电联系我们，获得15分钟免费服务，或预约心理咨询时间，帮助你走出焦虑和抑郁的困境。

How to Cope with a Bad Day at Work

Posted on August 16, 2022March 6, 2023 by Victoria

Ever wonder how to reduce work stress? How to deal with burnout at work? or how to get over a bad day at work? If you go to work every day, you know the stress it can bring. Some days you feel motivated and excited to be on the job. On these days, your work gets recognized, you’re laughing with your favorite coworker, you have a tasty lunch, or you get to leave early. However, good days can feel far away sometimes at work. There will be days when work feels draining, and you reluctantly push yourself to get through. How to cope with these problems? This article will improve understanding and discuss tips of healthy coping.

What Could Cause Stress and a Bad Day at Work?

1. Issues with Coworkers

Depending on where you work, you may love or hate your coworkers. There are some places where coworkers become your best friend or even begin to feel like your second family. That is, these people make you feel supported, help you with tasks that need assistance, and create an overall welcoming environment.

It is definitely great to have coworkers like this! Unfortunately, some people do not have this same luxury. Sometimes people have horrible relationships with the people they work with or for. In other words, some coworkers will treat you with hostility and make you feel like you are a bother for asking questions or needing assistance. Other times, there is nothing overtly wrong with the relationship between you and your coworkers, but you all just don’t click. As a result, you may feel like you have no friends at work, lonely, and that your days are full of meaningless small talk and awkwardness.

2. Troubles with Your Boss

Theoretically speaking, a boss should be the person in the office, ensuring a happy and welcoming atmosphere is maintained. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case; they might be at the head of your toxic work environment. Gallup’s Guide shows that one of the top reasons for an employee to leave the job is poor management and leadership.

In fact, some bosses can be quite toxic to deal with. They may micromanage you; you constantly feel like you are being watched under a lens by someone waiting to scold you for a mistake you made. Other times, bosses can make you feel like you don’t matter to them or the company. You’ll feel disposable and put up with their constant criticism or disappointment.

3. Difficult Customers, Clients, or Patients

Sometimes it’s not necessarily the place or people you work with; it could be the people you help or assist that make you feel terrible. Admittedly, some people treat workers horribly. People will be rude to servers, yell at customer service representatives, or just have overall negative attitudes that they spread to everyone they encounter that day. Even if you try your best to help someone, you may still receive rude behavior. Sure enough, this behavior makes you feel awful and ruins your day!

4. Mistakes Were Made

No matter how hard you try, mistakes are still inevitable. As a result, you may have a lousy work day because you learned you made a mistake. Without a doubt, mistakes can be embarrassing, especially if your other coworkers notice them. Your boss may be understanding and give you some helpful guidance, however other times they may get mad at you or call you into their office. Very often, this meeting can ruin your day!

5. All Work and No Play

We dedicate a lot of our lives to work. Obviously there will be times when you might miss your family or friends because work starts consuming your life. Do you remember the last time you had fun or went out? If you are a parent, you may get home late from work and miss eating dinner with your family or putting your kid to bed. Obviously this lack of time with your loved ones can make your day feel empty and frustrating.

Actually overwork is another major reason why employees quit their jobs. Constant overwork apparently leads to burnout and turnover. It could easily cause both physical and emotional exhaustion. That is, it does not only make a bad day, but a bad job.

Work Stress and Burnout Affects Mental Health

When too many bad days at work accumulate, they could easily turn to work stress and burnout. Work can become a huge source of stress in our lives. We can get stressed over many things in a professional setting. Typically these stressors can include:

Deadlines and work piling up
Career changes or thoughts of switching professions or jobs
To-do lists that feel like they will never get done
Lack of work-life balance
The stress if being overworked, underpaid, or more

Actually constant stress over work can be a sign you have anxiety. According to MedlinePlus, stress is “a feeling of emotional or physical tension.” The NIMH states that anxiety usually lives within someone and is chronic. Stress usually goes away after the agitating experience or events pass, whereas someone with anxiety feels symptoms constantly. Work can cause a lot of stress in someone’s daily life.

Also, many people, unfortunately, struggle so much that they face burnout. The MayoClinic defines job burnout as work-related stress that exhausts people physically and emotionally. Researchers suggest that people with burnout face intense exhaustion, aversion to their job, and meaninglessness in their work. Without a doubt, job burnout takes the enjoyment someone once had for their career and squashes it in its tracks.

How to Cope with Work Stress and a Bad Day at Work

We spend most of our days during the week at our job and invest so much time into it. Since we dedicate so much of our lives at work, obviously it is disappointing when we have bad experiences. It feels like we put so much effort in only to get negative results and stress. How to get over a bad day then? Below are some tips:

1. Acknowledge Your Emotions

It is crucial to allow yourself to feel your emotions. When work stresses you out, you may feel overall down and distressed. Please don’t ignore your emotions; instead, embrace them. Why? Because keeping feelings bottled up can cause adverse effects on your life. When you are sad, having a good cry can help to let out your emotions.

To produce more cathartic experiences, you can listen to sad songs, watch emotional movies, or try journaling. Journaling can help you explore how you feel and get to the root of where your emotions are stemming from.

2. Practice Self-Talk

Usually you are more aware of your emotions, rather than what triggered such emotions. For example, you could feel upset and stay frustrated for a long time. Why? Simply because you may have negative self-talk due to work stress. Such negative self-talk could color your thinking in may ways and consequently affect your emotions and behaviors. How to change negative self-talk to a rational one then?

Slow down and visualize a STOP sign in front of you. There are different ways to slow yourself down
- ~ Take deep breaths;
- ~ Tap your shoulders or laps to calm yourself down;
- ~ Walk to a different room or outside;
- ~ Wash your hands for extended time;
Ask yourself, “What’s going on?” “What when through my mind?”
Once you figured out those negative thoughts, ask yourself, “If this happens to my best friend, what would I say to them?” You probably would not say “I bet your boss hates you”, or “I can never do anything right because I am just stupid”.
Change to rational self-talk. Rational self-talk does not have to be positive, it can be neutral as long as it is not emotional. For instance, “I can never do anything right” may be changed to “I made a mistake this time. but this helps me to learn my lesson to improve next time.”

3. Practice Self-Care

When you have bad days, it is essential to practice self-care. For example, when you weren’t treated kindly, maybe by a rude customer or angry boss, you still need to ensure you are treating yourself kindly. In fact, self-care can fall under many categories; you must do what’s best for you.

Self-care options can include:

Engaging in activities that make you happy, like practicing your hobbies or interests
Doing things that help you relax and recharge
- Getting enough sleep, taking a nap, showering, doing skincare
Taking care of your body by feeding it with nurturing food or drinking enough water
Getting your body moving and active
Taking a social media to cleanse and logging off for the night

As a matter of fact, exercising after work can help you feel more relieved if you work remotely or at an office desk all day. Your body may be stiff, and getting it moving through exercise can help you release some of that tension.

4. Vent to Friends and Loved Ones

In tough times, you can benefit from the support of your loved ones around us. After a tough time at work, don’t be afraid to voice your concerns to a loved one. Truth be told, holding in your emotions all to yourself can feel more overwhelming. Instead, allow yourself to open up to others and speak about what you are going through.

Specifically, ask your friend if they can help you. Talk about your issues with them and be open to any advice they may offer you. When you can vent to more people you trust, it actually can help you to reduce stress significantly. The rationale behind it is called desensitization. By repeating your story, the intensity of your emotions can decrease and you could feel better.

5. Increase Self-Compassion

As mentioned before, making mistakes at work can feel embarrassing or upsetting. You may feel discouraged and unmotivated to keep trying. Don’t let your mistakes define you; we all make mistakes, and that’s okay! We are human after all.

Treat yourself with compassion and forgiveness. Remind yourself that mistakes happen, and they aren’t all bad. Indeed, mistakes help us grow, learn, and become better, wiser people. If we make a mistake at work, it can help us know better for next time.

6. Create Boundaries and Work-Life Balance

It can be intimidating to set boundaries at work, but they are essential. We all need a work-life balance. That is, it is not healthy to work all days of the week and never have time to relax, have fun, and see our loved ones. You can start with little steps each day. This can include:

Logging off from your computer or work platform at a set time each day
Decreasing your screen time
Not checking emails after a certain time or on the weekend
Saying “no” more often and not people-pleasing as much

7. Block out Environmental Stressors

As mentioned before, coworkers and supervisors could very well be the reason why you have a bad day at work. Maybe they are having a bad day themselves and spread the mood to you, or maybe their gossips, interactions, and relationships make the work environment more like a dysfunctional family. Whatever it is, you can choose to block out such environmental stressors. Specifically, you can

close your office door if possible;
go outside to get some fresh air;
take a break and leave your desk if you need to;
plug in your headphones, or
get “busy” with phone calls, projects, or anything that can help you to manage those stressors.

8. End the Day with a Clean Slate After a Bad Day at Work

As we all know, it is hard not to bring work stress back home and allow your mood to affect your family life. Since the pandemic started, more people work from home. As convenient as it is, this may easily blur the boundary between work and life. In other words, work may continue to affect at the end of the day because your office and living room or even bedroom are literally in the same place. How to end the day with a clean slate then? Here are a few tips:

Write down a list of tasks that you need to accomplish at work tomorrow. Leave it on your desk and wait till tomorrow to handle;
Make a conscious decision to leave work brain at work and not to bring work related issues back home;
Wash your hands before leaving work. Remind yourself to wash away everything frustrating at work down the sink and go home with a clean mind to your family;
Change your clothes after work. Tell yourself this changes to your family life;
Remind yourself that you work to live, not live to work.

9. Consider Therapy for Work Stress or Burnout

Therapy can help you with any work struggle/general life struggle you are facing! A therapist can give you the tools to handle work stress better, implement mindfulness techniques, and eliminate negative thoughts from your bad days.

If you notice that you feel more stress and it is lingering, you may have anxiety. If you find yourself experiencing endless stress every day, this is not healthy. Talking to a mental health professional can help how to cope with work stress. You will find ways to cope and deal with stressors in your life while still taking care of yourself and living a healthier life.

We offer support for all of the services mentioned above. You don’t have to face your worries alone – learn how to cope with work stress now! Call to set up a consultation today!

Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao

Tips for Young People to Overcome Burnout

Posted on April 4, 2022March 6, 2023 by junecao

Burnout effects are hitting young people extremely hard. We live in a society that promotes things like “hustle-culture” and the constant need to be productive. When taking a break or time for yourself, you start to worry about everything you are not doing and could be accomplishing. You look online and see all of your past classmates or new coworkers posting about all of their accomplishments. Social media is part of the stress that causes burnout. Research shows that social media can have a hand in promoting job burnout in people. It feels like you can never escape the pressures of working harder and harder – work-life balance seems unattainable at this point!

Do you relate to these ideas or worries? Are you a young person who wants to learn how to cope with and lessen burnout in your life? If so, keep reading!

What is Burnout and Burnout Effects?

The 5 Stages of Burnout

There are 5 known stages of burnout. According to and based on research, the stages are:

1. Honeymoon Phase

Have you ever entered a relationship with someone and felt like you were in a bit of a “love bubble?” People usually call this the honeymoon stage of a relationship – a time when you have excitement for the relationship and everything seems almost “perfect.” The same can happen in a new job.

When starting a new job, everything may seem good at first – the co-workers are friendly, the boss is pretty accommodating, and the work appears manageable. The more you stick around; your rose-colored glasses become more transparent. You may start noticing things you dislike about the job, work stacking up, or under-appreciation beginning to form. These things may have been there all along, but you didn’t due to all of your new excitement.

2. Stress Onset

The honeymoon phase feeling is disappearing in this stage and is now replaced with tons of stress. You start feeling more and more over-worked and unhappy. Due to the influx of work, you may not be sleeping. Lack of sleep starts affecting you at work by making you feel listless. It becomes hard to focus, and you may begin to forget things more and more. The burnout effects are slowly creeping in!

3. Chronic stress

In this stage, your stress starts consuming you more and more. You feel like things are getting harder to manage and stay afloat with. This stage of burnout effects can really begin to affect your physical and mental health negatively. Your emotions may feel more EXTREME. You are not just tired; you’re exhausted. You are not just annoyed about the work; you are angry!

Your life outside of work can begin to take a toll. You have no energy to socialize like once before because you feel drained. It’s a catch-22: Your state of being starts affects your work negatively, and your work negatively affects your state of being. All of this feels horrible!

Lack of appreciation or respect at work can make you feel not good enough or unworthy. You wonder if all this work is worth it?

4. Burnout

In this stage, the burnout effects truly infiltrates your life and becomes severe. The weight of all the work stressors feels like they’re crushing you. You may start feeling hopeless, horrible about yourself, void of self-esteem, and unmotivated to even get out of bed.

People start becoming used to burnout and may feel like they are stuck in this vicious cycle.

5. Habitual Burnout

This stage is the fifth stage of burnout – it focuses on the long-term effects of burnout that follow you each day. Burnout becomes your state of being and your “new “normal.“In this stage, the harm of burnout becomes more apparent, and the person may need to look for support to help them.

Negative Burnout Effects for Young People’s Mental Health

Burnout Effects vs. Depression vs. Anxiety

As mentioned before, people who feel the burnout effects start feeling really down about themselves and life. Burnout causes stress that can become chronic and ever-present in someone’s days. The overload of work causes intense pressure – the person is either stressing about getting the work done or stressing that they couldn’t complete their tasks.

When they are running behind on work, the worker feels terrible about themselves. They feel inadequate and like they are not good enough to work their job. Also, the lack of appreciation from their bosses or co-workers can cause them to feel like their hard work and efforts are seemingly pointless. The burnout effects make life harder and harder!

Research shows that burnout, depression, and anxiety are separate but “share common characteristics, and they probably develop in tandem.”

Depression Symptoms:

Feeling sad, lonely, helpless, and hopeless
Feeling empty and unfulfilled
Having bad sleeping habits – you find that you sleep too much or not enough
Weight loss or weight gain – you appetite is being affected
Not enjoying you passions or interests anymore
Irritability and agitation
Struggles with concentrating, remembering, or decision making
Feelings of fatigue
Experiences of guilt or worthlessness
Thoughts surrounding suicide or death

Anxiety Symptoms:

Constant and excessive worry
Worrying is apparent in more days than not
Worries have been consistent for the past 6 months
It is hard for you to control your worrying
Physical symptoms such as restlessness, tiredness, irritability, muscle tension, trouble concentrating, or trouble sleeping
The worries are negatively impacting multiple parts of your life: like at school, work, in your social life, etc.

Burnout Symptoms:

Feelings of under-appreciation fill your mind
Lack of or no motivation
Listlessness
Finding it hard to focus and pay attention
Dealing with constant stress and worries surrounding work and life
No work-life balance
Limited socialization
Hopelessness and indifference in life
Lack of sleep and feelings of exhaustion
Irritability, anger, and frustration especially when at work

Young People and Burnout

People can experience burnout for many different reasons throughout their young adulthood. People in their early twenties face pressure graduating college, trying to find a job, and keeping up with their social/dating life.

Romantic relationships take work, and there are stressors that couples can face together. If you are in a relationship and you don’t feel securely connected to this person, you may fear that cheating will take place or trust will be broken. Arguing a lot or communicating poorly can cause a lot of stress in couples. Also, ideas of the future, plans for what is to come, and other people’s projected opinions can cause couples to feel burnout

How to Overcome Burnout for Young People

How to Reduce Burnout as College Students

1. Work Smarter

If you feel burnout from your schoolwork, try to create healthy work/study habits. These habits can help you feel more organized and prepared for homework and test you have. Some suggestions can be:

Keeping a calendar of all the due dates you have coming up
Buying a planner and organizer to be more prepared and pay attention to details
Setting time aside to study each day. By studying a little each day, it can prevent from the need to cram before a test
Finding what study/work method works for you: if you are someone who visually learns, try watching videos to prepare or draw out diagrams. If you are more of an auditory learner, try listening to the audiobooks of your textbooks or assigned reading

2. Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to go to your teacher or professor for help. There is no shame in asking for guidance, clarification, or even an extension. If you feel uncomfortable going to them in person, try emailing them or speaking to them after school. If you are a college student, try to go to your professor’s office hours and schedule an appointment to see them.

Tutoring is also a valuable option for you if you need more help. Tutors are people who took the class already and have the knowledge to share with you any tips and tricks they may have. Signing up for tutoring helps you ask questions to someone you may feel more comfortable speaking to rather than a teacher or professor.

3. Lean on Other Students

All the other students in your class are probably experiencing similar or the same stress you are when it comes to school. Try to lean on each other for support and go to each other when you need help. Organizing study groups is a great way to socialize and get your work done and learn.

4. Talk to a Counselor

If you feel like the stress of school is getting to you, try to speak to a counselor at school or on campus. There should be a guidance counselor there to help you with any problems you may have with school at school. Also, many colleges have mental health professionals on campus that can help you feel about specific issues if you are on a college campus.

5. Realize That You Are Worth More Than Your Grades

You need to realize that you are worth more than a grade on a test or paper. Your mental health is more important than your schoolwork, even if that is hard to believe. Students get so consumed with their work and feel like it means everything in their life. You are worth so much more than a grade on a paper – it doesn’t define you!

How to Cope with Burnout as Young Professionals

1. Realize That You are More Than Your Job

It can be challenging to find a job, especially since the pandemic. The stress of finding a job can be challenging to deal with. You may go through multiple rounds of interviews and feel stressed out from these experiences; only you did not receive the job. Logging on to websites, writing cover letter after cover letter, applying for jobs, getting ghosted, or being rejected is hurtful and stressful. Remember to keep your head up and know that your hard work in getting a job matters. Even if no one else can see how hard you’re working, you deserve to be proud of your efforts. You are more than your job description or title!

2. Follow Your Own Time-Line

Your life is going at its own pace and path. Remember that you are special, and no one else can be you. If you see people around you getting married or having kids, don’t worry! If you want these things, it will happen in its own time for you. You can live your life any way you want! Even if you don’t want kids, I want to be single and travel the world; that is okay! Do what makes you feel happy and fulfilled!

How to Reduce Burnout for Young Couples

Communication Skills

One of the most significant issues we face in life and relationships is communication issues. Think of how many times you were watching a movie, and the entire problem of the episode is centered around a miscommunication or misunderstanding.

As a couple, try your best to work on good communication skills. Some ways to do so are, to be honest with each other and validate each other’s feelings. Allow yourself to listen to your partner’s concerns and let them know that you hear what they are saying and appreciate them opening up to you.

If the situation starts getting heavy and you both start getting heated, it is okay to take some time apart to think about things and recharge. We can say many things that we possibly don’t even mean in the heat of the moment.

Try Couples Counseling

If a problem is consistently causing you and your partner stress, counseling might be able to help you! Going to a therapist can help you and your partner have your needs met, have your voice heard, and have the opinion of a third party on your situation. A therapist can help you communicate better and find ways to strengthen your relationship. In couples counseling, you can deal with some of the stressors you may be facing.

General Burnout Coping Tips

Do activities that help you de-stress
- Mindfulness practices: meditation, mindful walks, mindful eating
- Yoga and stretching
- Use Essential oils to relax
- Practice self-care
- Spend time in nature or with animals
Make an effort to maintain work-life balance
- Don’t look at your work emails over the weekend
- Take time to engage in something you like doing after work like a hobby or watching your favorite show
- Prioritize seeing your loved ones, going out, date nights, etc.
- Don’t be afraid to say no and stop people-pleasing at work: i.e. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take on that extra task right now in my schedule..”
Take care of your body
- Make sure you are sleeping enough, filling your body with nutritious food, drinking plenty of water
Build self-esteem
- If you don’t feel appreciated at work, remind yourself how proud you are of all your efforts! Motivate yourself and remind yourself how important and worthy you are
- Practice positive affirmations: i.e. I am worthy, I am strong…
Lean on support
- Look to people who make you feel happy and lift your spirits! You deserve to be reminded of how great you are by the people who care about and know you the best!
Consider Therapy
- A therapist can help you manage your stress better and live a happier/healthier life. Therapy can give you the tools to handle work-stress better, implement mindfulness techniques, build self-esteem, improve your relationships, and foster more hope about life!

How to Deal with Pandemic Stress During Omicron

Posted on February 4, 2022March 6, 2023 by Victoria

We are in the second year of this pandemic. Can you believe that it has been two years since COVID took over our lives and the world? This may be a difficult time for you and you may be experiencing pandemic stress – please know that you are not alone. Recent studies show that 47% of people reported feeling stressed amongst other difficult emotions.

We are living through a worldwide pandemic – who would have ever thought this would have happened? Sometimes, it feels like we are living in a chapter of a history textbook. The positive side of that perspective is that, just like we have read in history textbooks, different generations of people survived challenging times and eventually moved ahead to a new chapter. The world’s future is unknown for now; we need to take things day by day. This, however, doesn’t invalidate any of the stress you may be feeling. This article can help you deal with this stress and hopefully make you feel a little bit safer in these challenging times.

What the Pandemic Has Done to the World:

Unfortunately, it may be hard to remember a time before COVID. It has affected so many parts of our day and has changed how we live our lives. It can be jarring when you look back at old pictures and see how you used to live. There may be many times when you look back on a photo and think to yourself, “I can’t believe I wasn’t wearing a mask!” We are now very accustomed to wearing masks and keeping our distance from people.

Let’s Explore Some of the Other Ways the Pandemic Has Affected This World:

Distanced Us from Other People and Increased Isolation

The phrase “six feet apart” has infiltrated our lives. You may see this phrase on signs, placemats on the floor, or instructions. The distance you may feel is not only shown in this measurement; it is also evident in our lives in many different ways. The pandemic might have distanced you from the people you love.

You may not see your friends or family often in fear of getting sick. You may be fearful that you will expose your older relatives and, for example, haven’t seen your grandma in over a year. COVID has promoted significant isolation in people. People report feeling lonely and scared during these times. Especially with remote work and school, it is hard to meet people nowadays. Kids who go to school online may feel isolated from their friends and find it hard to make connections.

If you work remotely, you may have never even met your co-workers! It is all very isolating and makes it hard for us as social beings to navigate this world.

Created a Division in Our Society

This world feels divided in so many ways already, and the pandemic has only made it worse. You may know people who have strong beliefs on how to handle the pandemic – you either disagree or agree with them. People’s differing beliefs and actions during this pandemic have caused strife amongst us. You may have a friend that doesn’t believe in wearing a mask or getting vaccinated, and you may think the complete opposite. These vast differences cause people to argue, lose touch, and could even ruin their relationship altogether. In a study from 2021, 88% of Americans reported feeling like their nation was divided, even more than before the pandemic.

Made us Fear Doing Mundane Tasks

It’s crazy to think that we could go to the store or go to the movies without even a second thought a few years ago. Now to do such mundane tasks, there is a lingering thought of, “Will I get sick when I go out?”

People are fearful when doing things that would have seemed so simple before 2020. Some people have become afraid of leaving their house because even the slightest task may make them fearful of getting sick. Agoraphobia might occur in people with this constant stress. These people fear that something terrible will happen to them when they are not in the comfort and security of their own homes.

Prevented Us From Living Our Lives

People who enjoy concerts, festivals, or packed events might feel like they cannot safely do that anymore. If you consider yourself adventurous, you might struggle a lot during this pandemic. Concerts have been delayed or canceled, traveling seems impossible, and you may fear going to crowded spaces because of COVID. Many people, especially teens or people in their early twenties, fear that they are wasting their “golden years.” It can be hard to feel like you aren’t missing out on important milestones when this pandemic is taking over.

Cause Immeasurable Loss in Our Lives

The pandemic may have created loss in your life in many ways. People have become unemployed from the pandemic and have been laid off. So many places like hospitals and schools are understaffed. This causes people who work at these understaffed places to take on an increased workload and face immense stress. This stress can cause burnout and people to question if they can even do their job anymore. It feels like they have to choose between making a living or ensuring their wellbeing.

The pandemic may have also taken loved ones from you. COVID may have affected your loved ones and caused them to pass away. This loss may be challenging for you to deal with and makes you extremely upset during these times. Even if COVID has not taken a close loved one from you, it has likely affected so many people you know.

Ways to Deal with Pandemic Stress

First, Check-in With Yourself Daily

It can be hard to navigate immense pandemic stress and challenging times. Make sure that you check in with yourself and see how you feel each day. Some days, you may feel more hopeful and happy in life, and there may be other times when you feel discouraged and sad.

Know that your emotions are valid, and you should embrace them instead of ignoring them. Try journaling about how you feel and making a note of which days are harder than others. When you have a bad day, you can look back on the days that you were happy and find hope that you will feel this way again.

Second, Do Things That Make You Happy

If you check in with yourself and feel upset, try to do something that’ll make you happy. Think about what you enjoy doing. You may enjoy watching a particular show or movie. There may be an album that always brings a smile to your face or gives you a sense of calmness. A hobby can be a great way to release your thoughts and immerse yourself in a creative project.

Another way you can make yourself happy and avoid pandemic stress is by reaching out to people. Social support and finding someone that you can rely on is a healthy way to deal with stress during the pain.

Third, Lean on social support

As mentioned in the prior section, social support is critical during this time. In an age where people feel very isolated and alone, it is essential to rely on people you can trust. You may be fearful of seeing others and feel more comfortable at home, but this does not have to prevent you from socializing. Try implementing Zoom or FaceTime calls with people. You can text your friends and send each other fun videos or pictures.

There are also apps where you can meet people and make new connections. Another way to do so is by joining a new club or class. If you don’t want to go in person, many organizations meet online and do virtual meetings.

Fourth, Turn to Mindfulness in Times of Stress

Mindfulness helps people find peace when experiencing pandemic stress or anxiety. You can practice mindfulness by:

Doing a guided meditation video
Practicing yoga or stretching
Completing a breathing exercise
Taking part in a guided imagery exercise

Mindfulness can also be practiced through accepting your situation. Living through COVID is not ideal and can be very difficult. However, learning to accept these times and this period of your life can help you find peace. Once you feel calmer, you can focus on ways to improve your situation.

Fifth, Encourage Yourself to Get Through Pandemic Stress

Remember: You have survived 100% of your worst days! Remember this when you feel down. Even in the worst moments of your life, you have been able to push through and be where you are today. You have resilience and strength living in you! Try to remind yourself that these times will pass, and you will feel hope and optimism once more.

Ways to Encourage Yourself:

Recite positive affirmations; positive affirmations can help you feel good about yourself and life. These affirmations are ways to attract things you want in your life and promote positivity inside of you.
- You can say: I am…calm, safe, happy with the connections I have in my life, going towards the right direction, facing my fears, etc.
Get inspired by people from the past: you can encourage yourself by thinking about the past generations. There have been many periods in history that were hard for people to deal with, for example, the Great Depression. You may have grandparents or great-grandparents that lived through this time. This was a time when people were very sad and absent of hope. Seeing people get through these challenging times can motivate you to do the same.
- If you are fortunate enough to have some of these relatives alive still, go to them for advice or guidance
- Remember that we are resilient, and humans can adapt to way more than you think. Rely on strength from your ancestors, and remember that they are rooting you on!

Sixty, Don’t Do Things that Make You Uncomfortable

There have been many ups and downs during this pandemic. When there is a surge in cases, you may feel even more stress than usual. This can cause you to avoid going out to crowded places or doing certain activities. Check-in with yourself, as mentioned before, and see how you are feeling. If you feel like you don’t feel safe and a specific plan would cause you anxiety, don’t feel obligated to do it. If someone is peer pressuring you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, that is not okay! Listen to your intuition and honor your comfort level. Your boundaries matter, and you deserve to feel safe! If you decide to go out, try to be safe by wearing your mask and keeping your distance.

Seventh, Consider Going to Therapy for Pandemic Stress

Unfortunately, many people are experiencing depression and pandemic stress during these years. You do not deserve to struggle alone! A therapist can help you get through these times, provide support, and guide you in finding hope once again. Our team of therapists would love to help you! Our team will help you with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and any other problems you may be facing.

Chinese international students support group留学生心理健康互助小组

Posted on August 31, 2021March 6, 2023 by junecao

Chinese International Students Support Group中国留学生互助小组

Are you a Chinese international student?
Attempting to adjust to the U.S. culture, school life, identity, and anxiety with speaking English?
Facing challenges with student life and relationships?
Feeling lonely, homesick, difficult separating from family and friends in China?
Stressed about academic performance?
Overwhelmed because of perfectionism, procrastination, and social anxiety?
Concerned about anti-Asian hate, microaggression, sexism, racism, or discrimination?
Guilty about taking a break to relax because you “should have” been studying?
Worried about speaking in public, going on job interviews, or asking someone for a date?
Uneasy about F1 student visa, CPT, OPT, H1B, lottery, and green card?
Other mental health and self-care issues?

If your answer is “YES” to any or all of the above questions, then you are a very good fit for our International Students Support Group!

How can the International Students Support Group Help me? 留学生互助小组可以帮我什么？

Chinese International Students Support Group is a place where

it is safe and comfortable for you to share, bond, support, and help each other;
you can learn practical tools to deal with different challenges during your time in the U.S.
everyone can participate in group activities to practice social skills, be in a team, form group dynamics, and help each other to succeed;
you will reach your goals for exploration, understanding, insight, self-discovery, growth, compassion, and change you hope to happen;

It is proved that Chinese international students who have participated in our Support Group have felt

more confident,
less lonely,
fit in the group,
more connected with others,
better able to use practical tools to manage stress,
more mindful and relaxed in everyday life, and
empowered to deal with the challenges of every day life as an international student.

What is Discussed in the Chinese International Support Group留学生互助小组讨论的内容

Adjustment to the new country;
Stress management;
Homesickness and ways to better cope with it;
Anxiety, negative thinking, and tools to reduce it;
Mindfulness and meditation;
Emotion regulation skills for wise mind;
Body image, eating, and self-care;
Dealing with anti-Asian hate, sexism, racism, discrimination, and microaggression;
Better preparation for exams, presentations, and interviews;
Procrastination and skills for time management;
Tools to manage perfectionism;
Balance between student life, personal and social life;
Managing stress with visa and green card;
Friendships and boundary setting;
Relationships, breakups, and dating; and
Sex, sexual identities, and empowerment.

Group Facilitators小组主持人

Our group facilitators are mental health counselors with a master’s degree. The supervisor is Dr. June, our head psychologist. Our facilitators are warm, understanding, compassionate, professional, and knowledgeable. We implement evidence-based therapy approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and Mindfulness to better assist you to achieve your inner-peace, compassion and growth.

Registration for Chinese International Students Support Group如何参加留学生支持小组

FEE: we will file claims for you based on your insurance

STARTING: September 14, 2021
DAY: Weekly meetings
TIME: Every Thursday

PLACE: Online via Zoom

Individual Psychotherapy Services为留学生提供中文心理咨询

If you are looking for starting therapy or counseling on an 1:1 basis, visit our website for more information on how therapy works, our therapists‘ profiles, or contact us directly.

How To Deal With Sunday Scaries, The Anxiety Of Another Work Week

Posted on July 16, 2021March 6, 2023 by junecao

What is Sunday Scaries

Sunday Scaries, also called Sunday blues, Sunday depression, Sunday anxiety, or Sunday night syndrome. It is the dread that shows up at some point on Sunday when you realize another workweek will start in hours. You could feel nervous, restless, uneasy, irritable, or even have physical symptoms of stomach issues, headache, heart pounding, and insomnia. This anticipatory anxiety may build up to make you feel miserable for the rest of the weekend. Per recent Monster polling, about 67% experience the Sunday Scaries each week.

From the psychological perspective, Sunday Scaries is the type of anxiety or stress that people react or respond to the threat they perceive. The perceived threat could be the fear of performance at work during the workweek, supervisors’ evaluation, challenges of juggling all tasks with work and life, such as doctors’ appointments, childcare while at work, all the bills, clients’ comments, relationship with a coworker, or decision to return to office. In this process, we face all uncertainties that are anxiety provoking and easily lead to “what-ifs”, such as “what if my supervisor thinks I am an idiot”, “what if I lose my job”, “how can I handle if we don’t have medical insurance any more?”

Obviously, when we focus on uncertainties, we tend to underestimate our capabilities to cope with all the stress. Hence, the overwhelming pressure and helplessness could further exacerbate the fear and anxiety. That is to say, Sunday Scaries makes us feel uncomfortable, but we can manage it well by changing our thinking and behaviors.

The Pandemic Worsens Sunday Scaries

The pandemic has worsened the Sunday Scaries. With a record number of people working from home, our work and life has blended together. Despite more flexibility we may have, work could easily take our personal space. Prior to the pandemic, what we used to do on a weekday are happy hours, lunch out, or other socialization. Now our weekday routine is about work, Zoom meetings, child care, and mere human interaction. Weekends feel almost like boring rituals of another day, no outing, no gathering, and not much enjoyment. That is, the workdays actually become longer.

Besides, many remote workers have admitted that they work on weekends, too. Let’s face it, the re-opening and returning to office process has brought some level of stress and anxiety to employees as well. Research has also suggested increased substance use during the pandemic, or more people probably need extra time to get over their hangover on Sunday.

How to Cope with Sunday Scaries

1. Clear your Mind

As mentioned before, if Sunday Scaries stems from perceived threat, then you can learn to manage this anxiety better by changing such perceptions. This involves taking steps to actively clear your mind first. This requires you to ask yourself some questions, such as,

What is your Sunday Scaries all about?
The core of your fears?
What do you worry about the most?
The worst case scenario?
What are your solutions when worst comes worst?

It is also essential to try to accept that things can go wrong and there is no certainty in life. However, if you were able to manage it in the past, you can cope now too. Clearing your mind could also mean focusing on your capabilities of handling work and life. It is a great idea to remind yourself of your leverage, experiences, skills, and achievements. Focusing on your strengths can help your transition from weekend to weekday a little easier.

2. Set the Relaxing Tone for the Weekend

Make conscious decision that your weekend is to relax, your goal is to be compassionate with yourself and take good care of yourself. Self-care is not just a buzzword, it is a decision to prioritize yourself and have your needs met. Everything else can wait, that is, work can wait, you don’t have to check emails or answer work phone calls. You may find something helps you to relax more than others. It can be a bubble bath, a nice meal, a book, music, arts, gardening, swimming, a walk, or any exercise.

3. Set aside a “Worry Time”

Those negative anxious thoughts on Sunday are likely to come up automatically. Therefore, creating a “worry time” of 15 minutes could help you to handle those worries directly. For example, if your “worry time” is 7:30pm, spend this entire time thinking only about your worries and negative thoughts. Write them down in your journal. At the end of 15 minutes, let go of those worries with some Calming Breaths, then return to other activities.

If you start to worry before your “worry time”, tell yourself you will wait till your regular time to focus on all the worries. This way, you dwell on your worst fears and you go over them repeatedly. Chances are, when you review the same material in detail again and again, eventually this kind of exposure reduces the meaning attached to your worries.

4. Create a To-Do-List

If you have too much on your plate and that triggers your Sunday Scaries, it is a good idea to take some time on Friday night to plan your weekend and the coming week. Write down what you hope to accomplish over the weekend and your priorities for next week. This way, you are being proactive about the week to come. The benefits of planning, making to-do-lists, and thinking about the future will reduce your stress.

5. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about the process of focusing non-judgmental awareness thoughts, feelings, and sensations. When the fears and anxiety attack you on Sunday afternoon, practicing mindfulness helps you to shift attention from worries to the present moment. You can also practice mindfulness at any time. When you walk outside, cook, eat, clean, take a shower, take a test, or work out.

Simply put, mindfulness is like “meditation on-the-go.” When you remain mindful, you live from moment to moment, instead of ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. Even if you have uncomfortable thoughts, you do not have to react upon them. By accepting their existence and letting them pass, you can develop a new response to fear and anxiety. With practice, mindfulness meditation can help you to create inner peace and less anxiety.

6. Seek Support

You don’t have to deal with the Sunday Scaries alone. Check in with family, friends, and loved ones. Vent to them, laugh with them, cry on their shoulders, or simply sit there together and do nothing. Find a support group for people with similar experiences. Maybe you can make friends and help support one another. The sense of community can empower you to cope with your Sunday Scaries better.

7. Get Therapy

Therapy could help you to get to the core of your underlying issues. On the surface level, Sunday Scaries is some uneasiness, a good therapist can help you to dig out why it happened, what the deeper issues are, how to change it. Seeking professional help is always a great way to better your mind, deal with your emotions better, respond to stressors in a calmer way, and let go of the baggage in order to heal. Besides, therapy helps you to change your thoughts and use healthier ways of thinking.

Dr. June and her team are therapists to help you to manage your anxiety about work, life, relationship, and health. Give us a call free for 15 minutes and we will help you to practice skills to deal with your Sunday Scaries.

9 Tips To Stop A Panic Attack

Posted on June 26, 2021March 6, 2023 by junecao

Do you find yourself having panic or anxiety attacks often? Is it difficult to ask for help or speak to anyone about panic attacks? Do you avoid social situations in fear that you will have a panic attack in public? Please continue to read to learn how to stop a panic attack before it happens.

What is a panic attack?

You may hear the term “panic attack” often. People may use it lightly as an exaggeration when speaking about being nervous. But what does a panic attack feel like? How do you tell when someone is having a panic attack?

A panic attack is an unexpected and intense wave of fear. It can lead to severe physical reactions. When panic attack occurs, your heart pounds, you can not breathe. You may feel like you are going crazy, losing control, or even dying. In fact, there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. Panic attacks may come about without a trigger and can happen at any time. For example, when you are driving a car, during a meeting, or you may even have a panic attack in sleep.

Panic attack vs. heart attack

Panic attack and heart attack share similar symptoms. Actually some people believe they are having a heart attack and go to ER multiple times.

There are many different variations that come with panic attacks. Specifically, how long does a panic attack last, or how severe it feels. Generally speaking, it will peak at a few minutes and will make the person feel fatigued once it subsides.

Difference between Panic attack and Panic disorder

Many people with anxiety report having panic attacks. Actually like many people, you may have just one or two panic attacks in your lifetime. The problem could go away when stress ends. However, there is another condition, panic disorder. What is the difference between panic attack and panic disorder? If you have had panic attacks multiple times and spent long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have panic disorder. Approximately 2-3% of Americans experience panic disorder in a given year, according to the ADAA. They also note that it is twice as common for women than for men to experience panic disorder, and symptoms will usually begin in the late teens to early adulthood.

Symptoms and signs of a panic attack

Although panic attacks may look different for everyone, there are general signs and symptoms of a panic attack. It typically includes some of these symptoms:

Sweating
Trembling
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Nausea
Chills
Shortness of breath
Rapid heart rate
Hot flashes
Abdominal cramping
Numbness
Feeling dying

Causes of panic attacks

There are many different reasons why someone may be experiencing panic attacks. Some of the factors may include:

Genetics: A history of panic attacks or panic disorder may put one at risk for panic attacks.
Trauma: Sexual assault, a serious accident, or any other traumatic experience.
Major life changes, such as having a child, moving out of town, or starting a new job.
Unhealthy habits, such as smoking or excessive caffeine intake.
A history of childhood abuse or sexul assault.

No matter the cause for the onset of panic attacks or panic disorder, it is important to note that there are things you can do to help to deal with and overcome these challenges. Thinking about the potential factors that have contributed to panic attacks can be important. That is, they can help you overcome the roots and underlying anxieties to your panic.

Social Tolls and Dangers of Panic Attacks

Related to panic attacks is the avoidance of social events or situations in fear that they will cause a panic attack. One of the scariest parts of experiencing a panic attack can be the fact that another one can happen, and at any moment. Since panic attacks don’t need a specific trigger to start, it can lead to people avoiding situations altogether. Reading our blog on social anxiety can help to overcome the fear of social situations related to panic attacks.

It is also important to note the other potential risks that may come along with panic attacks. These could include issues such as problems at work or school, depression or other anxiety disorders, alcohol or substance abuse, and other complications. Dealing with panic attacks or panic disorder can be stressful. That is why it is so important to be proactive and get the right help you need.

How to Stop a Panic Attack

There is no set way to stop panic attacks from happening, but there are many ways you can deal with and potentially prevent a panic attack before it happens.

1. Get medical treatment to stop panic attacks

Medical treatment can help to reduce the symptoms of panic attacks, including intensity and frequency of panic attacks, hence improve your daily functioning and quality of life. Go to a medical care professional and get the right medical care you need. This can include getting prescription with medicine such as SSRIs, SNRIs, benzodiazepines, or receiving other healthcare advice.

2. Regular sleep and exercise patterns

Having regular sleep and exercise schedules can help to deal with symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety. Yoga is a great form of movement that can help deal with these symptoms.

3. Practice mindfulness meditation and other breathing exercises

One of the main symptoms of panic attacks is shortness of breath, or hyperventilating. If you are able to control your breathing, it can greatly reduce the severity of a panic attack. Focus on taking deep breaths, in and out through the mouth. Set specific counts for how long you hold the breath in, and how long you exhale.

In mindful meditation, you use nonjudgmental awareness to accept or acknowledge your feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations. When are you about to have a panic attack, it is important to fully acknowledge the existence of any panicky emotions, feelings, and thoughts. The more you can experience them in your body and mind, the less anxious you would feel, and the more you can let them be.

4. Remind yourself that a panic attack is temporary

The symptoms of a panic attack usually reaches its peak within 10 minutes. Very rare does it last more than an hour. In other words, a panic attack usually ends within 20 to 30 minutes. It feels uncomfortable, but is not dangerous. It is important to remember that what you are experiencing is a panic attack and that it will pass shortly.

5. Close your eyes to stop a panic attack

Panic attacks may be more severe if there are many stimuli involved. Closing your eyes can help to tone down your environment. This way, it helps you to feel more relaxed. By the same token, this will also help with breathing exercises as mentioned above.

6. Focus on an object

Finding an object and focusing on as many details about it as possible. This can help to ground you during a panic attack. It can help to control other thoughts going on through your mind, so that you don’t focus on too many things at once. This is actually a simplified grounding technique we introduce below.

7. Use Grounding techniques to deal with a panic attack

Grounding technique means to bring your attention to what is happening to you physically, either in your body or in your surroundings. When your mind is racing mind, grounding brings you back to the here-and-now. It is very helpful in managing overwhelming feelings or anxiety. instead of being trapped by the thoughts in your mind that are causing you to feel anxious. In other words, it helps you to stay in the present moment instead of being trapped by the worrying thoughts in your mind.

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique

The typical 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique uses all five senses to help you to redirect attention from anxious thoughts back to the present moment. It starts with you sitting comfortably. Close your eyes and take a few deep breathes. Open your eyes, look around you, and name out loud:

5 – things you can see (look within the room and out of the window)

4 – things you can feel (e.g., your skin, the texture of the material on your chair, feel what your hair feels like; something in front of you that you can touch, etc.)

3 – things you can hear (e.g., traffic noise, birds chirping, foot stepping, music, AC, TV, water running, ).

2 – things you can smell (coffee, tea, freshly cut grass, vegetable, fruit, fragrance, essential oil…)

1 – thing you can taste (candy, chocolate, water, raisin, or any fruit. Take a small bite or sip. Let it swill around your mouth for a couple of seconds, really savoring the flavor).

Take a deep breath to end the exercise.

8. Develop healthy habits

Certain healthy habits can help to prevent panic attacks. For example, controlling your alcohol or coffee intake, as well as your diet, A 2010 study at Harvard Medical School showed that nutritional strategies can help to ease anxiety. Specifically, antioxidant, if included in the anti-anxiety diet, may help to reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders.

This Harvard study listed foods considered high in antioxidants by the USDA include:

Beans: Dried small red, Pinto, black, red kidney
Fruits: Apples (Gala, Granny Smith, Red Delicious), prunes, sweet cherries, plums, black plums
Berries: Blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries
Nuts: Walnuts, pecans
Vegetables: Artichokes, kale, spinach, beets, broccoli
Spices with both antioxidant and anti-anxiety properties include turmeric (containing the active ingredient curcumin) and ginger.

9. Therapy for panic attacks

One of the most important ways to help deal with, and potentially prevent panic attacks, is speaking with a therapist. Psychotherapy can help you to understand panic attacks and panic disorder and learn how to cope with them. A good therapist can help you to cope with panic attacks and work out other ways to deal with anxiety.

Dealing with panic attacks will not be an easy task, but with the right treatments and care, you can help reduce their severity and even frequency. There are people out there who can help you cope with the symptoms of anxiety and panic, such as loved ones, a medical professional, or a therapist. Self-care is also one of the biggest factors in allowing lifestyle changes to take place to help live with symptoms of panic attacks. Taking the right steps to overcome the challenges that come with panic attacks can help ensure that fear of social situations and other big life events will be eased.

Dr. June and her team are here to support you and assist you in your journey of dealing with panic attacks and other anxiety disorders. Our therapists in New York will help you to identify the panic attacks, gain insight, learn coping skills, and practice techniques to validate yourself. Call us free for 15 minutes, you deserve respect and the best quality of a relationship.

Special thanks to the contribution of our psychology intern Tammy Krikheli

如何帮助父母减轻老年抑郁和焦虑

了解老年抑郁和焦虑

老年抑郁症状：

老年焦虑症状：

帮助父母减轻老年抑郁和焦虑

一、增进与父母的沟通

二、给父母提供实际的支持和帮助

三、促进老年人健康的生活方式

四、寻求心理咨询专业帮助

Dr. June的咨询师团队专业治疗老年抑郁和焦虑

What is Social Phobia or Social Anxiety at Work?

How Does Social Anxiety Affect Me in the Workplace?

Common Thoughts of Work-Related Social Anxiety

How to Deal With Social Anxiety At Work?

1. Practice Relaxation Techniques

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts

A). Identify the negative thoughts:

B). Question the evidence:

C). Consider alternative explanations:

D). Evaluate the impact of the thoughts:

E). Gather supportive evidence:

3. Gradual Exposure

4. Seek Support

5. Prioritize Self-Care

6. Treatment for Social Anxiety or Phobia

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Social Anxiety

Mindfulness-Based therapy

Exposure in Behavior therapy to Treat Social Anxiety at Work

How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy

Why You Don’t Prioritize your Mental Health

Stigma about Mental Health

Taking Care of Others

Work is Your Priority

Lack of Self-Worth or Value

How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy

1. Acknowledge Your Emotions in Times of Uncertainty

Journaling to Express your Emotions

2. Prioritize Your Mental Health by Enhancing Self-Care

3. Lean on your support systems

4. Develop Mindfulness

5. Establish a Work-Life Balance

6. Find Certainty in the Time of Uncertainty

Focus on What You Can Control

Have Structure and Routine

Limit your Exposure to Media

Plan for the Future

7. Try Therapy to Prioritize Your Mental Health

1. 分清你能控制和无法控制的事情。

. 对于你无法控制的事情，接受现实。

. 对你能控制的事情，积极采取行动、做出改变。

2. 你的确定性是什么？

3. 强调你的心理韧性resilience

4. 最坏的情况下，我可以怎么做?

5. 你生活中比工作更重要的事情

What Could Cause Stress and a Bad Day at Work?

1. Issues with Coworkers

2. Troubles with Your Boss

3. Difficult Customers, Clients, or Patients

4. Mistakes Were Made

5. All Work and No Play

How to Cope with Work Stress and a Bad Day at Work

1. Acknowledge Your Emotions

2. Practice Self-Talk

3. Practice Self-Care

4. Vent to Friends and Loved Ones

5. Increase Self-Compassion

6. Create Boundaries and Work-Life Balance

7. Block out Environmental Stressors

8. End the Day with a Clean Slate After a Bad Day at Work

9. Consider Therapy for Work Stress or Burnout

What is Burnout and Burnout Effects?

The 5 Stages of Burnout

1. Honeymoon Phase

2. Stress Onset

3. Chronic stress

4. Burnout

5. Habitual Burnout

Negative Burnout Effects for Young People’s Mental Health

Burnout Effects vs. Depression vs. Anxiety

Depression Symptoms: