Quick Tips to Help Regulate Your Anxiety

Quick Tips to Help Regulate Your Anxiety

Your Resolve

What is Anxiety

 Anxiety is our alarm system that alerts our bodies of potential dangers in our environment. Tell tale signs of anxiety are increased heart rate, sweaty palms, and a racing mind. Sometimes anxiety can give you a boost of energy to complete a task and sometimes it can cause you to shut down. 

What Causes Anxiety Disorders 

There is usually no specific reason one develops an anxiety disorder, but they are likely developed due to a combination of factors including genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental. 

Diagnosis and Treatment 

For many who suffer from anxiety, do not seek help because they don’t realize that they have a condition that has effective treatments. The first step for treatment is seeing a doctor to make sure that there is not a physical problem that is causing you to have symptoms of anxiety. Secondly, you can seek psychotherapy like talk therapy or medication. Both of these methods have proven to be effective in helping treat anxiety disorders. Therapy like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can help a person learn a different way of think, reacting, and behaving to ease anxiety. Medication cannot use anxiety disorders but can help relieve some of the symptoms.

Tips to Cope with Anxiety

Sometimes in moments of anxiety, you will not have the ability to talk to your therapist to help regulate your emotions. In cases like these, it is beneficial to know some of the quick tips that can help you cope with anxiety. 

 
  • Avoid caffeine. The chemical makeup of caffeine stimulates your nervous system and often leads to heightened levels of anxiety.
  • Don’t abuse alcohol or drugs.  Depressant substances can help you feel calmer in the moment, however, they affect the long-term regulation of your nervous system by overloading your body with certain hormones. Afterwards, your body struggles to naturally produce these calming hormones leaving you even more anxious than before 
  • Practice meditation and mindfulness. Learning what relaxation techniques work for you can be an invaluable skill when you are in a state of high anxiety. Many people practice yoga, listen to music, or work out to ground themselves.
  • Control your worry. The old adage ‘worry is a downpayment on a problem you may never have’ holds true in the world of therapy. Pick a time and place to worry, think about your worries and what you can do about them, and leave your worries there and continue with your day. For people who struggle with anxiety disorders, worry is unavoidable, but by compartmentalizing it into a specific time and place in your day can help you enjoy the rest of your day without carrying around this worry. 

Mandy
Pfaff

Marriage and Family therapist, ma, lmft

As an avid researcher, I pull from 30 years of practice and study in various additional psychotherapeutic and health disciplines- incorporating nutrition and movement-based strategies, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, energy psychology and expressive arts.

How Polyvagal Therapy Can Help Your Response to Traumatic Stimuli

How Polyvagal Therapy Can Help Your Response to Traumatic Stimuli

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What is Polyvagal Therapy 

Polyvagal therapy, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, explores a three-part nervous system rather than the traditional two-part antagonistic system. The two-part nervous system response involves the functions that help us manage life-threatening situations, a signal triggering less calming activation and a signal triggering more calming activation. Most counselors are familiar with the two defense mechanisms triggered by these two parts of the nervous system: sympathetic fight-or-flight and parasympathetic shutdown. However, Porge’s work introduces the effect of the ventral branch of the vagal nerve that affects emotional regulation and bodily reaction. This branch serves the social engagement system. Similar to the interaction between dogs at a dog park where some dogs will exhibit fight-or-flight behaviors and some will signal a wish to play, our social engagement theory is characterized by the playful spirit we feel when we feel like we are in a safe environment

3 Key Principles 

According to the Polyvagal Institute, the polyvagal theory has three principles: the hierarchy of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), neuroception and co-regulation. Each of these principles works together to explain the mechanisms and efficacy of the polyvagal theory.

  1. Hierarchy of the ANS

Through evolutionary research we have found that we have three main states of existence that we adaptively shift through according to how safe we feel in a given moment. These three states are relaxed, immobilized, and mobilized. Sometimes these states are interdependent and interact to form hybrid states.

  1. Neuroception

Regulation of ANS comes from our neuroception of our surroundings which is constantly scanning our environment for cues of safety and danger. Although our neuroception is a powerful tool, our autonomic state is what ultimately dictates our current state. The flexibility of this autonomic state is heavily reliant on our resilience. Because of this, a more resilient individual will have an inclination toward detecting cues of safety while a less resilient individual is more predisposed to detect threats. These predispositions are formed as a result of trauma or lack thereof. However, when the ANS is in a calm state dominated by the ventral vagal pathway, neuroception is less likely to trigger defensive and panic responses.

  1. Co-regulation

PVT explains that we regulate these emotional reactions by sending physical signals like facial expressions, head movement, and vocal intonations to signal to others which ANS state we are currently experiencing.

How can Polyvagal help with trauma work? 

In the context of trauma, Polyvagal Theory suggests that traumatic experiences can cause individuals to become stuck in a state, which is associated with immobilization, disconnection, and a sense of hopelessness.Fortunately, if an individual has faulty neuroception, they can use polyvagal therapy to ‘unstick’ them from harmful thought processes and physiological reactions that result from trauma. Polyvagal therapy primarily focuses on bodily sensations where a therapist will help clients develop an awareness of their physiological reactions to triggers and teach clients to regulate their autonomic nervous system. 



Mandy
Pfaff

Marriage and Family therapist, ma, lmft

As an avid researcher, I pull from 30 years of practice and study in various additional psychotherapeutic and health disciplines- incorporating nutrition and movement-based strategies, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, energy psychology and expressive arts.

How Does Yoga Help Your Mental Health?

How Does Yoga Help Your Mental Health?

Your Resolve

Yoga is an ancient mental and physical practice that has been around for thousands of years. Presently, yoga is practiced by more than 36 million Americans. Many practice it for both its physical and mental health benefits. Yoga incorporates physcial poses and mindful breathing to encourage a connection between the mental and the physical. 

Psychological Benefits of Yoga 

Aside from the physical benefits of flexibility, mobility, and strength, studies show that yoga can also: 

Relieve Depression:
Researchers have found that yoga is comparable to other treatments like medication and psychotherapy. In fact, yoga is also generally less expensive and lacks the negative sideeffects of medication. Yoga is an individual practice that requires dedication and perseverance. The self-determination required for this activity can help someone who struggles with depression find a sense of purpose as they work to improve their skill.

Reduce Stress:
Yoga is a form of active meditation. As you enjoy the relaxing benefits of meditation, you are also strengthening your body through static and dynamic movement. When Americans answered a survey about why they practiced yoga, 86% of them said that it helped them deal with stress. The stretching, tightening, and relaxing of muscles can help relieve bodily tension that manifests from prolonged stress. 

Improve Sleep
Yoga involves stretching and working muscles causing mental and physical exertion. Several elements of yoga such as mindfulness, breathing awareness and regulation, and weight loss all contribute to an increase in sleep quality. Additionally, some subpopulations benefit more than others from regular yoga practice. Studies show that adult women who practice yoga have reduced sleep disturbances and women in menopause have improved sleep and reduced depression and anxiety.

How to Use Yoga to Improve Your Mental Health 

The benefits of yoga aren’t limited to physical changes, at the root of the practice of yoga is the focus on calming the mind through meditation. In fact, there is science to back up the efficacy of regularly practicing yoga. Studies show that yoga can even slow the natural aging process by decreasing brain shrinkage and extending memory health and cognition. Starting your yoga practice can seem like a daunting task, however, as an individual activity, your practice should be catered to what you need. For people who are starting out, the first step is learning how to focus on breathing in and out. This alone can lower your heart rate, decrease stress and boost feel-good chemicals in your brain. Once you have established this foundation of mindful breathing, the rest of yoga will come easily.

Mandy
Pfaff

Marriage and Family therapist, ma, lmft

As an avid researcher, I pull from 30 years of practice and study in various additional psychotherapeutic and health disciplines- incorporating nutrition and movement-based strategies, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, energy psychology and expressive arts.

What is the Difference Between Counseling and Psychotherapy?

What is the Difference Between Counseling and Psychotherapy?

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Psychotherapy and counseling are both types of therapy that can help mental health, however, they vary in the primary target of the therapy.

Psychotherapy is typically a more in-depth, long-term process that focuses on a person’s feelings and past experiences to improve mental health.

Counseling is typically short-term talk therapy that aims at helping a person find solutions to current issues or work through specific experiences. This form of therapy specializes in helping someone develop strategies, actions, and behaviors that can help make daily life more enjoyable. 

Both types are extremely helpful in improving a person’s mental health and quality of life.

Is psychotherapy the same as counseling?

This table outlines some of the main differences between psychotherapy and counseling.

Psychotherapy
Counseling
Focuses on recurring or chronic issues.
Focuses on short-term, or current issues.
Psychotherapy relies on the application of treatment guided by manuals and protocols.
It is less likely that a counselor will deliver the therapy with the aid of a treatment manual.
Treatments are more likely to be theory-driven, such as cognitive behavioral or Jungian.
Less likely to be theory-driven.
Types of psychotherapy can involve talking, cognitive behavioral, art, drama, music, animal, and movement.
Involves talk therapy.
Therapy may focus on a person’s entrenched and long-held patterns of thought and behavior.
Therapy may focus only on specific behaviors or situations.
Therapy may be long-term and can take place over many years.
Therapy may be short-term.
A psychological professional delivers the therapy.
A psychological professional usually delivers counseling, although people, such as volunteers or pastoral counselors, may also offer counseling.
Therapy may focus on a psychological disorder or problem with psychological functioning.
May deal with functioning individuals who are experiencing difficulties in their current situation.
Therapy may use experiences and feelings as the basis.
Therapy may focus on behaviors and actions.
Therapy may focus on personal growth from an in-depth focus on core issues.
Therapy may focus on support, guidance, and problem-solving for current issues.

Additionally, psychotherapy is often provided by a clinical psychologist who studies how your past experiences and patterns have brought you to your current situation while counseling is conducted by mental health counselors or family therapists who focus on more recent events that impact your well-being.  

Psychotherapy

As psychotherapy deals with long-term emotional difficulties and mental illnesses, this form of therapy usually lasts multiple years. Through this time, a therapist can help one learn how to deal with longstanding and complex issues. 

Research shows that about 75 percent of people who enter psychotherapy show some benefit from it.

The benefits aren’t just mental, psychotherapy work has been linked to fewer sick days, fewer medical problems, and increased work satisfaction. 

In cases of psychotherapy with people with mental illness, it has been shown to cause brain changes simmilar to changes resulting from medication.

Types of Psychotherapy 

Psychiatrists and mental health professionals use several types of therapy to achieve desired results. The choice depends on the client’s illness and circumstances. Many psychiatrists combine several elements from different approaches.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 

This form of psychotherapy helps people identify and change thinking patterns that are unhealthy by replacing them with accurate thoughts and functional behaviors. CBT involves practicing skills developed in therapy in the real world. CBT can help treat depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, and eating disorders by recognizing and changing unhelpful or maladaptive thoughts that are contributing to the condition. 

Interpersonal Therapy 

IPT is a short-term form of treatment that helps a client work through underlying interpersonal issues, primarily these are issues relating to others. This form of psychotherapy helps people learn healthy ways to express emotions and improve communication with others. IPT is most commonly used for treating depression.

This form of psychotherapy helps people identify and change thinking patterns that are unhealthy by replacing them with accurate thoughts and functional behaviors. CBT involves practicing skills developed in therapy in the real world. CBT can help treat depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, and eating disorders by recognizing and changing unhelpful or maladaptive thoughts that are contributing to the condition. 

Psychodynamic Therapy

This therapy is rooted in the idea that mental well-being and behavior are rooted in childhood and past experiences. A therapist will work with someone to bring conscious awareness to feelings that may have been buried or subconscious. By working through the root of behavioral patterns, this form of psychotherapy can help patients deal with mental health-related issues. Psychoanalysis is a more intensive form of psychodynamic therapy that requires sessions several times a week.

There are many other kinds of psychotherapy, listed above are some of the most popular. 

Counseling 

While counseling methods often go by the same name as psychotherapy techniques, it is essential to remember the fundamental differences between the two mentioned above. Unique to counseling, however, are specialized types of counseling like marriage, family, guidance, and mental health. These can offer more tailored support to a client who may not need comprehensive behavioral therapy, but rather guidance on working through marital issues. The therapist, or counselor, will typically guide the conversation toward topics such as thoughts, feelings, relationships, and current difficulties. They will then try to help the individual make connections and provide helpful insight.

How to know which is best for you 

It’s sometimes difficult to navigate the world of therapy, however, choosing the right kind can help you achieve your goals and better your mental health. 

Psychotherapy may be a better option for someone who:

  • Has emotional or mental health challenges that affect their daily life and relationships
  • Is coping with past trauma or is negatively affected by past situations
  • Has tried counseling and found it to be ineffective
  • Has a diagnosed mental illness
  • Is experiencing chronic or recurring emotional or mental difficulties
 

Counseling may be a better option for someone who:

  • Is experiencing a short-term specific problem
  • Dealing with a life adjustment such as losing a loved one or divorce
  • Looking to learn coping skills to manage stress or anxiety
  • Coping with substance or alcohol dependence
  • Looking for guidance and support

 

Contact us today to learn more about what therapy options are best for you!

 

Mandy
Pfaff

Marriage and Family therapist, ma, lmft

As an avid researcher, I pull from 30 years of practice and study in various additional psychotherapeutic and health disciplines- incorporating nutrition and movement-based strategies, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, energy psychology and expressive arts.