Our lives have all been turned upside down in the past few weeks as we experience a global pandemic. Some of us are sick or have family members who have contracted the coronavirus, some in food service and healthcare are sacrificing their safety every day, and many of us are experiencing feelings of anxiety or loneliness as we shelter-in-place. Despite …
7 Steps to Embracing and Challenging your Irrational Fears
When I was a kid, I had a lot of anxiety and fear about public speaking. Often before speaking, I would tell myself, “I’m going to mess up!” or “I won’t do a good job” or “What if I forget what I want to say?” As a result of allowing these negative thoughts to swirl in my head, my anxiety …
Demystifying and Treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder with Psychotherapy and Medication
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental illness in which a person is preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others can not see. These individuals spend up to eight hours per day focusing on and trying either trying to “fix” or hide their perceived defect. A few years ago, I (Karen) attended a workshop at …
Challenge Negative Thinking in 5 Steps
When I was young, I played tennis competitively. When I was feeling good about my game, I would tell myself that I was a great tennis player and that I could win. Often, these positive thoughts improved my game. However, on many occasions I would beat myself up with negative thinking, including telling myself I could never win. My anxiety …
Understanding Anxiety and What to Do About It
Think about situations you avoid as a result of your anxiety. Are there any that are holding you back from achieving your goals? In my last blog, I wrote about the power of emotions and how all feelings — good, bad or neutral — should be honored, not suppressed. Hopefully by now you are taking the time to get to …