Category: Anxiety/Stress

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Video Gaming for Mental Health

Video Gaming for Mental Health

“When the player becomes stressed or fearful, the game will increase in intensity and difficulty. When the player calms himself, the game returns to its default state.” Game designer Erin Reynolds There are many different sorts of video games, and many studies on their psychological and social impacts – research that is often critical or [...]

Caffeine, anxiety, productivity – Steve Pavlina on using Paraliminals

Caffeine, anxiety, productivity – Steve Pavlina on using Paraliminals

The illusion of productivity “I used to drink several cups of coffee a day, but I kicked the habit a long time ago because I found that caffeine made me too jittery and unfocused.” That is a quote by Steve Pavlina, author of one of the most popular, and financially successful, sites and blogs dedicated [...]

Anxiety and the Amygdala

Anxiety and the Amygdala

A research news article reports, “The amygdala is known to be involved in social anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and obsessions and compulsions, and is now being linked with separation anxiety and general anxiety.” // Excerpt from lyrics (based on Emily Dickinson) in video: Fearing – by The Amygdaloids While I was fearing it came But with [...]

Creating and Fear

Creating and Fear

Karen Moncrieff, after working for years as an actor, became a screenwriter. In a magazine article, she notes “Writing felt so comfortable in a way that acting never really did. With writing, I was using all parts of myself, all of my skills.” She said, “I let my emotions and feelings be my guide. I [...]

Overcoming creative anxiety: Eric Maisel on fear of success

Overcoming creative anxiety: Eric Maisel on fear of success

Eric Maisel provides helpful ideas about fear vs anxiety over success. He wrote: Hello, everybody: Yesterday I addressed the Tri-Valley branch of the California Writers Club on the subject of “overcoming creative anxiety.” I described 24 sources of anxiety in the lives of creative people and 22 anxiety-management strategies. In the question-and-answer period that followed, [...]

Affect Regulation and the Creative Artist

Affect Regulation and the Creative Artist

By Cheryl Arutt, Psy.D. Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity. In a world where destructive acting out is all too frequent (and meticulously documented and sensationalized on the news and TMZ), sublimating painful feelings by expressing them in the form of artistic expression allows the artist to choose to “act [...]

Paulina Porizkova and her “love affair” with Lexapro

Paulina Porizkova and her “love affair” with Lexapro

Actor, Director, Writer, (and Supermodel) Paulina Porizkova comments on using an antidepressant: “I started taking Lexapro after my anxiety attacks came back and, for all intents and purposes, practically crippled me. “I’ve always had anxiety attacks, or panic attacks as some know them, but after years of learning how to deal with them, I thought [...]

Gifted, Talented, Creative, Anxious

Gifted, Talented, Creative, Anxious

Michele Kane, Ed.D., gave a presentation on Stress and Anxiety: Helping Gifted Kids Cope – which also has helpful perspectives for us adults. She points out that stress is universal and experienced by everyone, and that “Being bright, talented, creative, motivated, smart, ambitious, and even good looking can add to the stress in your life.” [...]

Guided Imagery and Emotional Health

Guided Imagery and Emotional Health

“Raking in a zen garden is one form of relaxation, but visual guided imagery is a specialized form of meditation that teaches a patient to focus on their breath and different muscle groups. “Even learning for a short period of time could teach you how to reduce stress, reduce anxiety in different situations,” said clinical [...]

Creative Anxiety – Are You Procrastinating?

Creative Anxiety – Are You Procrastinating?

Writer Charlie Kaufman [Nicolas Cage]: “To begin…To begin…How to start? I’m hungry. I should get coffee. Coffee would help me think. “Maybe I should write something first, then reward myself with coffee. Coffee and a muffin. So I need to establish the themes. Maybe a banana nut. That’s a good muffin.” From “Adaptation” – written [...]

Achievement, Anxiety, Amygdala

Achievement, Anxiety, Amygdala

After he saw his parents go from winning a state lottery to being bankrupt and on the verge of divorce, Dean Whittingham researched what led them from “utter bliss to despair and depression” – and strategies to help other people stay successful. At least part of the answer is in terms of brain function. “How [...]

More mindfulness, less anxiety

More mindfulness, less anxiety

A recent news story reports on growing evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy, which “encourages patients to focus on their breathing and their body, to notice but not judge their thoughts and to generally live in the moment.” The article continues, “It may sound a bit squishy and New Agey to some, but.. experts [...]

Alex Lambert on stage fright

Alex Lambert on stage fright

The fear of failing in front of an audience is familiar to me. Even though I never had a major memory lapse or experienced any ridicule for my work as an actress, I always felt afraid before every performance . Many of us who have performed before an audience can probably relate to American Idol [...]

Dealing with stage fright or a fear of public speaking

Dealing with stage fright or a fear of public speaking

Many actors, musicians and other entertainers report they experience stage fright, but making a speech or public presentation can also produce so much performance anxiety you aren’t able to express your personality and creative ideas as well as you could without the fear, in more control of your emotions. Or you don’t even attempt something [...]

Can anxiety be positive?

Can anxiety be positive?

“As Beckett said: ‘You’re on earth, there’s no cure for that.’ Klimt and his circle didn’t believe that, which I find very haunting and wonderful. They were probably less pessimistic than we are.” John Malkovich – about portraying artist Gustav Klimt – from the page Existential Dread. In her article A Brief Outline of Existential [...]

Do Creative Work Activities Create Stress?

Do Creative Work Activities Create Stress?

From a report by Medical News Today : The demands associated with creative work activities pose key challenges for workers, according to new research out of the University of Toronto that describes the stress associated with some aspects of work and its impact on the boundaries between work and family life. Sociology professor Scott Schieman [...]

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