Category: Anxiety/Stress

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High Ability, High Sensitivity, High Anxiety

High Ability, High Sensitivity, High Anxiety

“All forms of self-expression that tap into curiosities, talents or deeply held interests, when pursued to excellence, are deeply nourishing.” That quote by Kenneth W. Christian, PhD is from his book Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement. There are many deeply rewarding aspects of being gifted and talented, creative, with exceptional [...]

Performance anxiety: Biofeedback relieves stage fright

Performance anxiety: Biofeedback relieves stage fright

When I was acting, I had recurring nightmares of being in unknown plays without a clue of my role, and paralyzing real-life panic right before the curtain came up. Many talented musicians, actors, speakers and others experience performance anxiety, often called stage fright. A new study shows that biofeedback can be highly effective in decreasing [...]

Anxiety relief: Morty Lefkoe on how our strong feelings get conditioned

Anxiety relief: Morty Lefkoe on how our strong feelings get conditioned

In his post Getting Rid of Beliefs is Not Enough, Morty Lefkoe explains how classical conditioning can work against our emotional stability. How Associations Early In Life Cause Negative Emotions Later In Life Very often we are plagued by repeated negative feelings in our life, such as fear, anger, guilt, anxiety, and sadness. We experience [...]

Ten Tips For Relieving Anxiety

Ten Tips For Relieving Anxiety

HealthNewsDigest. “Garden variety” stressors aside, it’s no wonder anxiety is our nation’s number one mental health disorder. Natural disasters, terrorism, financial collapse, pandemics, crime, and war threaten the security of our homes and family. It’s a disorder that millions of people suffer from, but few talk about. “If you walk down the street on any [...]

Developing Creativity: Reclaiming Creative Courage

Developing Creativity: Reclaiming Creative Courage

Fear of writing, fear of failing, fear of succeeding – fears of all sorts can keep us from pursuing our entrepreneurial passions and creative dreams. Author Milli Thornton describes a CPA who kept shutting off his dream to write: ‘He’s long wanted to write the story of his life as a fictional novel, but could [...]

The Science Of Emotional Intelligence

The Science Of Emotional Intelligence

Medical News Today notes “It’s a hot-buzz topic that covers everything from improving workplace performance and successfully climbing the corporate ladder to building the happiest of marriages to ending school bullying. “But what exactly is Emotional Intelligence (EI)? If we lack it, can we learn it? And how do we know if our EI is [...]

Mel Schwartz on perfectionism: Is doing the best you can always a good thing?

Mel Schwartz on perfectionism: Is doing the best you can always a good thing?

Is it always a good idea to do the best you can do? Moreover, can we ever be sure that it’s really our best? These questions came up recently in a therapy session and catalyzed my looking more deeply into the nature and implications of this common expression. The man with whom I was working [...]

Dealing With The Fear of Public Speaking

Dealing With The Fear of Public Speaking

By Seymour Segnit, President of CTRN (Change That’s Right Now) Almost everyone experiences a few butterflies about speaking – but if the anxiety or nervousness is overwhelming you need more powerful techniques to deal with it. When Jerry Seinfeld quipped that at a funeral the average person would rather be in the casket than giving [...]

The powerful biology of stress

The powerful biology of stress

From a podcast by All in the Mind, presented by Natasha Mitchell, ABC Radio National and Radio Australia. Neuro-endocrinologist Bruce McEwen: Well I think the best way to start is to talk about the different ways we think of stress. There is positive stress when you rise to a challenge and generally are exhilarated because [...]

High sensitivity and social anxiety and relief using The Linden Method

High sensitivity and social anxiety and relief using The Linden Method

There are probably millions of highly sensitive people around the world who are working in situations where they are being watched when they work. Some choose to perform in various ways – as actors, musicians, speakers. Many years ago, I was a customer service rep, taking calls – often complaints – from cell phone customers. [...]

Overcoming creative anxiety: Eric Maisel on fear of success

Overcoming creative anxiety: Eric Maisel on fear of success

Eric Maisel wrote some helpful ideas in an issue of his newsletter (Dec 20, 2009) 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 [...]

Brainwave entrainment: Rest for the gifted brain

Brainwave entrainment: Rest for the gifted brain

On her Gifted Universe site, Elisa provides a good summary of brainwave entrainment. Here is an excerpt: How to shut or slow down the hamster wheel of a gifted mind? This is question I’ve been asked and have sometimes asked myself. Truthfully, it’s only recently that I’ve become aware of the potential for my brain [...]

Mindfulness training to enhance mood and memory

Mindfulness training to enhance mood and memory

A University of Pennsylvania-led study in which training was provided to a high-stress U.S. military group preparing for deployment to Iraq has demonstrated a positive link between mindfulness training, or MT, and improvements in mood and working memory. Mindfulness is the ability to be aware and attentive of the present moment without emotional reactivity or [...]

Anxiety disorder includes unhealthy brain response to negative emotion

Anxiety disorder includes unhealthy brain response to negative emotion

How we deal with emotions is a key element in how we interact with others, inhabit our own skins, and access the energies we need to realize our talents. A new study from Stanford University Medical Center indicates that people with anxiety disorders “have abnormalities in the way their brain unconsciously controls emotions.” A news [...]

27 Tips For Navigating College As a Highly Sensitive Person

27 Tips For Navigating College As a Highly Sensitive Person

In her article, 27 Tips For Navigating College As a Highly Sensitive Person, Andrea Runyan discusses how sensitive students can manage the stresses of housing, emotional life, parties, eating, studying, professors and friends. College is a crucial time in life and doing well, both in classes and in general life, can have large ramifications for [...]

Why worry? Does it help us at all?

Why worry? Does it help us at all?

A college roommate of mine who was perhaps even more anxiety-prone than I was at the time, once made an offhand comment about life not being much good without worry. An outrageous idea, perhaps, but many of us live years habitually worrying – even with no real threat to be concerned about. If it is [...]

Elizabeth Gilbert on fear and creativity and mental health

Elizabeth Gilbert on fear and creativity and mental health

In the clip below from her TED conference presentation, writer Elizabeth Gilbert addresses a number of topics related to being creative – including fears and anxieties about “the work you were put on this Earth to do.” One source of that fear can be the widely-accepted notion that artists are likely to be mentally “unhinged” [...]

Avoid holiday stress with “9 Holiday Depression Busters”

Avoid holiday stress with “9 Holiday Depression Busters”

In her article, 9 Holiday Depression Busters, Theresa Borchard shows how to keep stress levels low and depression and anxiety at bay over the holidays. Her 9 tips run from the serious “Avoid Toxic People,” and “Make Your Own Traditions,” to the seemingly frivolous, but ingenious, “Travel With Polyester, Not Linen.” Here’s a sample: #9: [...]

Healing anxiety – Dr. Mercola on “Dark Chocolate: The New Antianxiety Drug”

Chocolate could be more than just a welcome distraction, especially from holiday stress. It may have a calming effect on our anxiety. An ounce and a half a day keeps the stress away According to Dark Chocolate: The New Antianxiety Drug, by Dr. Mercola, “the use of chocolate as a cure for emotional stress has [...]

Elaine Aron on holiday stress relief for sensitive people

Elaine Aron on holiday stress relief for sensitive people

The holidays are a time for giving, right? With a hectic schedule, family gatherings I might prefer to avoid, and an economy gone south, what I feel like doing is giving up My cat has revved up his sleep schedule to 18 hours a day, and I was about to join him when Elaine Aron [...]

Sensitive and stressed? Jenna Forrest on calming holiday stress

“Is there anything you dread about this holiday season? Do you have fears, anxiety or insecurity around seeing family members or others who don’t value you? Are you afraid of what might happen this year, or are reminded of past letdowns, abuse, or losses?” If you answer “Yes” to any of these questions you’ll benefit [...]

Anxiety and food allergies and body odor

In her post Food Allergies, Digestion, & Body Odor?, Jen Crippen (author of the ebook Lets Get Physical: Anxiety Is Not All In Your Head) writes: “When I was at my lowest point, not only did I have relentless anxiety but horrendous body odor. Gross, but honest!  So what’s the connection between anxiety and putrid [...]

Time to cut down on shopping in the physical world?

If you are among the twenty percent or so of us who are highly sensitive, you may find holiday shopping scenes less and less appealing, and more stressful. Thanks to Google alerts for “highly sensitive people” I found this stimulating post on the topic, from The Highly Sensitive Christian blog. Here is an excerpt: Six [...]

Relieving the effects of SAD (seasonal affective disorder)

From article: Help Anxiety, No SAD Times this Winter!, by Jen Crippen. Now that the clocks have been turned back the days feel very short. Darkness will fall earlier everyday until December 21st, then the days start getting longer. This time of year many of us (including myself) start to feel the winter blues.  The [...]

video: The Passage – Intro by Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra is author of Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul. Video from Wilddivine.com. “The exercises in Healing Rhythms affect not only the longevity of your life, but the quality of your life.” Andrew Weil M.D., Complementary Health Practitioner. “Leading the way… Games that promote health.” BusinessWeek // Related : Meditation and mindfulness articles Stress [...]

Relieving anxiety: Slow down, you do too much

Relieving anxiety: Slow down, you do too much

Trying to keep too many projects going at once – doing too much multitasking – is not only likely to decrease our real productivity, but also increase stress and anxiety. As Laurie A. Sheppard writes in her article Curse of the Creatives: “If you feel driven, yet overwhelmed by the many diverse life goals you’re [...]

Any more chocolate than my limit is an anxiety cause. Jen Crippen

From article Confession: Anxiety Cause Revealed, by Jen Crippen. Why is it that when we know our limit on something and if we go beyond that, we’ll feel like “junk”? For example, I experience many food sensitivities. I can indulge in a TINY bit of dark chocolate. Key word: TINY (two 1? X 1? squares).  [...]

James Ellroy: “Crazy suppressed s— came out and blew up in my face.”

From How James Ellroy lost his mind, The Week, October 8, 2009. In 2001 the best-selling noir novelist had a nervous breakdown while on a book tour. James Ellroy has an intimate knowledge of despair, says Sean Woods in Rolling Stone. In 2001 he was at the top of his professional game, a best-selling noir [...]

Beliefs and self growth and dealing with the fear of public speaking

In his article Getting Rid of the Fear of Public Speaking Has to be Difficult – Are You Sure?, Morty Lefkoe writes, “After helping hundreds of people with a fear of public speaking totally eradicate that fear, we discovered that there are only a few beliefs that cause the fear.” Here are some of those [...]

Terri Levine on how to lessen anxiety

From article: Tips to Lessen Anxiety, by Terri Levine : The anxiety I am talking about is that suffered by everyday workers, going about their business in a state of stress and discomfort. This work related anxiety is persistent and causes you to worry excessively about events or activities or circumstances at work which may, [...]