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Even if you’ve been lucky enough to survive the last year, you’re probably not operating at your peak performance , emotional highpoint, or (as they say) living your best life. And whether you’ve been holed up at home alone or trying to manage a busy family while working full time, you’ve likely noticed that other people are struggling too. This isn’t just anecdotal. According to a survey by the US Census Bureau in December 2020, more than 42% of people surveyed reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in December, an increase from 11% the previous year.  Case in point: since the beginning of the pandemic, calls to Los Angeles suicide and mental health hotlines have increased 8000%. And yet, many of us feel like we should be “over it” already—and those around us should be over it, too. It’s been a year, after all. Aren’t we in the “new norm” now? Isn’t the worst behind us? Probably not. Those of us who struggled with anxiety (like me), depression, and other mental … [Read more...] about “Embrace the Awkward” When Bringing Up Mental Health

How to achieve calm in a state of panic. Source: Zoffness In the face of COVID-19, we’re seeing a viral spread of anxiety contagion . Panic is as contagious as any pathogen and is dangerous in its own right. Research shows that when we see people panicking – buying up all available water, for example – our brains respond with a similar anxiety spike. We’re built that way because it can be adaptive in certain situations. But it can also be maladaptive . Sustained anxiety is literally bad for your health: The more you panic, the less functional your immune system becomes. The science of anxiety is this: in the face of a real or perceived emergency, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) kicks on, triggering the release of a stress hormone called cortisol . Over time, cortisol suppresses your immune system, causing a decrease in white blood cells – the cells that help you fight off viruses — putting you at greater risk of infection. The more you panic, the less able … [Read more...] about Anxiety Contagion: Tips for Relief

Source: Virtues for Life, used with permission Let me begin with a question: Could the COVID-19 crisis be seen as a personal growth opportunity? At first blush, you would probably say, “Absolutely no way!” The current pandemic has created crises of health and financial markets that are disrupting the lives of almost everyone on our planet. People the world over are getting sick and dying, global economies are facing a recession, and the financial futures of many people are at risk. COVID-19 has taken a world that, for many people, was safe and secure, and forced us to confront a new world that is ever-changing, unfamiliar, unpredictable, uncertain, ambiguous, uncomfortable, and uncontrollable. It elicits a wide range of unpleasant emotions including fear , worry, doubt, frustration, and anger . COVID-19 unsettles our confidence in ourselves, our communities, our governments, and the many institutions that we have taken for granted and relied on in the past. … [Read more...] about 7 Ways to Use the Current Crisis for Personal Growth

Source: agenturfotografin/Adobe Stock Seeing a therapist used to imply being in the same room with them, but not any longer. Teleconferencing has made it possible to see a mental health professional from a distance. With recent requirements for social distancing, many therapists and clients have had to either pause their work or make other arrangements, including meeting by video conference. I've been providing teletherapy services for about a decade now, and in the past year transitioned to doing only teletherapy. Here are some common questions and issues that come up when thinking about making the transition. Will My Therapist Agree to Online Sessions? Some therapists (myself included) are enthusiastic about using teletherapy, some won't use it at all, and a large number of therapists approach it with some reservations. I've been surprised how many therapists are now moving to it with the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting social distancing. Most therapists generally … [Read more...] about How to Transition to Seeing Your Therapist Online

Source: Freud's Headset by Paul Joannides If you are a therapist, you might be frustrated that sheltering in place has forced you to do teletherapy instead of seeing patients in your office. That’s how I felt 20 years ago when I first started doing teletherapy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way now. Twenty years ago, I had a thriving private psychoanalytic practice in Los Angeles. Although I am trained as a psychoanalyst, I rarely used a couch and almost always worked with patients face to face. But when my wife’s mother was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, we moved to a different state and everything changed. Lewy body dementia is a cross between dementia and Parkinson’s disease. We’d never heard of it before, but it had resulted in my mother-in-law believing an imaginary family was living in her house. Fortunately, she was happy--unlike Robin Williams, who also had Lewy body dementia. She did not become agitated, anxious or dull as might be expected with … [Read more...] about My Advice After Doing Phone Therapy for 20 Years