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Barbara Scoville, LCSW

~ Cultivating Resilience

Barbara Scoville, LCSW

Tag Archives: Emotions

Imagination, Risk, and Personal Growth

20 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Fear, Imagination, Inspiration, Life Mastery Skills, Resilience, The Optimism Corner

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Tags

authentic self, Courage, Emotions

Allow a 6 year old to teach you about risk and personal growth. Enjoy

https://player.vimeo.com/video/58659769“>http://

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Do You Suffer From Anxiety?

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Mindfulness, Resilience, Wellness

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Tags

Anxiety, Emotions, excessive anxiety and worry, Generalized Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Stress, Stress management, Worry

Philosopher's Path  Kyoto, Japan

Philosopher’s Path
Kyoto, Japan

Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.  Astrid Alauda

 

Dear Friends, do you suffer from anxiety?

Did you know that 3.1% (6.8 million people) of Americans suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

 According to the DSMlV you have Generalized Anxiety (GAD) if:

A. At least 6 months of “excessive anxiety and worry” about a variety of events and situations. Generally, “excessive” can be interpreted as more than would be expected for a particular situation or event. Most people become anxious over certain things, but the intensity of the anxiety typically corresponds to the situation.

B. There is significant difficulty in controlling the anxiety and worry. If someone has a very difficult struggle to regain control, relax, or cope with the anxiety and worry, then this requirement is met.

C. The presence for most days over the previous six months of 3 or more (only 1 for children) of the following symptoms:

1. Feeling wound-up, tense, or restless

2. Easily becoming fatigued or worn-out

3. Concentration problems

4. Irritability

5. Significant tension in muscles

6. Difficulty with sleep

D. The symptoms are not part of another mental disorder.

E. The symptoms cause “clinically significant distress” or problems functioning in daily life. “Clinically significant” is the part that relies on the perspective of the treatment provider. Some people can have many of the aforementioned symptoms and cope with them well enough to maintain a high level of functioning.

F. The condition is not due to a substance or medical issue

-DSMlV

Does any of that sound familiar to you?

Anxiety is a physical condition. We experience it in association with the emotion fear.

When we find ourselves in situations we don’t believe we can handle, our brain interprets that as a danger to our survival and immediately releases hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol to prepare us to fight, flight, or freeze.

Those hormones cause chemical changes in our body that translate into the symptoms of anxiety. Think for a moment what it feels like when adrenalin is rushing through your veins.

In our busy lives, the  demands on our attention and time are extreme. It is natural to feel like what we are asked to do is more than we can handle. Feeling like we “can’t handle it” is the most common cause of GAD.

“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?”    Henry David Thoreau

We each have a different capacity for how much we can handle.

Do you ever feel like your plate is too full? There are times in our lives such as when we are parenting small children, or going to school while working that can make us feel like we can’t do it all.

Other times we have chosen to do too many things or accepted assignments we really don’t have time to do, or may not even know how to do.

It really gets complicated when ALL of the above apply.

Often our perception of what we have to do is the culprit.

If we believe:

 ... we must be perfect and always have the approval of others

or,

… demand that others always do “the right thing”

or

…believe life must be easy or something is wrong

… then we will have anxiety because those along with many other beliefs are not based in truth. We can’t “handle” a fantasy.

Fact #1          Nobody is perfect. It is impossible to have everyone’s approval.

Fact #2          The only person we can control is ourselves.

Fact #3          The nature of life is change.

IMG_0587

What Can You Do if You Have Anxiety?

  • Understand it is up to you to find relief. The world will not change.
  • Simplify… Take an honest look at how you are spending your time and make changes.
  • Ask for, and accept help. Don’t make the mistake of thinking YOU have to do it all.
  • Tell yourself you can handle it… try it. It’s amazing how powerful those words are coming from your own lips.
  • Take care of yourself by getting sleep, exercise, and proper nutrition…you can’t expect your body to function at it’s highest level if you are not taking care of it.
  • Learn how to breathe for stress relief… inhale count to 5…exhale count to 7
  • Meditate… access your higher power.
  • Don’t catastrophize… life is hard enough. Don’t embellish it. Making it sound bigger makes it feel bigger.

If you have struggled with anxiety, you are in good company. Here is a list of well known people who have or had anxiety.

  • Isaac Asimov (author)
  • Kim Basinger (actress)
  • Roseanne Barr (comedian)
  • David Bowie (singer)
  • Charlotte Bronte (author)
  • Barbara Bush (former First Lady – U.S.)
  • John Candy (comedian)
  • Naomi Campbell (model)
  • Ray Charles (musician)
  • Eric Clapton (musician)
  • Dick Clark (television personality)
  • Cher (singer, actress)
  • Michael Crichton (writer)
  • Sheryl Crow (musician)
  • Johnny Depp (actor)
  • Edie Falco (actress)
  • Sally Field (actress)
  • Sigmund Freud (psychiatrist)
  • Aretha Franklin (singer)
  • James Garner (actor)
  • Anthony Hopkins (actor)
  • Olivia Hussey (actress)
  • Naomi Judd (singer)
  • Nicole Kidman (actress)
  • Courtney Love (singer – actress)
  • John Madden (announcer)
  • Howie Mandel (comic)
  • Robert McFarlane (former National Security Advisor – U.S.)
  • John Cougar Mellancamp (musician, actor)
  • John Stuart Mill (philosopher)
  • Alanis Morisette (singer)
  • Sir Isaac Newton (scientist)
  • Sir Laurence Olivier (actor)
  • Donny Osmond (actor)
  • Marie Osmand (entertainer)
  • Bonnie Raitt (musician)
  • Burt Reynolds (actor)
  • Joan Rivers (actress)
  • Winona Ryder (actress)
  • Charles Schultz (cartoonist)
  • Willard Scott (weatherman)
  • Sam Shepard (playwright)
  • Sissy Spacek (actress)
  • Carly Simon (singer)
  • John Steinbeck (author)
  • Howard Stern (king of media)
  • Barbra Streisand (singer)
  • Dave Stewart of the (singer – Eurythmics)
  • Anne Tyler (author)
  • Ann Wilson (singer)
  • Oprah Winfrey (host)
  • W.B. Yeats (poet)

I would love to hear how anxiety has impacted you in your life. Your comments help me, help you.  I along with fellow readers would welcome any tips you have discovered along the way that have helped in managing your anxiety.

Until next, time may you find your cup half full 🙂

Love, Barbara

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Weekly Wellness Check-in

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Wellness

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Emotions, Mental health, positive mental health, Weekly Wellness Check-in

dragonfly_green

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manga_emotions-EN.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manga_emotions-EN.jpg

Indicator #18

I am able to identify what emotion I am feeling at any given time

“Weekly Wellness Check-in” is an ongoing weekly post appearing on Mondays, in which I  present one indicator from a checklist of positive mental health attributes. Take a look at the indicator and think about how it applies to you, keeping in mind it is an important factor of well-being. We all excel at some things, and need to work on others. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10; One, meaning I am a failure at this, and ten, meaning I have no room for improvement. Nobody may record a 1 or a 10 because there are no failures, and nobody is perfect.  If you are happy with where you placed yourself, consider the indicator a strength.  If you aren’t, think about a “realistic” place you would like to get to and how you might carry it out. My hope is that you will give it some gentle thought. I’d love to hear your tips on how to make each a strength in the comment section.

Previous weeks…

Indicator #1  I get a good night’s sleep so I feel healthy and alert

Indicator #2  I eat healthy foods to promote health and well being

Indicator #3  I exercise regularly

Indicator #4  I avoid mood altering substances (unless taken as prescribed).

Indicator #5  I make time each week to engage in activities that give me pleasure

Indicator #6  I have friends and family that I can talk to whenever I need a sense of connectedness

Indicator #7  I live in a home that feels safe and nurturing

Indicator #8  I actively seek solutions for the complaints I have regarding my life, work, and school
Indicator #9  I know how to forgive myself and others who have hurt me in the past

Indicator #10  I let go of guilt for my past mistakes

Indicator #11  I have enough money, time, friends, space, love, fun, and affection

Indicator #12  I take action based out of love rather than fear

Indicator #13  I am part of a community that gives me a sense of purpose

Indicator #14  I live a life based on choice and meaning

Indicator #15  I am able to ask others for what I need

Indicator# 16  I am able to say no when I don’t want to do something

Indicator #17  I am effectively able to express my feelings and stand up for what I believe in

Wellness

Wellness

 

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