Anxious Ann and Andy Part 2

We’re talking about anxiety for the next few days. Why? Because anxiety, feeling anxious, stress and depression are the highest they’ve ever been.  Something has to be done and Elite wants to be a part of the solution.  Before reading on, we encourage you to take a look back at yesterday’s blog if you haven’t already.

We Wish You A Merry Chrisgiving New Year

The Holidays can be SO FUN!  They can also cause more stress and anxiety than it’s worth sometimes.  When you think about it, what’s the point in stressing over something that is supposed to bring you joy and togetherness.  Easier said than done, we know, we struggle too, so let’s talk.

Santa and his elves aren’t the only ones that FEEL the stress right around Halloween.  Because that means there are 2 more months of food, togetherness, family, shopping, more food etc.  By the end of it all, you need a vacay!

Family and Anxiety

We don’t know about you, but when we get together with our families, why do we always seem to question everything about our lives.  Everything from our career choice to what we’re wearing all the way to, “do I look like I’ve put on weight?”  Or worse if you have a great and Ida, “Have you put on weight?”  BLAH!   THIS is just one of the many reasons we tend to get a little anxious around family during the holidays.  They love us, yes, but they can also make us feel pretty awful sometimes without meaning to.  On the other hand, we can also be insecure about certain things and might take something meant lovingly as derogatory.  So much of our holiday anxiety when family gatherings start up has to do more with our own insecurities.

Let Us Explain-

If you like being the greatest chef of all time during the holidays but forget the pecans for your pecan pie…don’t worry about it.  Everyone will survive and they don’t love you for your pecan pie.  We have a member here at Elite that actually had this happen and she ended up sending her son to the store to buy a frozen pecan pie.  She drizzled a little honey, cinnamon and sugar on top before she baked it, and everyone raved on and on about it.   A situation that was meant for total anxiety ended up being a fun holiday story for her.  To wrap it up, just remember, WHO CARES?!?!  The holidays are about having FUN and not worrying about the little things or sweating the small stuff.  It’s ALL SMALL STUFF!  Approach with confidence and maybe a glass of wine…you’ll be just fine!

It’s Hard for Me to Say I’m Sorry

Why is this one of the hardest things for almost anyone to do sometimes?  For some, it’s a REAL problem and can truly cause deep anxiety.  The answer is simple, no one likes being wrong.  And admitting we’re wrong is even harder than just knowing it and keeping it to ourselves.  It’s also sometimes a little embarrassing to tuck our tail between our legs and apologize.  Don’t get us wrong, sometimes it’s also the very opposite, for some, it can be too easy to apologize.  This is a completely different form of apology anxiety.

I Say, “I’m Sorry,” for EVERYTHING!

If a person accidentally bumps into you, do you apologize?  Or what if you need to pass in front of someone getting to your seat at church or the movies?  Or what if you know someone has just given a wrong direction, do you apologize before giving the right one?  This is another way our bodies react when feeling anxious, we can over apologize for things we have no business apologizing for.  Instead, we can shift this by saying, “Thank You for moving aside so that we can take our seat”.  We can say, “Thanks for taking the lead, but we actually needed to do it this way.”  Saying a statement with a positive twist without apologizing sets your confidence up for success.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Over 40 million Americans suffered from social anxiety last year and that number isn’t lowering.

It’s normal to feel nervous in some social situations. For example, going on a date or giving a presentation may cause that feeling of butterflies in your stomach. But in social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, everyday interactions cause significant anxiety, fear, self-consciousness and embarrassment because you fear being scrutinized or judged by others.

In social anxiety disorder, fear and anxiety lead to avoidance that can disrupt your life. Severe stress can affect your daily routine, work, school or other activities.

Common Triggers

People with social anxiety commonly experience significant worry and distress in the following situations:

• Eating in front of other people
• Speaking in public
• Being the center of attention
• Talking to strangers
• Going on dates
• Meeting new people
• Interviewing for a new job
• Going to work or school.
• Meeting other people’s eyes
• Making phone calls in public
• Using public restrooms

Physical Symptoms

• Rapid heat-beat
• Dizziness
• Muscle tension or twitches
• Stomach trouble
• Blushing
• Trembling
• Excessive sweating
• Dry throat and mouth

Emotional Symptoms

• High levels of anxiety and fear
• Nervousness
• Panic attacks
• Negative emotional cycles
• Dysmorphia concerning part of their body (most commonly the face)

Behavioral Symptoms

• Avoiding situations where the individual thinks they may be the center of attention.
• Refraining from certain activities because of a fear of embarrassment
• Becoming isolated; the individual may quit their job or drop out of school.
• Excessive drinking or substance abuse

How to Cope with Social Anxiety

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A huge body of research has shown cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to be a markedly successful treatment for those suffering with social anxiety disorder (social phobia). The American Psychological Association defines cognitive-behavioral therapy as “a system of treatment involving a focus on thinking and its influence on both behavior and feelings.” CBT emphasizes the role of unhelpful beliefs and their influence on emotional and behavioral outcomes.

Making Changes

Social-anxiety-specific CBT focuses on changing the individual’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behavior as they relate to social situations. “If the individual feels anxious about doing certain things and feels less anxious when they choose not to do them, this becomes a cycle whereby the individual learns that staying out of social situations keeps them emotionally regulated,” says Kelly Freeman, LCSW. “CBT challenges individuals to replace these thoughts.”

Practice Makes  Perfect

The cognitive part of the therapy refers to thinking and is the part of therapy that can be “taught” to the person. The act of practicing new thoughts through repetition when the individual notices unhelpful thoughts allow new patterns of thinking to become automatic. For instance, an individual might work to replace the anxiety-inducing thought of “everyone will stare at me if I go to the party” with “these feelings I am having right now aren’t rational. When the party is over, I’ll be glad that I went” in order to change the cycle.

Workin For the Man Every Night and Day

Workplace confidence can be a really hard thing to come by.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher earning the respect of your principal, team and students or if you’re in corporate America climbing that proverbial ladder.  Having confidence in any workplace setting is difficult to come by no matter how gifted you feel in your field.  As dumb as it sounds, it’s a “fake it till you make it” type of situation.  Sometimes you have to just play a little pretend.  People automatically respond to confidence, but don’t confuse this with arrogance.  Arrogance will get you nowhere.  We are talking about a humble confidence in knowing you are ready to DO THIS.  Have a little faith in yourself, we know you’ve got this!

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries!” Winne the Pooh

Although Pooh feels ok with being disorganized, for some, it’s disturbing.  It’s a funny fact that most people who need everything perfectly put in its place typically marry someone the complete opposite.  Needing to have everything exactly where it’s supposed to go is really the need for control.  It’s understandable in a world that feels out of control sometimes.  Where there is clutter, there is chaos and chaos lead to anxiety for these peeps.  Can it get a little out of hand at times, sure, like anything can?  When this happens, it can turn into OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  This happens when the need for order becomes so significant in a person’s mind, it causes serious downward spirals.

How to Avoid the Spiral!

The best way is to practice the stop and think tactic.  This is a super easy way to take a minute and realize the situation isn’t something to lose sleep over.  Most of the time.  If you open a drawer in your kitchen to find it has become the ever so popular junk drawer.  Do Not Panic!  First, STOP, close the drawer and walk away.  Think about why this might cause you anxiety and almost always you will quickly realize it really is not that big of a deal.  The world is full of BIG DEALS that require true anxiety, a junk drawer in the kitchen does not.  If organizing brings you joy, then after taking a minute, go back and tackle the drawer.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Let’s Talk About Elite

We’ve given a very brief run down of several reasons a person can struggle with anxiousness.  We have also explored ways you can rid yourself of anxiety in certain situations.  But we also understand that sometimes there is more to the story.  Underlying issues that you may have zero idea about.  Things like hormonal imbalances, low cortisol, low Vitamin D, a potassium deficiency and a long list of other reasons.  Our bodies need to be balanced in order to work like the well-oiled machine it was designed to be.

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

• Reduced sex drive.
• Reduced erectile function.
• Loss of body hair.
• Loss of lean muscle mass.
• Feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)
• Obesity (being overweight)
• Symptoms of depression.

T-Therapy

Low Testosterone can cause anxiety in areas you never had it before.  An example would be if you really never struggled with insecurities at work but suddenly started feeling lost.  Low T causes foggy mindedness which leads to several things in our lives not operating normally.  When this starts happening, of course you are going to feel anxious.  If you are feeling anxiety starting to creep its ugly head, we recommend having your testosterone checked asap.  A little dose can go a LONG way.  There is a reason we have 100’s of happy patients doing T-therapy …lives have changed, women are happier than they’ve ever been, and men feel 25 physically again.  Oh! And anxiety is a thing of the past!

Tune in tomorrow for even MORE ways Elite can help with your anxiety woes!!!

Beyond Our Products

Did you know that having something to take care of can actually lower anxiety?  No, we aren’t talking about your children or your parents.  We are talking about little things, like a plant or goldfish.  We know, it sounds silly, but statistics don’t lie.  Knowing that you are going home to your flourishing Banana Leaf tree or Bubbles the Goldfish can give Anxious Annie’s a certain peace.  The peace comes from knowing what to expect, consistency and control.  If you really want to go all in, a puppy is perfect, but needs a lot of extra care in the beginning.  So, make sure your life is ready for that.

Tip of the Day:

We don’t know about you, but social media can cause anxiety in even the least likely individuals.  A good rule is to only check your social media at a certain time of the day.  Pick a time when you’re the most relaxed, like right out of the shower enjoying a cup of coffee.  Or maybe it’s at the end of the day while you enjoy a cup of tea.  Either way, we’ve learned that planning your social media madness can limit anxiety and the ugly green monster as well.  Cheers to Isolating Instagram!!!