It’s 2 a.m. and your mind won’t shut off. You’re lying in bed, physically exhausted, but mentally replaying a conversation from two days ago for the 37th time. “Why did I say that?” “Did I look weird?” “What if they think I’m ridiculous?” Obsessive thoughts in anxiety are like uninvited guests who don’t know when…
If you’ve ever watched your child freeze up completely when someone speaks to them—and I mean not just shy or hesitant, but absolutely silent—you might know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not rudeness. It’s not just shyness. It’s something deeper, more paralyzing. My nephew went through this, and at first, we just thought he…
Honestly, I used to think separation anxiety was something only kids experienced—like that clingy phase toddlers go through when their parents leave the room. But then I hit my early thirties, and something changed. After my partner left for a short work trip, I felt this overwhelming unease creeping in. I wasn’t just “missing” them….
When I first heard someone say they painted their way out of an anxiety spiral, I thought they were joking. Turns out, they were on to something real. If you’ve ever stared at a blank page feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or just mentally cluttered, there’s a good chance art therapy might be the unexpected ally you…
Honestly, I never expected a therapy developed for borderline personality disorder to be the one that finally helped me breathe through the relentless tide of anxiety. Dialectical Behavior Therapy—DBT—was something I’d heard about in passing. But it wasn’t until I hit that all-too-familiar spiral of overthinking, emotional flooding, and panic that I started digging. What…
When I was first prescribed buspirone for my generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), I’ll admit—I was skeptical. I’d heard of SSRIs, maybe even benzodiazepines, but buspirone? It didn’t ring any bells. The name sounded like a bus stop, not a medication. But I was desperate for something that wouldn’t make me feel like a zombie or…
So the other day, I stumbled across this old notebook from college filled with frantic scribbles about deadlines, social events, and, weirdly enough, doodles of spirals. I remember that time clearly—it was the peak of my “what is wrong with me?” phase. My brain felt like it was permanently stuck on fast-forward, and I had…
I’ll be honest—there was a time when I didn’t realize just how much a few drinks on the weekend could throw off my entire week. Sure, hangovers were expected. But anxiety? That creeping, edgy, heart-thumping unease that clings for days? That wasn’t something anyone warned me about. And yet, here we are—”hangxiety” is no longer…
Sleep and I? Let’s just say we’ve had a complicated relationship. For years, I chalked up my 3 a.m. wide-awake sessions to stress or maybe too much caffeine. But over time, I realized there was more going on beneath the surface. If you’ve been waking up in the middle of the night, thoughts racing, heart…