Psychology Around the Net: May 23, 2020
States began reopening this past week. Have you ventured out yet? Where’d you go? Who’d you see (in person)? Or, are you waiting? This week’s Psychology Around the Net looks at the benefits of walking or biking to work post quarantine, ways leaders can prepare themselves and their workspaces for reopening, possible causes and prevention of nightmares, and more. Stay well, friends! Leaders, Here’s How to Prepare for the Mental Health Challenges of Reopening: Workers who have been doing their best in survival mode while “lost in the unfamiliar” (i.e. creating home offices and working from hom...
Source: World of Psychology - May 23, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Alicia Sparks Tags: Psychology Around the Net Burnout coronavirus COVID-19 Creative Thinking Jobs Meditation Nightmares pandemic Source Type: blogs

M Is for Mental Health Awareness Month  
For most of us, the uncertainty of the future looms in the foreground of our minds, in the face of the new pandemic as we wade through the muddy headlines pouring into our daily news feeds. I find myself fastened into the driver’s seat of the automobile of my own anxieties, squeamishly yet cautiously and ever-so-steadily steering past the collisions of the crisis as I try to move forward, only to find myself unable to look away from the disaster always tailing just a few feet from behind me.  Each of us are faced with dealing with the uneasiness of the new “abnormal” and we all share one common denominator, across t...
Source: World of Psychology - May 22, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Natasha Navarra Tags: General Inspiration & Hope Personal anxiety coronavirus COVID-19 Depression Despair social distancing Source Type: blogs

How to Avoid Triggering Anxiety Through Excessive Home Cleaning for COVID-19  
Long after most people have returned to work, even with social distancing, wearing masks, taking extreme care to wash hands rigorously and often, avoiding crowds, and limiting time in small confined spaces, there’s still the home environment to contend with. According to some experts, it’s more likely people can contract COVID-19 at home than outdoors and in some places long suspect, such as grocery stores. Without minimizing the importance of home cleanliness, excessive home cleaning for COVID-19 can trigger anxiety. These steps can help. Make cleaning a ritual, yet don’t spend hours doing it. Rituals and daily regi...
Source: World of Psychology - May 22, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Suzanne Kane Tags: Anxiety and Panic compulsive cleaning coronavirus COVID-19 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Spring Cleaning Source Type: blogs

Five Strategies for Coping with Anxiety During the Pandemic
I’ve been up in the middle of the night a lot lately. It’s given me the opportunity to work with my own anxiety and reflect on some of the things that can be most helpful at a time like this, with so many people struggling in personal and collective ways during this pandemic. I’ve been reflecting on the research about what we know about managing stress and coping with adversity. I’ve observed my own, and others’ ways of coping and what seems to be most helpful. Here are five coping strategies I would put on the top of my list. 1. Stay Connected — in real time and in your mind. Social connection and social s...
Source: World of Psychology - May 22, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Beth Kurland, Ph.D. Tags: Anxiety and Panic coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic Source Type: blogs

The Gray Rock Technique for Managing Difficult People
I was trying to disengage from a relationship with a mindfulness/trauma therapist that had turned Machiavellian. Once I recognized his sociopathy, I knew I needed to disconnect from him. Yet I still had a fiscal obligation to complete a work project with him. Angie Fadel, founder of Soul Care, is my friend. She introduced me to a technique called “gray rock” that she uses in dealing with difficult people. This technique is invaluable. Using it, I keep a respectable distance from people whose manipulative behaviors toward me can easily trigger me. These days, going gray rock has enabled me to deal with those in my inne...
Source: World of Psychology - May 21, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Publishers Spirituality & Health manipulative triggering Source Type: blogs

Are you Feeling Emotionally Exhausted during the Pandemic? You May Be Experiencing Burnout
As a practicing psychiatrist, I am experiencing emotional exhaustion since a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has dominated the news and impacted our lives.  I am drained. I am tired of the virus engulfing my entire life. It is as if every conversation revolves around the pandemic. Escaping the virus seems impossible as it has taken over social media and news outlets. I can only process so much suffering.  I know I am not alone. I am constantly hearing the same message from patients, colleagues, family and friends. Our lives have been turned upside down from the pandemic. We long for this bad dream to end and for everything ...
Source: World of Psychology - May 21, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Dimitrios Tsatiris, MD Tags: Personal Self-Help Burnout coronavirus COVID-19 Exhaustion Source Type: blogs

Podcast: Using Nature and Animals to Manage Anxiety
 When was the last time you simply enjoyed being in nature? Whether it’s a camping trip to the mountains, a walk in the park or just watching the squirrels from your backyard, being in nature is profoundly healing. In today’s Psych Central Podcast, our guest Richard Louv, a journalist, author and co-founder of the nonprofit Children & Nature Network, discusses the science behind nature’s healing powers. What counts as “nature?” Are pets included? What are some modern barriers to accessing nature, and how can we overcome them? Join us for the answers to these questions and more. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW G...
Source: World of Psychology - May 21, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: The Psych Central Podcast Tags: Anxiety and Panic General Green and Environment Interview LifeHelper Mental Health and Wellness Podcast Stress The Psych Central Show Source Type: blogs

3 Steps to Help Children Manage Anxiety
Teaching them to tolerate their anxiety can help. Courage doesn’t come naturally and is never easy for an anxious child. A courageous child has learned that courage is a choice that can be practiced: An experience that follows from fear and anxiety. Courage is fundamentally the decision to focus on something more important than fear. Especially for an anxious child, when facing something hard and scary, courage gives them the boost they need to face it front and center. Practicing courage builds confidence, which in turn delivers the resources kids need to choose it again and again. A courageous child knows how to not o...
Source: World of Psychology - May 20, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Children and Teens Publishers YourTango anxiety Parenting Tips Source Type: blogs

Moving Through, Moving To: Six Gentle Steps to Get Out of the Dark
In my many musings, I have found a natural progression that helps us out of our darkest places. I call it Moving Through, Moving To, and, in this case, it means moving toward a little Hope.  When nothing else seems to work amidst the immobilizing fear and grip of extreme anxiety or depression, this progression has helped me move gently, first out, then up. I only hope it might help you to do the same. In this gentle process, I first outline the step, then demonstrate an example in italics. Please feel free to cater it to what feels right for you. Step One: I am In my depressive worst, at the bottom of the barrel, there ar...
Source: World of Psychology - May 20, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Amy Rise Infinity Tags: Depression Motivation and Inspiration Personal limiting beliefs Self-Talk Source Type: blogs

Inside Schizophrenia: The Role Nurses Play in Schizophrenia Treatment
Some of the professionals that work most with helping people with schizophrenia are nurses. There are so many types with different skill sets. Host Rachel Star Withers and Co-host Gabe Howards learn who these often overlooked healthcare workers are. Dr. Tari Dilks, Professor and President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, joins with insight on what goes into being a psychiatric nurse.  Highlights in “The Role Nurses Play in Schizophrenia Treatment” Episode [01:14] Doctor sidekicks? [04:00] The types of nurses [06:40] Nurse Practitioners [11:00] Nurses specialties [13:00] Psychiatric Nursing [1...
Source: World of Psychology - May 20, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Rachel Star Withers Tags: Inside Schizophrenia Mental Health and Wellness Psychiatry Psychology Mental Disorder Mental Illness Nurses Nursing Psychiatric Nurse Psychotherapy Treatment For Schizophrenia Source Type: blogs

15 Reasons for Hope
People may tell you to “cheer up” while your thoughts and self-judgments dictate fear and hopelessness. Use these fifteen truths to battle both and find a realistic middle ground that works for you. Time is steady. How we measure time counters illusions that hours fly by out of control or that they have come to an unwelcome stop. Watch the second hands on a clock for a bit to confirm this concept. Later, when you feel overwhelmed, think of this reminder. Time changes things. Each day is different, depending on what happens and how you decide to react to it. The opportunities for help and hope and change are vast. Do...
Source: World of Psychology - May 19, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jan McDaniel Tags: Inspiration & Hope Self-Help cultivating optimism Positive Thinking Source Type: blogs

3 Ways to Jump-Start Your Creativity During Coronavirus
It’s no exaggeration to say that COVID-19 has changed our lives in dramatic, unexpected, and unwanted ways. People living with or vulnerable to a mental illness have been especially impacted, and now more than ever it’s important to have effective coping mechanisms to protect yourself during these unprecedented times. For centuries, people have turned to the arts and creative expression to manage or reduce symptoms of mental illness, and science is finally catching up to what we have always intuitively known — creating helps us feel better. Research suggests that artistic activities can help people manage anxiet...
Source: World of Psychology - May 19, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Katie Keridan, Psy.D., MPH Tags: Creativity General Self-Help coronavirus COVID-19 Source Type: blogs

Podcast: Deconstructing Mental Health Month
  It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! But what does that mean, exactly? Who are we raising awareness for? Is “mental health” the same as “mental illness?” In this Not Crazy Podcast, Gabe and Lisa ponder the meaning of this decades-old campaign and discuss the pros and cons of the movement. What do you think? Is Mental Health Awareness Month a necessary outreach that sheds light on mental health, or is it a flimsy substitute for actual help? Tune in for an in-depth discussion that entails several different perspectives. (Transcript Available Below) Subscribe to Our Show! And Please Remember to Review Us! ...
Source: World of Psychology - May 19, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Not Crazy Podcast Tags: General Mental Health and Wellness Not Crazy Podcast Policy and Advocacy Source Type: blogs

Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Lose It
I am a runner. Even with a regular running routine and being in pretty good shape, there are many times during my runs where I start to feel like I am not going to make it. I start to panic a little bit, and I can feel the flood of negative thoughts threatening to overtake me. I know then that I have reached some kind of threshold for this exercise.  But I don’t just quit. I look for ways to alleviate the stress I am feeling and look for a new way to move forward. I have found that this little questionnaire always reveals a way forward not only in running, but when I feel like I am losing it in life, too.  Next time yo...
Source: World of Psychology - May 18, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Bonnie McClure Tags: Anxiety and Panic Self-Help Source Type: blogs

Managing Quarantine Fatigue  
Someone gave it a name: Quarantine Fatigue. It’s not a diagnosis, but it surely does label what many people are feeling now that we’re 7 – 8 weeks in with stay at home guidelines/orders. People are by nature social creatures. We desire connection. We thrive on relationships. We need to be with other humans to be human. There are even studies that show that people would rather experience physical pain than loneliness.  Quarantine Fatigue speaks to our difficulty maintaining the limits on up front and personal, 3-dimensional contact with our fellow human beings. The result for many people is irritability, restlessness...
Source: World of Psychology - May 18, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. Tags: Anxiety and Panic Depression Alfred Adler cabin fever coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic social distancing Social Responsibility Source Type: blogs