In my last blog post, I shared “15 Surefire ways to stay nice and depressed”…So this week I thought I’d write about some fun and easy ways to increase your anxiety as well. Although depression doesn’t like company much, anxiety is one of its trusty companions – So here we go! Read more

You’re going about your day when suddenly – and for no apparent reason – a sense of overwhelming fear kicks in.  Your heart rate spikes, breathing becomes difficult, you feel like you might faint, and there’s a sense that you’ve lost control.  “What’s wrong with me?”, you might be thinking.  “Am I having a heart attack? Am I going to die?”  Your fears about what’s happening only make things worse.  You decide to check yourself in to the ER, only to be told that there’s nothing wrong with your health – and that you might only be experiencing anxiety. Read more

We can all identify certain things we are afraid of.  Public speaking, snakes, heights, spiders, social situations, enclosed spaces, flying, clowns, and injections (think flu shot) are among some of the most commonly reported fears.  When it comes to these fears, there’s a spectrum of fright intensity that ranges from intense dislike to total avoidance of anything that has to do with the thing or the situation that causes the fearful emotional response.  In the most severe cases, contact with anything associated with the anxiety-provoking stimulus can cause an extremely anxious response or panic attack that usually leads to doing whatever necessary to separate oneself from the place or situation.  This is called a phobia.  Read more