Stress: Resources, Treatment, Symptoms, and More

The Good Stress: How Eustress Helps You Grow

By Jamie Wiebe, Contributor
October 5, 2019October 7, 2019

dad teaching daughter how to ride bike experiencing eustress or good stress

Americans are more stressed than ever — but if you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, that statistic might not be so terrifying. There are two types of stress: the awful, normal stress that leads to late-night hair-tearing sessions, and eustress, or good stress.

Good stress? It’s not as wild as you think. If you’re a scary movie fan, you know the feeling: The killer is right around the corner, the last protagonist alive is hiding behind the tree, and your heart is pounding. Yes, you’re stressed. You’re also excited, intrigued, and eager to keep watching.

You’ll experience bouts of eustress throughout your life, and it’s easy to mistake them for regular distress. Perhaps you’re about to start your first year at college. Sure, you’re petrified; You’ll be living alone in a new place where you know no one.

Eustress pushes you to new heights. It encourages you to dive into new career experiences, finish that tough workout, and take on that major renovation project.

Here’s what you need to know about stress’s less-scary side. Continue reading The Good Stress: How Eustress Helps You Grow

5 Signs of Acute Stress Disorder

By Sarah Domingo
October 3, 2019September 30, 2019

Two years ago, my car hydroplaned during a heavy snowstorm and crashed into another car. While my car was totaled, everyone walked away from the accident with only a few small cuts and bruises. However, for about a month afterwards, all I could think about was this event. I was constantly on edge, from the moment I woke up agitated in the morning, until I was trying to calm down at night and sleep. Driving — something I used to enjoy — became a deep fear. After that month, my constant feelings and thoughts circling around the event eventually dissipated, and I was able to carry on with my daily life. What gives?

It was something more than simply “getting over” this car accident. After researching the topic and speaking to a licensed therapist, I realized that I had experienced symptoms of a condition called Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). This anxiety condition is relatively new in the psychological field, and it shares many of the same symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Continue reading 5 Signs of Acute Stress Disorder

Back To Reality: How To Get On Track After Too Much YOLO

By Ashley Laderer, Contributor
September 2, 2019August 31, 2019

Letting the concept of “YOLO” go to our heads happens to the best of us. It can drive all of our decisions and we end up partying too hard, drinking too much, going weeks without exercising, falling behind on work, and letting our dishes pile up to the ceiling. Sure, you want to make the most of your life and live it to the fullest, but there’s definitely such a thing as too much YOLO. When we’re living a little too hedonistically, it’s common for us to lose sight of what’s really important to us and get off track. We all need balance.

In today’s society, it’s all too easy to go wild in order to escape. When you finally come back to reality, you might feel somewhat lost. Thankfully, getting off track doesn’t mean that you can’t get back on. Continue reading Back To Reality: How To Get On Track After Too Much YOLO

5 Ways to Combat Burnout

By Tiffany Dyba
August 28, 2019August 27, 2019

Have you ever felt incredibly fatigued? Maybe you notice you are getting a lot of migraines as of late? You are finding it difficult to concentrate, and are irritable and unhappy. You could be suffering from burnout: chronic workplace stress that you’re not successfully managing.

Burnout is not considered a psychological disorder, however that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be treated with sensitivity and care. Continue reading 5 Ways to Combat Burnout

What Is The Relationship Between Hormones and Anxiety?

By Jamie Wiebe, Contributor
August 9, 2019August 5, 2019

If you’ve ever felt confused by spiking anxiety shortly before your period begins, don’t worry: You’re not alone. Our hormones directly affect our anxiety levels. And it’s not just progesterone — a number of hormones can influence how stressed you’re feeling on any particular day, regardless of whether you have a uterus or not.

Here’s the rundown of the wild world of hormones inside our body — and info about how they can increase (or help!) your anxiety. Continue reading What Is The Relationship Between Hormones and Anxiety?

Are You Numbing Out On Self-Care?

By Elizabeth Su, Contributor
August 8, 2019August 5, 2019

A few weeks before my wedding, I caught a nasty cold.

I remember marching into my therapy appointment — head pounding and body aching — furious that I was sick. I was frustrated that being sick was getting in the way of what I thought I had to do to feel beautiful and relaxed on my wedding day. Things like: run every day, tone my arms, double-down on my skin regimen, cook homemade meals, get a haircut, drink green juice, and meditate regularly. I was overcome with guilt that I didn’t have the energy to do any of it.

“I’m just so tired,” I blubbered to my therapist in between sobs. Continue reading Are You Numbing Out On Self-Care?

How to Protect Yourself From Overthinking

By Jessica DuBois-Maahs, Contributor
August 3, 2019August 1, 2019

If you overthink, you obsess about mistakes that were made yesterday and feel distress about plans in your future. It can take shape as significant worry over performance at school or at work, as well as an invasive concern about how others perceive your actions and what you say. Often, this transforms relatively harmless conversations and interactions into endless loops of thinking, leading a person to experience distress, anguish and obsession. If this compulsion to overthink sounds familiar, continue reading for ways to reduce anxiety levels and contain some of these negative thought patterns. Continue reading How to Protect Yourself From Overthinking

5 Signs You’re Too Hard On Yourself

By Ladan Nikravan Hayes, Contributor
July 19, 2019July 17, 2019

For many people, it’s easy to forgive someone else, but a lot harder to forgive him of herself. Holding yourself to an impossible standard of perfectionism is a common cause of this inability to forgive yourself. Ignoring positives and solely focusing on the negatives during self-reflection can lead to wrong turns, missed opportunities, and mistakes. Of course, striving to be the best version of yourself and continuously improving yourself isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re constantly focusing on your own shortcomings and errors, it can take a toll on your mental health.

“The tone of your self-talk is the key,” said Amy Cirbus, a New York-based Talkspace therapist. “There’s a difference between saying ‘That didn’t work out, I think I might be able to do that better’ versus ‘I can never get this right, I’m such a failure.’ Continue reading 5 Signs You’re Too Hard On Yourself

Why Aren’t College Students Getting The Mental Health Support They Need?

By Elizabeth Su, Contributor
July 18, 2019July 17, 2019

college student with backpack walking out the door of a building

It was around 10pm when I got a knock on my freshman college dorm room. I probably had been up since 8am studying, squirreled away for most of the day in my favorite cubicle on the no-talking floor in the library. 12-hour study days were the norm for me. Monday through Sunday. No days off.

I heard the knock again and got up from my scratchy desk chair to open the door. My best friend from school was there, holding an Oreo cake in his hands.

“Come on,” he said, peeling me away from my textbooks. “It’s time to eat cake!”

It was my 18th birthday. Continue reading Why Aren’t College Students Getting The Mental Health Support They Need?