Life Transitions –
Finding Your Way Forward

I want to be straightforward with you. Neither I nor any other clinician can promise that therapy will change everything or help you be completely symptom-free. I do have good reasons to be positive. The treatment modalities I use have excellent success rates. Many of the women I work with develop the skills to overcome stress and anxiety. They feel calmer and more self-compassionate and balanced. The tools acquired during therapy last a lifetime and can lead you into a fuller, more intentional, and satisfying life.

Women-Focused Facts and Statistics About Anxiety

• As women between puberty and age 50, we are almost twice as likely as men to develop an Anxiety Disorder.
• Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental disorders and concerns reported in the United States.
• Women experience more body-based symptoms of anxiety than men.
• Women who suffer from panic attacks experience more shortness of breath, faintness, and smothering sensations than men.
• Women with OCD report that their obsessions are often more focused on cleaning, while men’s obsessions focus seems to be around symmetry.
• Panic disorder tends to be more chronic in women.
• 40 million adults, Americans, suffer from anxiety disorders. That’s 18% of the adult population in the US!
• People with anxiety disorders are five times more likely to seek medical intervention.
• Anxiety responds well to treatment but tends to remain unchanged without new tools and insights.

Anxiety disorders are the effect of a unique combination of live events genetic heritage, brain chemistry and personality.

There has been a lot of research to understand why women experience anxiety more often. Yet, there is no conclusive answer to this question. Research indicates that there are several factors at work. Biological (genetic, hormonal), socio-cultural (gender-specific learning to respond to our emotions from our environment), and psychological factors.

8 Signs that Your Anxiety May Be a Problem?

1. Do your worries keep you awake at night; do you have a hard time keeping negative thoughts at bay?
2. Have you experienced a panic attack: racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or feelings of terror?
3. Do you feel like an outsider even with friends, like you don’t quite fit in anywhere?
4. You’re distracted by a stream of intrusive anxious thoughts.
5. Does your Anxiety at work, home, or socially making it challenging to excel and perform?
6. Do you avoid activities you might enjoy because of a feeling of dread?
7. You suffer from headaches, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, or stress-related health concerns.
8. Is my Anxiety is hurting my relationships?

10 Things You Can Do Right Now To Feel Better

1. Cut down your caffeine intake. Caffeine can interfere with sleep, make your anxiety worse, and even lead to panic attacks.
2. Get enough sleep. Anxiety can lead to insomnia, and not sleeping enough decreases your ability to cope with stress and anxiety.
3. Eat healthily. Eat well and often. Several smaller meals during the day are often better than three big meals for people with anxiety. When you go without food for long periods, your blood sugar drops, leaving you anxious and irritable and eating complex carbohydrates (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables). Complex carbs stabilize blood sugar and boost serotonin, a neurotransmitter with calming effects.
4. Avoid alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol makes anxiety worse! It offers the lure of reducing anxiety and worry short-term. Still, it causes anxiety symptoms to intensify as it wears off. Nicotine is a potent stimulant that leads to anxiety.
5. Learn to use deep breathing and relaxation techniques. Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation have all been proven effective.
6. Getting daily exercise can make a big difference in lowering your anxiety level. Exercise releases tension and reduces stress levels, which makes it a natural antidote to anxiety; it also releases endorphins, our brain’s “feel-good chemicals.”
7. Limit your sugar intake.
8. Connect with others. Spending time with other people in a meaningful way has been shown to lower anxiety.
9. Do what’s meaningful to you. Make time for activities that nurture you and matter to you.
10. Practice self-compassion-Having anxiety is challenging! Listen to how you speak to yourself and ask, “would I talk like this to a friend?” Try speaking with yourself in a more accepting way and observe how you feel.