Anxiety Disorder Archives - Page 4 of 5

Thanksgiving Stress: What You Can do to Avoid Tension with Your Family

on November 7, 2019 at 12:36 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Thanksgiving is one of the holidays I most dread. Every year it’s the same thing with my family. “So, when are you going to have another child?” or “You’re 30 and still at that entry-level job. I thought you were going to go to law school.” I love my family, but I always find myself getting annoyed or angry by their nosiness. Every holiday, it feels like the feast ends in an argument, whether it’s over relationships, money, or everyone’s favorite topic: politics. Is there anything my family and I...

Anxiety and Depression with Teens and Helping Them Become Resilient

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 15, 2019 at 1:46 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. This is my son’s first year of high school and I’m noticing some changes in his behavior. He appears sullen and distracted much more often than he did last year and is spending an unfathomable amount of time on social media. His first report card arrived last week, and his grades were mostly B’s and C’s, which surprised me since he’s always been an A student. I tried talking to him about it, but he’s been very standoffish and brushes my concerns away. Is there something my husband and I...

Social Trouble: The School Year, Social Anxiety, and How to Help Kids Through It

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 28, 2019 at 11:46 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week's topic. The school year’s first open house was last night. We met with Emily’s teachers and some other parents and got plenty of information about what the kids will be doing in school. One of her teachers told us that middle school is the perfect place to introduce group projects, presentations, and speeches. I want to say Emily will have no trouble with any of that but, if she’s anything like me, there’s a chance her anxiety will go through the roof! I remember as a young student standing at the...

Helping Yourself: How Volunteering Can Make a Huge Difference for Your Mental Health

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 1, 2019 at 12:38 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. A couple of months ago, I began feeling stressed and anxious due to the pressures of work. My husband suggested we take a small trip to take my mind away from the office. My mother, however, said she had a better idea and invited me to join her in volunteering at the local food bank. After a couple of weekends doing so, I began to feel better. I felt a bit more optimistic about my performance at work and my coworkers noticed the change in me as well. I guess...

Parental Caution: What a History of Mental Illness in Your Family and Marijuana Could Mean for Your Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 23, 2019 at 10:29 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. When I was a teen, smoking marijuana was a common pastime for my friends and I. It was fun, mostly harmless, and we all grew out of it fairly quickly. Our kids are still young and happily not old enough to be dabbling with illicit substances yet (seriously, they are five and eight!). I told my wife that I wouldn’t mind if our children dabbled in a little weed when they were a bit older as long as they kept their usage to a minimum, but she immediately opposed this...

A Helping Hand: What You Can do to Help Your Kids with Their Upcoming Standardized Tests

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on April 25, 2019 at 5:30 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Ashley’s standardized tests are coming up in a couple of weeks and I can already tell she’s starting to stress about it. She’s typically an A student and will probably do great but these tests are getting to her a bit. The teachers and school administration put so much pressure on students to practice, practice, practice, and sometimes tell them that if they don’t pass, they might not get promoted to the next grade! That is an incredible amount of pressure. We took standardized tests in school, but teachers never...

Thanksgiving: The Food, The Bad and the Ugly

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 8, 2018 at 12:48 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and knowing that there will be plentiful amounts of food isn’t helping my anxiety. I tend to overeat when I get anxious, so you can see the problem I’m having. I try my best to keep a level head during this season, but it seems to get harder each year. I’m considering skipping Thanksgiving with my family this year, but at the same time, I want to try and figure out how to not let my anxiety get the better of me so...

No More Stigmas: Speaking Out About Your Anxiety and Depression

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 7, 2018 at 9:56 AM /

On June 5, we lost fashion icon Kate Spade. Many of us knew her brand and loved her purses, iPhone cases and accessories. What most in the public were completely unaware of was that under that lighthearted and creative exterior lived a woman who suffered terribly from depression and a fear of “being found out”. She worried that if her struggles with depression were made public, it would tarnish her image and damage her business. It’s heartbreaking that she was so afraid of what others would say if she privately sought help and spoke out about her mental illness. On Friday,...

Seeking Too Much: Why Constantly Reassuring Your Children Isn’t Always Good

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on January 24, 2018 at 8:00 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. I’ve noticed over the past year or so that Chelsea has been asking me more and more of the same types of questions. These can range from, “Will you definitely be picking me up from soccer practice after school?”, to “Are you sure that the vegetables in the salad aren’t spoiled?” I usually answer these with a simple and reassuring “yes” to quell her concerns, but it’s getting to the point that she’s needing reassurance for almost everything and is sometimes asking me the same thing but in different ways....

Overwhelming Worries: A Close Look at Anxiety Disorders

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on April 19, 2017 at 8:52 PM /

I have to admit that I haven’t felt like myself lately. Actually, I’m not even sure what truly feeling like myself is like anymore. I often find myself trying to battle the most uncontrollable worries imaginable: a sense of panic and overall restlessness. The funny thing is that I can’t find a reason why I’m feeling this way to begin with. I mean, I experience stress from work and normal issues at home, but is this enough to make it as overwhelming as it is? Do you remember standing in front of your classroom, feeling anxious as you prepared to make...