anxiety

A look at anxiety in its many forms and manifestations; what is the nature of this specific pattern of extreme fear and worry?

Spring Clean Your Anxiety
Almost everyone attempts to kick off the new year with the aim of meeting a goal or picking up a new hobby. For me, I try to do the same, but I’ve struggled with it for the past few years.
By Emily Wohlstadter5 years ago in Psyche
Do I Have To?
Today, I saw this meme on Facebook, and it made me giggle. It was also instantly recognizably me. People who know me probably wouldn’t describe me as an introvert, because I have gotten really good at disguising it.
By Paula Shablo5 years ago in Psyche
Balcony Time: A Gift to Anxious Organizers
"Why can't you be more organized like you were in high school?" My mom's words came at the worst possible time. With a new job that demanded strong skills in self-management and a new community of people to find belonging in, life just didn't seem as simple as making sure my priorities were consistently written down and checked off (as satisfying as checking off that to-do list can be!) And here's the thing: that straight-A, check-the-box student, with a backpack weighed down as if about to embark on an expedition up Everest? Internally, she was a mess.
By Amanda K. Millar5 years ago in Psyche
Anticipation and Anxiety
Anticipation is often hard on the soul. It creates within us an anxiety over decisions we do not have direct control over and yet the outcomes of those decisions can have major impacts on our lives. Consider when you've applied and interviewed for a new job or promotion and that time in between the presentation of ourselves and the ultimate decision. We have to sit and we have to wait; we're having to wait to hear what our future holds and there's no longer anything we can do about it.
By Mark Metz5 years ago in Psyche
Fight Anxiety With Knowledge
It's not always obvious right away what exactly is making us anxious. There can be so many triggers out there. Just as we are individuals our anxieties are individual to us, but there is one thing we can do to overcome our fears and anxieties.
By Kate Fox5 years ago in Psyche
Poltergeist
I'm not sure when I became too much. No...I'm not sure when I, when they, everything around me, became so immeasurably overwhelming; but I did it, I got out.
By Colleen Bridges5 years ago in Psyche
Out of step
So often I feel like an imposter moving about life. My steps are so deliberate and planned. It’s like I’m watching myself audition (...and 5,6,7,8). It’s only when I make uncoordinated, sloppy stomps that it actually feels like I’m living authentically.
By Lindsey G5 years ago in Psyche
B U R Y I N G
The sun has set. The spoon dripped honey. I let it pool on my tongue and it slid down my throat. It was thick and felt hot as it pooled, a sweetness beyond sugar, beyond gold.
By Sunniva Vann5 years ago in Psyche
4 Practices for those of us who psych ourselves into Morning Routine Anxiety
Do you overthink everything? Are you constantly wound tight? Ready for anything and everything to go wrong? Do you find that morning is particularly difficult for you? You may or may not be surprised to know that you aren't alone.
By Dena Danzig5 years ago in Psyche
Camera Lucida
"Hey what're you drawing there, Sophi?" a young girl says to her sister, well laying on her bed. The older sister Leaning back against the bed the responds "oh nothing Iris, just some flowers I saw today well walking in our-"
By Brayden M. Wilcox5 years ago in Psyche
Troubled Waters
It all came to a head on a beautiful crisp spring morning. My fiancée was driving. We both worked as independent contractors for financial firms and had recently relocated across the country to where the work was more plentiful. The move had been expensive, stressful and tiring, but ultimately we were very happy. We had met some great new friends, we were both earning good money, and we had our wedding planned for the end of the year. By all rights it should’ve been smooth sailing.
By Shaun O'Neill5 years ago in Psyche
Paradise
"Congratulations!" James continued reading aloud to his wife. "'You've won an all-expense paid trip to Paradise. Where you can put your feet up and just relax.' Yo baby, check this out! Literally all you have to do is just show up and you're in a $20,000 raffle!" James finished reading the pamphlet before plopping on the couch. "You think you can get that much time off from work?" His wife Debbie jokingly asks as she walks into the living room. James looks over his shoulder with a smug look on his face and answered, "Baby it's a weekend trip. Worse comes to worse I will call out of work on Friday. Plus, the program is on its last evaluation anyway, so they'll be fine." James and Debbie packed their bags and flew out to Las Vegas, Nevada that Friday for their luxurious vacation.
By Anthony Paderes5 years ago in Psyche