You only have to listen to the headlines or read the newspaper to see that anxiety levels are rising and a growing number of people are experiencing stress. In this guide, we’ll discuss some common causes of stress and anxiety and offer tips to help you cope. 

Unemployment is one of the most talked-about subjects at the moment, with many people losing their jobs or businesses and others struggling to hang on to theirs. Balancing the books is challenging at the best of times when you’re trying to manage a household or raise kids, but the pandemic has exacerbated difficulties and made staying in the black virtually impossible for some. If you’re experiencing financial strain, or you’ve lost your job, there is help out there. Don’t hesitate to seek advice about incentives or support measures that are available to you during the crisis and look for opportunities to increase your income if your workload is reduced or you’ve lost your job. From Forex Trading, to online courses,  blogging to temporary jobs, it’s possible to find solutions, even if they are only a short-term option to tide you over. It’s also beneficial to try and reduce spending on non-essential items and to budget to make your money stretch further and find out about programs that could prevent you from getting into debt in the weeks ahead. Some companies are offering freezes on loan and credit card payments, for example. 

Relationships can make or break us. While some relationships lift our spirits and make us feel secure and content, others can have a negative impact. Break-ups are tough and it can take a long time to come to terms with the fact that you’re moving in a direction that is different from the one you expected to take. You might have envisioned spending your entire life with a partner, only to find that you’re now on your own. Take your time to process what has happened and to heal. Lean on the people closest to you and try to focus on the present, rather than the past. Often, relationships don’t work, and once you have a sense of perspective and time has passed, you realize that there was a good reason for parting. Let yourself feel and experience emotions and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get on with life, start dating or stop feeling upset about the situation. Move at your own pace. Everyone copes in different ways and there is no right or wrong way to deal with relationship breakdowns. 

Do you feel like you’re swimming against the tide, or do you dread the alarm going off every morning? It’s rare to find a job you enjoy every minute of every day, but work shouldn’t be a source of severe stress or anxiety. If you are feeling under pressure, or you’re struggling to switch off, talk to your boss about your workload, address issues that are getting to you and take some time out. It’s crucial to have a balance and to enjoy downtime. Learn to say no. If you’re already working too many hours without pay, or your to-do list is endless, don’t take on more work or sign yourself up for extra commitments after work. Rest, relax and look after yourself. 

Stress and anxiety are rife at the moment. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. There are myriad causes, but help is available. Don’t hesitate to reach out and try and take care of yourself as best you can. 

This is a collaborative post.

Melinda

In less than two weeks over 30 families have been torn apart by gun violence. Two weeks! What the FUCK is going on in our country. You’ve heard by now of the senseless shooting in Uvalde, Texas yesterday. An 18-year-old purchased a semi-automatic rifle, killed his grandmother went to the elementary school, and left behind 19 students and two teachers dead. With several more students in critical condition in the hospital. We may be adding to that number.

How can we find this acceptable? What is it going to take to get to the root of the problem? I’m tired of throwing bandaids on the real issues. GUN LAWS!

I’m embarrassed that one of the Texas lawmakers suggested that more police was the answer. REALLY? More police in schools are the answer? How many shootings have occurred when an officer was on campus?

I’m a gun owner, and I believe that people have the right to carry a gun. People who are responsible to carry a gun, not just anyone. This 18-year-old shooter went to the store and bought a semi-automatic rifle. Why in the hell was this allowed? The person that sold him the gun should go to jail!

I don’t have all the answers but I know that we have to get our lawmakers off their asses and make changes to the law. No one needs a semi-automatic rifle, they are for mass shootings. We have to make guns much harder to get, much more extensive, and longer time periods before buying a gun.

I know there are those who say I want to stomp on their 2nd amendment rights but that is not the case. Taking all guns away is taking those rights away. I want anyone who has a problem with what I have to say, to go to Uvalde and see the carnage left behind. The families are torn apart by what could have easily been prevented. Look them in the eye and make your case. Attend all the funerals and tell me we don’t need gun reform.

Matthew McConaughey is from Uvalde and here’s a snippet of what he had to say.

Matthew McConaughey is from Uvalde 

“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” he wrote, in part. “The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem?’

“We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”

He went on to ask Americans to find “common ground” so that they can put an end to mass shootings.

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How many more lives have to be lost before we force change? What if it’s your child next, your neighbor’s child, your mother, or your husband?

We all have to send a message to lawmakers, LAWMAKERS are the people who get it done. This is not on the President, he doesn’t make the laws. We each have elected officials that are supposed to listen to what we want, and what we need. It’s these state lawmakers that we elect who have to stop playing politics in the aisle and make real change. We have to hold them accountable.

We have to send a message by how we vote.

I’m seething and know when I turn on the news in the next couple of days there will be another mass shooting and another.

The time is now!

Melinda

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I wanted to share a tool that helped me better communicate with my doctor about my mood swings and how I was doing in between appointments. 

Cleaned up repost from 2014

When I started seeing my Psychopharmacologist almost 16 years ago he intimidated me. He’s not a chipper guy and it took years to see through his shell. I was in a very dark place and spiraling down. I didn’t think he understood how depressed I was.

Psychiatrists are different from therapists in that, they only provide medication management, and appointments are 20 minutes at most. So we had a couple of frustrating meetings. I didn’t know how to reach him, I didn’t know doctor talk. He is one of the best in Texas and finding a Psychopharmacologist is difficult, I wasn’t walking away.

During another frustrating meeting, he left the room to talk to a therapist he worked with. He did me the biggest favor and no doubt saved my life. He suggested I sit down with a therapist to see if she could help me better communicate what was going on. They had worked together for 13 years, and she provided some insight into his personality and how best to communicate with him.

She drew a chart and we talked about how depressed I was. She repeated back to make sure she was on track and then gave me the chart. At that time I was rapid cycling, and adjusting to meds, and didn’t think I was improving. The Mood Chart brought our communication on the same page. I liked the log because it gave me an opportunity to show how I was cycling or any other significant change. I took out a journal and started keeping a daily log of the chart and any info about my state of mind. It gave me an opportunity to see exactly what was happening at any given time or day and look for trends, triggers, and side effect notes.

I want to share the chart for those struggling with their mental illness or who have trouble communicating with their doctor.

Once we were on the same page, he was able to give me the help I needed. I would suggest a larger sheet of paper to give room for notes.

My chart may look different than yours since I discovered my normal was actually below the normal line. You basically draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. The line is normal mood. Then you track 1-10 above the line or below the line. Mine is not the best example but it’s the only one I kept.

I would track 1-10 below the line if I was depressed and 1-10 above the line if I was feeling good or high. I would also write some notes in there to help describe the mood or feelings at the time. There are some mood charts online that you can print off that might help.

Tracking my moods gave me a way to spell out exactly what I was going thru with documentation that helped me answer questions from the doctor that I may not have remembered otherwise.