Anxiety Archive

News and social media are filled with disturbing stories and images. Anxiety about war, coming on top of two years of the pandemic, is hitting us particularly hard. The symptoms of war anxiety can be physical or mental; knowing what tools to use and how can help break the anxiety cycle.

The stresses of daily life can keep us in a state of constant tension. Learning to belly breathe can help ease your body's response to anxiety and stress.

Cognitive distortions are internal mental filters or biases that fuel anxiety and make us feel bad about ourselves. These filters can cause us to devolve into counterproductive brooding that can worsen depression or anxiety and stall positive lifestyle changes. So how can you recognize and overcome these distortions?

Middle-aged men who often feel worried or anxious may be more prone to problems that raise heart disease risk as they age compared with their less-worried peers.

Many conditions of the gastrointestinal tract are easy to diagnose using standard testing. But some such diseases can impact the GI tract without a clear test finding. Disorders of gut-brain interaction are so called because they involve impaired communication between the gut and brain via the nervous system.

For many people, a visit to the doctor causes anxiety, and discussing sensitive subjects like sexual problems, substance use, or mental health issues is even more likely to induce discomfort. But these discussions can be less anxiety-inducing and more productive if people know what to expect.

Some people feel very strongly that their gender is not the one they were assigned at birth. When families, health care providers, and others ignore or deny this, or try to stop the person from living as the gender they feel is right for them, it's not only unkind but dangerous.

Alarming rates of anxiety and depression are affecting children and teens across the US. While calls are made to expand much-needed programs and access to services, there are actions parents can take today to support their children's mental health.

The past two years have been hard and children and teens have had to deal with particularly challenging circumstances. Resilience—the ability to overcome hardship and stress—is one of the most important skills parents can teach their children.

Due to the lengthy wait for an appointment with a therapist, many people have turned to the numerous mental health apps available on smartphones. Research did not find convincing evidence that use of any such app resulted in significant improvement in symptoms, but some may be useful as a complement to therapy.