Do you tend to focus on the worst-case scenario or spend time thinking about how terribly things will go? Catastrophizing is a common component of anxiety and depression. Learn how to address it.
Imagine this situation: you’re running late to catch a train to visit some friends, and despite rushing to catch it, you miss it by a few minutes. The next train isn’t for another 90 minutes, which means you’ll be late and miss part of your visit.
[Read more…]If you suffer from anxiety, you may have moments when you wonder if you’re losing your grip, or “going crazy.” For some people, this is just a passing thought. For others, however, it can become a major fear. The more the idea dominates your thought process, the more it can seem like you really are going crazy.
Fainting is always concerning and can happen for many reasons. Learn about the most common type of fainting, vasovagal syncope, and what causes it.
Syncope is the medical term for passing out or fainting. Fainting is a relatively common experience. Around 3-3.5% of people experience fainting at some point in their life. It can happen at any age, to any person.
Vasovagal syncope is the most common type of fainting. This type of fainting comes from a sudden dip in your heart rate and blood pressure that’s caused by certain triggers (listed below). These dips make it harder for blood to reach your brain, which is what causes you to pass out. Most fainting episodes last less than one minute. But, if you try to get up too soon after fainting, you may faint again because there isn’t yet enough blood flowing to your brain. Lying down and elevating your legs can help you recover.
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Dizziness is both common and uncomfortable. When you experience dizziness, you might feel lightheaded, woozy, or unsteady. This is not the same as feeling as though things are spinning or moving, which is called vertigo. The terms dizziness and vertigo are often treated as though they are the same sensations, but they are different. Dizziness refers to any feeling of lightheadedness or like your balance is off. Vertigo, on the other hand, is uniquely a spinning sensation, as if you or your surroundings are moving.
[Read more…]Depression occurs for many reasons. A common one is unhelpful thinking patterns — traps that our thoughts can fall into and get stuck in. These are also called cognitive distortions, and the “mental filter” is a common example. The mental filter is like having a screen over your mind that obscures the positive aspects of a situation while letting the negative aspects through.
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