ADAA Mental Health Blogs for the Public
You’re getting ready for a peaceful night sleep when you see something moving on the floor next to your bed. A spider! You yell for your braver-half to kill it. Your hero jumps into action. The shoe slams down on the hardwood. Thank goodness! Then you see the spider scurry under the bed.
“NOOO! I can’t sleep in here tonight.”
Your poor aiming hero tries to convince you that it’s a small spider who is more afraid of you. But you don’t see it that way.
“What if he crawls on me when I’m sleeping?”
Separation anxiety is something that most parents know about. Many parents will fondly recall the days when their infant could be held by anyone and then recount that there was a time with their child when this changed.
Text me when your plane lands.
Text me to let me know you got home safely.
Where are you?
How are you?
Hey did you get my last text? (sent 2 minutes ago!)
With the proliferation of cell phones, most of us have dramatically increased our checking on loved ones. In a March 2018 poll by the APA 68% of respondents said they worry about “keeping myself or my family safe.” Our cell phones are our favorite tool to keep that worry in check. But is it really working for us?
What comes to your mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? If you suffer from anxiety and worry, then there is a good chance that you are concerned about being disappointed or about disappointing someone. If you do not have a romantic partner then your anxiety might be focusing your worry on never having a partner or never finding a great love. If you are depressed, then you might be experiencing more cynical thoughts about the commercialization of the holiday, the futility of romantic relationships or your own unworthiness for a fulfilling romance.
If anyone knows how stressful the holiday season can be, it’s Santa Claus. I've often wondered how he's able to keep his cool when things are heating up at the North Pole. I recently interviewed Santa and asked him how he handles holiday stress. Here's what he had to say.
KEN: Santa, how do you stay so jolly during the holiday season?
Welcome to the big leagues, kid. You’re an adult now with a new job. You’ve been working for this all your life. Don’t screw it up!
Sound familiar?
Your brain may be using different words, but if you just started a new job, there’s likely some version of it playing in your head.