Month: February 2024

Social Anxiety: Social Anxiety vs. Introversion

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Social Anxiety: Social Anxiety vs. Introversion

By, Maro Mikhaeil

People often find themselves confusing social anxiety with just being shy. This leaves many individuals go undiagnosed and may even worsen overtime. But what’s the difference?

First and foremost, social anxiety disorder is characterized as feeling symptoms of anxiety when it comes to social situations. Social anxiety is the feeling of being judged by others causing one to feel suppressed and feel unable to express oneself. One who feels symptoms of anxiety when presenting in front of a class or even have trouble making friends may be experiencing social anxiety.

However, introversion can certainly look the same as well. Introversion is characterized as being quiet most of the time in social situations and feeling more energy when spending time alone. An introverted individual spends time alone as a way of recharging for a social event and is a choice as opposed to individuals who experience social anxiety.

Individuals who experience social anxiety want to connect with others but feel held back because of the anxiety that is attached to the idea. They will often use alone time not to recharge themselves but as a way of protecting themselves and ultimately avoiding a social situation altogether.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, and may be experiencing social anxiety please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/.

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness#:~:text=They%20feel%20symptoms%20of%20anxiety,of%20situations%20or%20social%20interactions.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/shyness#what-causes-shyness

https://mhanational.org/introversion-vs-social-anxiety#:~:text=With%20social%20anxiety%2C%20avoidance%20of,care%20rather%20than%20self%2Dprotection.

Motivation: How to Complete your To-Do List in the Midst of a Depressive Episode

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Motivation: How to Complete your To-Do List in the Midst of a Depressive Episode

By, Dyami Efroimson

A major symptom of depression that can make life difficult for those experiencing it is the loss of motivation. Activities one may have enjoyed in the past, no longer bring joy and everyday responsibilities feel impossible to accomplish.  

What Causes This?

With depression, there is a severe lack of dopamine which is responsible for the rewarding feeling we get when we complete at task. This chemical imbalance in conjunction with other factors like lifestyle choices, genetic predisposition, and medication causes a decrease in one’s motivation. The thought of doing any activity can feel overwhelming, causing those struggling with depression to be unable to push themselves to complete even simple tasks.

How does one deal with this lack of motivation?

The key thing is: be patient with yourself. Do not beat yourself up for not being able to do seemingly “easy” tasks. Break the task making you feel overwhelmed into smaller parts that seem a little more doable. For example, if you’re having trouble getting out of bed, start with just sitting up if you are lying down. Or if you need to clean your room, just focus on picking up one piece of clothing off the ground, then another, then another, until you have no clothes left to pick up. By breaking your projects down into simpler tasks, the larger items on your to-do list become a little more manageable. As you complete these bite-sized tasks, your motivation will slowly make its way back as you build healthy habits, and your to-do list will get smaller and smaller.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling and Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Depression Motivation: A Brief Guide

Hypnosis: What can you do to help with your anxiety?

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Hypnosis: What can you do to help with your anxiety?

By, Maro Mikhaeil

Anxiety has occurred amongst millions of individuals from all over the world. In fact, Anxiety is the most common mental illness for its effect on a wide range of individuals.

There are many treatments for individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety. One of the most successful treatments is hypnosis, which entails hypnotic inductions. Hypnosis essentially teaches you how to be in a state of trance and deep relaxation. Hypnosis helps to decrease feelings of anxiety by keeping your emotions in check and actually helps you anchor these calm feelings. Anchoring is a technique being used here that teaches an individual undergoing hypnosis to associate to more positive triggers instead of negative ones (Leming, 2023).

Hypnosis may even allow individuals to recall memories and revisit them, in a way that decreases one’s anxiety. In other words, it may take you into a dream-like state where you will go back to the time that caused your anxiety and help you conquer it.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, severe anxiety please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/anxiety-statistics/#:~:text=Roughly%20301%20million%20people%2C%20an,are%20affected%20by%20anxiety%20disorders

https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/anxiety-statistics/#:~:text=Nationally%3A%20Over%2040%20million%20adults,mental%20illness%20in%20the%20world.

https://www.choosingtherapy.com/hypnosis-for-anxiety/#:~:text=A%20hypnotherapist%20guides%20a%20person,focused%20awareness%2C%20and%20soothing%20suggestions.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Being the Child of a Narcissistic Parent

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Being the Child of a Narcissistic Parent

By, Dyami Efroimson

                Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by having an inflated sense of importance. Those that have this disorder crave attention and admiration from those around them and have an obsession with others agreeing with their convictions. If these people feel as though they are not receiving this validation, they can be unpredictable in their reactions, sometimes lashing out at the people around them. Having narcissistic parents can result in an unstable household that leads to harmful personality traits in developing children. Some of these traits include

  1. Fawn Effect: This act of befriending and appeasing a perceived threat is also known as people pleasing and can manifest in children going along with whatever they believe will make their parents happy out of fear of retaliation. From this, their lives may begin to revolve around the happiness of others.
  2. Poor self-esteem: Because narcissistic parents desire to have the spotlight on them at all times, they may tear down their children and play off of their insecurities to then build themselves up, leading to their children holding a low opinion of themselves.
  3. Inability to set boundaries: After being trained to consider their parents wants and needs before everything, children of narcissistic parents can have trouble setting boundaries and doing what is best for themselves without feeling guilty.

                Although these traits can make transitioning into adulthood incredibly difficult for these children, it is possible for them to break out of these ingrained processes through therapy and can lead a healthy and happy life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with having a narcissistic parent or with their mental health please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling and Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources:

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-deal-with-a-narcissistic-parent-7373070

The Impact of Growing Up With A Narcissistic Parent