Anxiety Management

Emotional Resilience for Persons with Disabilities and persons with chronic conditions with Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychologist Divya Parashar. This was in the context of the COVID pandemic but there are lessons in there for all times. We talked about What is emotional resilience Anxieties faced by people with disabilities What is psychological resilience What makes people resilient How to build psychological resilience Effects of suspension of therapy due to covid How to overcome…

Sleep disorders may make a person more vulnerable to psychiatric illnesses, intensify the severity of the symptoms points out Dr Nileena N.K.M, Specialist in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, and stresses the importance of better sleep for better life. Plus Tips For Good Sleep. What is the correlation between mental health and sleep? Sleep and mental health go very much hand in hand in our day to day life. Many of the psychiatric illnesses are seen to be associated with sleep complaints and…

Shikha Aleya, who has dealt with anxiety, shares her experience of accepting the changed scenario due to Covid-19, her self-care routines and coping strategies that address the various aspects that matter to her.  I understand anxiety having worked through it over decades. First I suggest we accept that a certain degree of anxiety has its place in this scheme of things. What is that degree? To the extent that you are okay with it, understand it and are holding space for yourself. I choose…

Shikha Aleya candidly and meticulously describes her first panic attack, the ensuing anxiety, how she dealt with her anxiety and depression reflects on her support system and the professional team. Her advice for persons in similar situations and their caregivers.  Can you describe your first incidence of a Panic Attack? What was your initial reaction? What made you eventually seek help?  I was in my mid to late twenties, on my way to a meeting along with my (then) husband and work…

Rachna*, 39 from Mumbai shares her journey with migraine and how the fear of managing migraine attacks with a small new born baby led to post partum depression and her attempts to find solutions that work.  Symtoms and Diagnosis: I was diagnosed with Migraine 10 years ago, soon after my wedding. The first time, I remember being at home; it was mid morning. There was sudden onset of acidity and aching in my head. A few hours later, I was vomiting. I called my husband and that evening after…

Life is not without its challenges. Sometimes the challenges can be overwhelming and your usual coping mechanisms may not be working too well. Tanuja Babre, a counseling psychologist currently serving as a programme Coordinator of iCALL, TISS explains the role of a counselor/ therapist and how you can decide on the right counsellor and the right form of counselling service.   Life events, whether positive or negative, can cause psychological distress. These experiences may…

This young lady from Singapore shares her experience of coping with generalised anxiety disorder through a combination of professional help and self-care despite the challenges of her hectic study schedule. As told to Indra Venkatram. Anita (name changed) is a 21 year old young lady, studying bachelors in psychological science. She lives with generalized anxiety disorder which sometimes comes with a predisposition for clinical depression. Early signs & symptoms: She had signs of it from…

Mumbai-based psychotherapist H'vovi Bhagwagar explains panic attacks, signs and symptoms, triggers for panic attacks and tips on coping with panic attacks. “Courage is knowing what not to fear”-Plato. Imagine the 2 scenes. A fire fighter enters a building on a rescue mission, where a family is stuck on the 15th floor. The smoke is thick and penetrates his protective gear almost choking him. He thinks “I am going to die, what will happen to my family”. He moves into action, breathing in a manner…

Dr Jayaraman Hariram, Psychiatrist, Senior Consultant, Emergency Service & OCD Clinic, Singapore answers the frequently asked questions on OCD including treatment options and how to recognize if you need help. What is OCD? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the common mental illness recently separated from anxiety disorder and placed within Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorder.  It affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a…

And how you can help. Clinical Psychologist H'vovi Bhagwawar has put together a guide on teen self harm and how parents can help their children. This is based on her experience of counselling teenagers. #WorldMentalHealthDay Myra, a bright Std 11 student, had begun withdrawing from her parents and friends. When she insisted on wearing long-sleeved outfits in the humid heat of Mumbai, her mother suspected something. Myra then showed her mother the cuts on her wrists. Her mother was at first…