Anxiety Archives - Restoration Hope

Sublimation: Is it a Cognitive Distortion, or an Adaptable Strength?

In our series of cognitive distortions, sublimation is one type of distortion that at first appearance does not seem like a negative ‘distortion’. Sublimation is, in essence, turning something that is perceived as a weakness or inappropriate to the society/culture, into something that is good and acceptable. It is adaptable as somewhat of a strength, […]

Defense Mechanisms: An Introduction to When/Why We Use Them

We are starting a blog series that talks about defense mechanisms, or the ways in which we try to protect ourselves from fear or pain. However, before we dive into the different defense mechanisms, it is important to look at how we get there in the first place. This is where the nervous system comes […]

Parental Resources

It is not unusual for parents to experience challenging behaviors that their child has and not know how to communicate to meet that need or resolve the conflict without finding it turns into a power struggle. Often we know it is a power struggle because it’s coming across that either your child is ‘winning’ or […]

Transitions

Transitioning into a new year tends to bring desire for change. While culturally some of those transitions are defined by New Years Resolutions, some of those changes might include a move, redefining boundaries with friendships or family, a job change, etc. Transitions can bring up a mixture of emotions and thoughts. During these transitions, we […]

Limitations

I cringe as I say and write the word, LIMITATIONS. We live in a culture that frowns upon boundaries, saying no, and “weakness”. We continue to add more to our to-do lists and fear not measuring up or failure, so we say “yes”, we keep busy. Many of us growing up were told we could […]

The New Year: Reflection Before Resolution

New Years has become known as a time for resolutions, which is great (when they actually happen). So often, however, life gets in the way. This year instead of shaming yourself into change, I want to invite you into a different approach: reflection. Let me be clear, reflection is not about judgement. When we are […]

Emotionally Preparing for the Holidays

Although the holiday season has been called “the most wonderful time of the year” by some, for many of us it can feel like quite the opposite. Emotions and stress can be high as we engage in the season, leaving us vulnerable to triggers and overwhelm. If you are feeling any of these things, […]

Transitioning out of the Pandemic: 3 Questions to Ask Yourself As You Process

The constant hardships and stressors of the pandemic have resulted in a prolonged state of stress for our nervous systems and has led many of us to operate in a type of “survival mode.” Survival mode is difficult, yet so is moving out of it. Transitioning from surviving to processing comes with it’s own set […]

The Never Enough Problem

Having lived in Colorado most of my life, an observation I have made is that “Denverites” are often transient people. We move quickly from one thing to the next. We seek out the new hip coffee shop or the popular brewery around the corner. We spend large amounts of money on new ski-wear and attempt […]

How Social Media is Training Our Youth

Regardless of which generation you’re from, most people are familiar with social media. It’s morphed over the years, but the idea is the same—be seen and connect with others. Social media can be great. I’ve been able to keep in touch with people from years ago. I love seeing old roommates, friends, coworkers, and family […]

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