Emotions

illness anxiety, hypocondriasis

Worried About Your Health? CBT Can Help.

Posted on by Annalise
Health anxiety, also known as illness anxiety disorder or hypochondriasis, is a mental health condition characterized by excessive worry and fear about having a serious medical illness. Individuals with health anxiety often find themselves preoccupied with the possibility of being sick, experiencing distressing physical symptoms, and seeking frequent reassurance from healthcare professionals. This condition can be highly debilitating, affecting one’s quality of life, relationships, and overall well-being. However, there is hope for those struggling with health anxiety through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

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Teens Under Pressure

Teens Under Pressure

Posted on by Annalise

“Just try it, everyone does it, it’s not even that bad.”
“Hurry up and just take it, no one is looking.”
“She’s such a prude, don’t even try getting to know her.”
“That new kid is a loser, no one likes him.”

The pressure to fit in, to be liked and respected, and to be accepted by peers is a very normal human experience.  While much of the pressure our children and teens face is explicit (like the examples above), they can also feel pressure by just watching or knowing that peers are engaging in behaviors that they are not. For example, knowing that all their friends have snapchat and they are not yet allowed to download that app can feel like pressure to a teen.

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Slinky, flexible mindset

Faults in Our Stars: Developing a Flexible Mindset for Ourselves and Our Children

Posted on by Annalise

One of our main objectives at CBT Westport is working together with kids and their parents to achieve a growth and flexible mindset.  As part of this objective, we practice taking risks and learning how to tolerate mistakes.

Professor Thomas Curran, an Assistant Professor of psychological and Behavioral Sciences at the London School of Economics, views perfectionism as a relational trait rather than an individual trait.  This makes sense when we are treating children and adolescents who oftentimes look to their environment (home, school, sports team, parent/coach/teacher) as a conduit to his/her/their perfectionism.

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Anger and anxiety

Are you Angry? Or Anxious?

Posted on by Annalise

Anxiety and anger are two distinct emotions that provide us information about ourselves and our environment. While they are different, there are several ways that they can interact.

Anxiety is the worry or fear that is felt in response to a perceived threat. The hallmark symptoms are: bodily tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes. Anxiety is often in response to feeling out of control. While too much anxiety can be paralyzing, studies show that mild to moderate anxiety can sometimes serve as a catalyst for making a change or getting things done.

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Social Anxiety

A Guide to Social Anxiety for Gen Z

Posted on by Annalise

Members of Generation Z include people who were born between 1995 and 2010. Sandwiched between Millennials and Generation Alpha, Gen Z individuals are growing up in a time of uncertainty and stress. This generation is also significantly more likely than other generations to report negative mental health according to a recent survey by the APA. One of the major types of mental health struggles that Gen Z is having a hard time with is Social Anxiety.

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