From Maesk Counseling in Fort Lauderdale - Infertility’s Impact on Women’s Mental Health

Infertility is a condition that refers to an inability to become pregnant or to take a baby to term after one year of trying. This is a heartbreaking reality for many women across the globe. In fact, it is estimated that in the United States alone, roughly 6 million women suffer from infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What Causes Infertility?

Infertility can be caused by a variety of health issues. The most common is Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a hormonal disorder that negatively impacts ovulation.

Other disorders that cause infertility in women are:

• Uterine fibroids

• Endometriosis

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

• Blocked fallopian tubes

• Uterus deformities or abnormalities

And finally, one of the primary reasons for infertility is a woman’s age. Nearly one-third of all women over the age of 35 experience fertility issues. 

Infertility and a Woman’s Mental Health

Infertility is a very stressful issue to deal with and it can greatly impact a woman’s mental health. Research published by the North Carolina Medical Journal found that common mental health concerns of fertility patients are symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Patients frequently report that each month’s cycle becomes a tumultuous storm of emotions ranging from anger, sadness, fear, and guilt. And the more demanding and intrusive the fertility treatment protocols become, the greater the emotions felt.

Much focus is given to the physical aspects of not being able to conceive. But it is important for women to recognize that their mental health may be impacted and to get help.

If you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety or depression because of infertility issues, please feel free to reach out to me. I would be happy to discuss treatment options with you.

SOURCES:

• https://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/infertility-and-mental-health/

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4009564/

• https://womensmentalhealth.org/posts/impact-infertility-treatment-mood-women-vulnerable/

From Maesk Counseling in Fort Lauderdale - 5 Signs That You Might be Struggling with Anxiety

It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. Perhaps you get a bit nervous speaking in front of people or going on a job interview. But for some people, anxiety becomes a frequent and forceful occurrence that completely takes over their lives.

Since anxiety comes in many forms, for instance panic attacks, phobias and social anxiety, it can often be difficult to tell if what you’re experiencing is “normal” or has crossed the line into a mood disorder.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may want to speak with a counselor who can help you cope with your anxiety.

Excessive Worry

General anxiety disorder (GAD), the broadest type of anxiety, is characterized by excessive worry. People with GAD worry too much about everyday things, both big and small. But what constitutes “too much worry?”

With GAD, people are plagued with persistent, anxious thoughts most days of the week. This anxiety can become so overwhelming it interferes with their daily life. If you are worrying to a degree that you have trouble doing daily tasks and are suffering with your emotions, it may be time to speak with a therapist.

Trouble Sleeping

Sleep issues such as falling asleep or staying asleep have been associated with a myriad of health conditions, both physical and psychological. It’s normal for people to have trouble sleeping from time to time. Perhaps you find yourself tossing and turning before a big job interview or giving a presentation.

However, if you find yourself night after night lying awake, anxious about specific problems (such as relationship problems or financial difficulties), or even about nothing in particular, it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

Muscle Tension

Anxiety disorders can often be accompanied by persistent muscle tension. Do you find yourself clenching your jaw or balling your fists throughout the day? You may have lived with this chronic muscular tension for so long you don’t even realize it anymore. While exercise can help relax muscles, therapy will get to the root cause of the anxiety.

Digestive Problems

While anxiety lives in the mind, it is often manifested in the body through chronic digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Our guts are very sensitive to emotional and psychological stress. Unfortunately, digestive upset can often make a person feel even more anxious.

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can be a frightening experience. You are suddenly gripped with an overwhelming feeling of dread and fear. These are often accompanied by physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, racing heart, dizziness, and profuse sweating. Though not everyone who has an anxiety disorder will experience panic attacks, but those that do live in constant fear.

Anxiety disorders keep people from living a joyful and fulfilling life. Luckily there is help. A therapist can assist in uncovering the root cause of the anxiety and offer tools to cope.

If you or a loved one is interested in exploring treatment, please contact me today. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.

From Maesk Counseling in Fort Lauderdale - Election Anxiety!

It’s been a little while. We have been so busy here at Maesk Counseling. With everything that has been happening this year, I’m sure you can relate!

Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of talk about election stress - more than any other year in recent memory. So, will I can’t promise you the outcome you would like, I can share with you some tried and true ways to dial back the anxiety you may be feeling

First, focus on sleep. It is the foundation for good mental and physical health. A proper sleep hygiene program can go a long way to getting you to feel like your old self again. Try the tips mentioned HERE.

Second, try this simple trick to re-direct your anxiety: Each morning, write down three things you are grateful for, and say them out loud. It doesn’t matter what they are, what matters is that you say them. This simple act give you agency, and has been shown to lower stress.

Third, move. Yes, move. Get up, walk around the house. Take a walk around the block. Go run five miles, if that’s your thing. Exercise provides physiological benefits which are powerful, and will make you feel better. And remember, the little stuff still helps. Getting up and walking around the house at every TV commercial break is still better than sitting there for two hours. As they say, “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Try these things…they really work, and finally, remember to VOTE TOMORROW!

From Maesk Counseling in Fort Lauderdale - Anxious Depression

From Psychcentral:

Experiencing Anxious Depression

By LaRae LaBouff 
 

Depression is a part of bipolar disorder. It is, in fact, one of the poles. The question of experiencing depression is not “if” but “when.” Depression on its own is a horrible experience, but sometimes other problems pile on. More than half of people with bipolar disorder also have some form of anxiety disorder. These can include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety. When anxiety occurs during a depressive episode of bipolar disorder it is called depression “with anxious distress.” Distress is exactly the term to describe how it feels.

When I experience anxiety, I communicate how I am feeling by comparing my mood to a pot of water. When I am feeling fine, the water is ambient temperature. The more anxiety I feel, the hotter the water becomes. Lately I’ve been sitting at a simmer with occasional panic attacks that put me into a rolling boil. This is in addition to the depressive symptoms I feel like depressed mood, loss of interest, weight gain, fatigue and feelings of hopelessness. It’s a debilitating combination.

In order to be qualified as an episode with anxious distress, you have to experience at least two of the following: 

• Feeling keyed up or tense.

• Feeling unusually restless. 

• Difficulty concentrating because of worry. 

• Fear that something awful may happen. 

• Feeling that you might lose control yourself.

If you experience two of these symptoms, the anxious distress is considered mild. Three symptoms is moderate and four or more is moderate to severe. If physical restlessness is involved, it’s considered severe.

Having bipolar disorder with anxiety can lead to extra complications with the disorder. People who have episodes with anxious distress typically have longer episodes, don’t respond to treatment as well and have a higher suicide risk. 

Experiencing severe anxiety mingled with depression is incredibly distressing.  On the one hand my brain is telling me that all I can do is to go to bed and not do anything. On the other hand my anxiety is telling me how horrible I am for ignoring other responsibilities. The two sensations fight each other and leave me frozen, not knowing what part of my brain I should listen to. The anxiety is usually louder than the depression, but that doesn’t mean I succeed at getting out of bed. It just means I end up having a panic attack while I’m there.

I’m continuing to talk to my therapist and psychiatrist about my situation. My therapist gave me a list of ways to combat distress and my psychiatrist gave me additional medication to manage the anxiety acutely. In the meantime, I hope this is a short phase and that I will reach a level of normality soon.

From Maesk Group Counseling in Fort Lauderdale - Simple Ways to De-Stress:

It contributes to illness. It’s the major factor in back pain. In fact, it makes ANY pain worse. And it’s not always caused by bad things-it can be related to celebrations, new jobs, holidays, new babies, and many other things we would never wish away.

Yes, I’m talking about stress, or as defined by Webster’s, “a strain or pressure on the body or mind.” It’s almost always presented as a reason people finally get professional help for life issues, and I diagnose and treat it daily in my psychotherapy practice.  Stress management has become very important for most people.

The body and mind perceive any change as potential danger, and they react with heightened awareness, muscle tension, and increased cortisol production (cortisol is that nasty hormone that can increase blood pressure and blood sugar, and suppress immune response). It is essential to our overall health to learn to reduce stress responses in our body and mind. The following are some ways to do so:

Breathing

Under constant stress, our breathing becomes shallow and strained. A simple exercise is to sit back in your chair for a minute or two, close your eyes, and just focus on your breath. Breathe in deeply through your nose to the count of four, using the ticking of a clock if you have one. Hold your breath for four counts, and then SLOWLY let the air out for six beats. This deliberate focus and attention will both calm and distract your mind temporarily. 

Guided Imagery

This is an article all by itself, but basically guided imagery involves taking time to mentally “visit” your favorite relaxing memory-be it the beach, the woods, whatever brings a smile to your face- and mentally placing yourself there using all five senses. This also works with visualizing a beloved child’s face or your pet. A few minutes of visualization a day can actually increase immune response and is simple to do.

Tense/Relax (Progressive Muscle Relaxation) 

Starting at the top of your head, tense and relax the muscles of your face, neck, hands, shoulders, etc, all the way to your toes. Hold the tension to a count of four, and then let it go, moving on to the next muscle group. This puts a focus on muscles that may have been tight without your awareness.

Journaling

The benefit of scribbling down thoughts and feelings is well researched. You don’t need to watch spelling, grammar or anything else, as no one will see it. You don’t even have to “keep” a journal-just the act of writing in itself is beneficial, even if you shred it immediately after! Try completing these sentences to start:

It really bugged me today when….

If I could wave a magic wand I would change…

Then just keep writing without thought or censure.

Doing Nothing

A totally foreign concept to our goal oriented society, isn’t it? But sitting completely still in silence for a few minutes a day is a wonderful way to de-stress. As we let the mind daydream, rest and wander, we often find new solutions to our stressors. This concept is summarized by the beautiful quote: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself” (Zen saying).

If these simple measures don’t ease your stress symptoms, the next step is to seek help. Maesk Group Counseling can help you resolve underlying issues contributing to the problem.  Feel free to call today to set up an appointment!

From Maesk Group Counseling in Fort Lauderdale: Emotional Support Animals

(IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO SCHEDULE AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL EVALUATION, CLICK HERE)

Many people are not aware that in addition to service animals, there are "Emotional Support Animals."  According to Wikipedia, the definition is "a companion animal which provides therapeutic benefit, such as alleviating or mitigating some symptoms of the disability, to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability."

An Emotional Support Animal can help with a variety of psychological issues, most commonly anxiety disorders.  They can provide a source of comfort and grounding.  Most typically, though not always, Emotional Support Animals are dogs or cats.

Maesk Group Counseling can provide current patients who qualify with an Emotional Support Animal certification letter.  This will allow you to take your pet on an aircraft, for example.  Keep in mind that air carriers may ask for documentation, therefore it is imperative that you have the letter with you when you travel.   With this documentation, airlines MUST allow you to keep your pet with you in the cabin.

If you would like more information, please click here or feel free to contact Maesk Group Counseling.