Tag: anxiety

  • Saudi woman develops game to help diagnose anxiety

    Rasha al Qahtani, an 18-year-old Saudi Arabian girl, has created a technique that can be used to detect generalised anxiety disorder in adolescents using video games.

    “I tried to heal myself, by myself, almost all of the time,” she says. “In Saudi Arabia, we are starting now to connect the dots and to raise awareness about mental health. Going to a psychologist does still have a negative effect on a person in society,” she said while talking to Smithsonian Magazine.

    Qahtani came in third place in the behavioural and social sciences category of the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for her prototype, which was inspired by her personal experience and as a means of helping her peers who are struggling with anxiety.

    Her prototype tries to address the issues of stigma and inaccessibility that, according to psychologists, are significant barriers to youth seeking mental health treatment.

  • Coronavirus: Six tips to manage self-isolation anxiety

    Coronavirus: Six tips to manage self-isolation anxiety

    The coronavirus pandemic is affecting our everyday lives, and with things changing so quickly, the stress of it all may feel overwhelming. Fear and anxiety about our health, finances, kids being home from school, caring for our elderly loved ones and social distancing can cause strong emotions in adults and children.

    Laura Rhodes-Levin, a licensed therapist who specialises in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety, depression and trauma, offers six practices we can do at home to manage our anxiety during the coronavirus outbreak.

    1. Have fun with the family by playing games, gardening and cooking

    Rhodes-Levin suggests making the most of spending time with family by playing board games, doing crafts, cooking or gardening. “Distract yourself with cooking. Don’t go for perfection,” she says. “This is a time to get creative and find joy in the moment … build a good ol’ fashioned fort.”

    2. Exercise and stay active

    Physical activity can greatly reduce anxiety. She encourages adults and kids to keep their bodies in motion. “Have fun with chores.” Another suggestion is to start a fitness challenge and see who can do the most push-ups or simply take time to stretch.

    3. Listen to music

    Tap into your senses and listen to music. “Using your five senses is the best way to quiet your mind,” she says. Aromatherapy is another great way to relax. “Any of your five senses are going to be a great way to shift your focus.”

    4. Catch up on movies and TV shows with the family

    Choose to focus on something else besides the coronavirus, and cherish the family bonding time by watching your favorite movies and TV shows. “This is a good time to reinforce the family unit,” she says. “Laugh together. Even if it’s a sad and heavy movie, crying together is a big release of tension,” Rhodes-Levin explains. “We want to release our tension.”

    5. Get productive by fixing things around the house

    She also suggests fixing things around the house to not only keep your mind occupied but to stay active. “We all have things that we have put off doing around the house.” Take time to do research projects, like fixing the plumbing in your kitchen. “Get things done,” she advises. “Get things off that to-do list.”

    6. Write a journal

    Another way to create positivity is to take pen to paper and physically write. “It brings up positive endorphins when you actually write something out that’s meaningful and loving.” By focusing on writing down your feelings it can help you gain a sense of control and that can help with gaining inner peace.

    “Distract yourself with something that engages you,” she says. “Be careful but don’t be fearful.”

  • Deepika Padukone delivers heartening speech on mental health at Davos

    Deepika Padukone delivers heartening speech on mental health at Davos

    Deepika Padukone is on a mission to make the world a better place.

    After standing in solidarity with students of New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who were protesting after masked assailants wielding batons and iron rods attacked the university leaving more than two dozen injured, she delivered a powerful speech on mental health at the the World Economic Forum in Davos. The actor received the Crystal Award at the annual event for her work on spreading awareness about mental health.

    The actor spoke about her mental illness journey at the event saying she had a love-hate relationship with it, and highlighted that depression and anxiety were common illnesses that could be treated.

    “My love and hate relationship with this has taught me a lot and I want to tell everyone suffering from this that you are not alone.”

    “Depression is a common, yet serious illness. It is important to understand that anxiety and depression is like any other illness and treatable. It was experience with this illness that encouraged me to set up Live Love Laugh,” she said, while speaking about her foundation. Deepika was diagnosed with depression in 2014.

    Highlighting the impact mental illnesses have people and on the economy, she said, “One trillion dollars is the estimated impact of depression and mental illness on the world economy. In the time it has taken me to accept this award, the world has lost one more person to suicide”.

    Padukone, who received the award on Martin Luther King Jr Day, also quoted the civil rights activist in her acceptance speech.

    “For in the words of Martin Luther King, everything that is done in this world is done with hope,” she said.

    Padukone started voicing her opinion on the importance of mental health through her foundation The Live Love Laugh Foundation in June 2015.

    Through the program, the actor launches nationwide awareness as well as destigmatisation campaigns. The foundation raises awareness about adolescent mental health disorders and organises training sessions, research and lecture series that feature some of the best known thinkers and achievers.

    Padukone was last seen in biographical drama Chhapaak, which she also produced. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the movie is based on real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, who was attacked in 2005 at the age of 15.

  • Mawra Hocane says she is no longer embarrassed by her anxiety

    Mawra Hocane says she is no longer embarrassed by her anxiety

    In a bid to promote mental health awareness, celebrities have started coming forward with their own stories of battling with depression and anxiety.

    Mawra Hocane is the latest celebrity to open up about her struggle with anxiety. Though Mawra had earlier talked about dealing with it, she shed light on it again in a recent Instagram post.

    Mawra elaborated on how she came to terms with her anxiety and decided to tackle it head-on. She shared that she is no longer embarrassed of it and that “it’s a part of me like the sky is blue but I’m definitely better equipped to deal with it as I’m growing with it and beginning to understand it.”

    The actor also shared that her ongoing drama Daasi has “been a very very special project” for her as “I’ve been able to channelise my inner fears and pain as Sunehri.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6-1-tGgE75/

    Earlier, when a social media user asked the 26-year-old actor if she has social anxiety disorder, she replied, “Yes. I developed anxiety recently and I’ve been battling with it one day at a time. For everyone who is reading it and has suffered anxiety we are all in this together.”

  • Why practicing mindfulness is important

    One of the most misunderstood concepts of modernity is ‘Multitasking.’ Multitasking at our jobs and social media interactions have reduced our ability to retain focus on one thing at a time. 

    However, if we introduce the practice of mindfulness in our lives – one can not only rejuvenate the complex networking of neurons of our brain but the abilities like concentration, time-management, and stress management can also be improved to phenomenal extend. 

    Here are some easy mindfulness exercises which you should consider to add in your daily life:

    STOP

    When you’re in a stressful moment, a popular mindfulness exercise called S.T.O.P. can be helpful. 

    • Stop. Just take a momentary pause, no matter what you’re doing. 
    • Take a breath. Feel the sensation of your breathing, which brings you back to the present moment. 
    • Observe. Acknowledge what is happening, for good or bad, inside you or out. Just note it. 
    • Proceed. Having briefly checked in with the present moment, continue with whatever it was you were doing. 

    PRACTICE MINDFULNESS DURING MEETINGS 

    Another very useful technique that can be practiced in group forms is by practicing it in the office with your colleagues. Meetings can be wastage of time when people aren’t listening. Here is how you can introduce mindfulness in your office meetings:

    • No phones or computers allowed at meetings, whenever possible. 
    • If you need a note taker, have one person act as secretary and circulate the notes afterward. 
    • Give uninterrupted opportunities to speak to people in the meeting. 

    Mindfulness works; that is why from Google to General Mills, they have started teaching mindfulness in their offices. You should do it as well.