What Kids Really Mean When They Say They’re “Crashing Out”
Understanding the Emotional Underbelly of a Common Phrase “Crashing out” has become a shorthand way for many kids and teens to describe the feeling of hitting an emotional wall. For many young people, originally, when the phrase first started being used, it was a verbal warning flare that they could not take much more. If […]
What Not to Say During a Panic Attack—And What Actually Helps Instead
If you’ve ever watched someone go through a panic attack—or been there yourself—you know how overwhelming, scary, and confusing it can be. The racing heart, the shortness of breath, the sense that something terrible is about to happen… even if logically you know you’re safe, your body and brain are sounding a full-blown alarm. In […]
How To Move Through & Past Panic
When it comes to panic thoughts, most of us fall into one of two camps: either we try to run away from them as fast as we can… or we end up clinging to them so tightly we forget the rest of the world even exists. But what if there’s a third way? What if […]
It’s Only A False Alarm: Your Brain On Panic
Have you ever set off a smoke detector while cooking? Maybe you were flipping French toast for a surprise breakfast or heating up an after-school snack when—BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!—the alarm screamed through the house. You weren’t in danger, but the smoke detector didn’t know that. It was just doing its job: detecting potential threats, even […]
What is happening to your body and brain when you are having a panic attack?
If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you know it’s more than just “feeling anxious.” It’s a full-body response—heart racing, chest tightening, dizziness—that can leave you feeling completely out of control. 🧠 Here’s the truth: panic attacks are your body’s way of reacting to perceived danger, even when the situation may not be as threatening […]
Helpful CBT Tools
Anxiety Hierarchy Organizing and rating the situations you fear and therefore try to avoid is the first step in moving past anxiety. When anxiety lives as an “amorphous blob” you can’t see if for what it is. It just keeps shapeshifting and taking on the form of the thing that scares you most at the […]
Overcoming Overwhelming Anxiety
We have all felt it. The rush of tension that overcomes our body making us feel nearly paralyzed. The rush of thoughts that fills our head with overwhelming worries of the worst case scenario or just the devastating image of you giving up. Don’t give up just yet..what if I said to embrace the overwhelming […]
Difference between a panic attack and panic disorder
A panic attack is an acute period of intense fear. Panic disorder is characterized by intense fear of panic and preoccupation with having future panic attacks, leading to decreased overall functioning as one alters life in efforts to prevent additional panic attacks. Just about everyone will experience a panic attack at one point or another […]
Panic Attacks Treatment
Question: I am a mother of two young boys. I am also a working mother. How can I help myself reduce the panic that I am experiencing? Light On Anxiety Answer: The key to moving beyond panic disorder is to break the cycle of fearing fear. A panic attack is an alarm, a very loud and powerful alarm, going off […]
Help And Tips To Treat Agoraphobia
Question: I suffer Panic Attacks regularly and it seems as though they are increasing. Now I am starting to avoid certain public transportation routes, for fear of having an attack–especially the bus routes that I have had them on before– I fear I am becoming agoraphobic. What should I do? Light On Anxiety Answer: The […]
I talked about my panic symptoms with my internist
Question: I have discussed my panic symptoms with my internist and he stated they will pass on their own. What should I do? Light On Anxiety Answer: Have you asked for a referral to see a therapist? There is effective treatment for panic disorder and I am so sorry to hear of your continued suffering. […]
Interoceptive exposure for panic
Question: I’ve been living with panic/anxiety now since I’ve been 12-13 years old I feel it’s taking over my life I can’t do normal things like I did when I was a child. I’ve tried different medication and nothing works I also was prescribed lorazepam 1mg”. Please respond I need help Im tired of my […]