Anxiety Expert Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist shares Anxiety management news and commentary at AnxietyConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918 http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918 http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/56476/anxious-thoughts Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:35:07 -0500 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist How do you feel when watching a sad movie? Do you laugh when you hear a good joke? Are you angry when you hear about an injustice? Our emotions are ever changing, depending on what's going on around us and how we react to it. So where does anxiety come from? Well, lots of places, but one huge trigger is our thoughts.   Recently there was a question posted by a reader who commented, "When I go to bed I am afraid someone will break... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/56476/anxious-thoughts http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/51290/ground Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:29:35 -0500 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist Since anxiety in a nutshell is about anticipating the future (even if that future is only 30 seconds away), one of the best antidotes is to stay in the present, or the "here and now." One extremely effective way of bringing yourself into the present moment is using a tool called "grounding."  Grounding is not only useful for calming anxiety, but it also helps with reducing postraumatic experiences (instrusive thoughts, flashbacks, etc) as... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/51290/ground http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/50712/stress-holidays Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:57:59 -0500 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist When I was a small child, the holidays "magically" materialized on their given date.  There were homemade apple and pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving. Christmas morning brought presents wrapped with gorgeous bows and tags neatly displayed under the tree.  I awoke on Easter morning knowing that there would be beautifully colored eggs hidden all around my grandmother's house.  It went without saying that there would be a scrumptious meal... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/50712/stress-holidays http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/47012/power-mind-anxiety Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:33:31 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist Thoughts are a powerful trigger for anxiety. Our cognitions can maintain, elevate, or lower our level of anxiety.  Today I would like to give you a few tips to help you identify thoughts that might be contributing to your anxiety, as well as show you how a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT) might help you to start to address those thoughts.   First, let me tell you about two clients, Jim* and Alice.  Like virtually all of my... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/47012/power-mind-anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/46212/anxiety-seeking Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist Joe* came to see me for an initial session with a short newspaper article that I had written in his hand.  "After I read this article, I knew I wanted to see you."  I looked at the article, knowing that it was old. "When did you cut this out?" I asked.  "Two years ago," said Joe.  "I just got up the nerve to call you now."   Joe's story is not unique.  Many people are anxious about seeking help.  In fact,... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/46212/anxiety-seeking http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/43465/underappreciated Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:12:38 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist  This is the Part V of V Share Posts pertaining to categories of "triggers" that can "get the ball rolling" or accelerate your anxiety.  If you're reading this post first, you may want to go back and read Understanding the Vicious Cycle of Panic," first to appreciate the idea that while anxiety may appear to come "out of the blue," actually there is always an underlying cause or "trigger."  In subsequent posts I separated triggers... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/43465/underappreciated http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/43033/understimulation Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:14:00 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist If you've been following my posts, you'll recall that external triggers are things that occur outside of ourselves that are usually (but not always) intimately linked with an internal trigger, such as a thought, feeling, memory, image, or body sensation.  This post is part four in a series that I've affectionately titled, "Out of the Blue to Blue's Clues, finding Clues for your Anxiety Triggers."   External Triggers... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/43033/understimulation http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/40308/sensations-trigger Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:52:43 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist   This is Part III of a series of SharePosts that identify what kinds of things you can look for that might be triggering your anxiety.  In Part I  (Out of the Blue to Blues Clues: Finding Your Anxiety Triggers Part I) of this series I explained how thoughts and images could trigger anxiety.   In Part II  , I outlined how feelings and memories can trigger anxiety.  Today I will discuss the final category of... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/40308/sensations-trigger http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/33944/anxiety-triggers Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:41:42 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist Last week in Part I of this series on Anxiety Triggers, I asserted that you have to actively look for the thing(s) that might be triggering your anxiety. I'll remind you again that some triggers are extremely subtle. Also, triggers are often connected to another and you may have to look at several triggers in order to understand how they work together to stimulate your anxiety. When you have all the "clues", however, then the start and... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/33944/anxiety-triggers http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/33060/anxiety-triggers Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:45:49 -0400 Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist I'll never forget the time my client Jackie* came into session very excited.  "I was in the car, and I started to get anxious!" she exclaimed with a big smile on her face.  "You seem happy about that," I said, wondering why she was so positive about getting anxious.  "Yes, when I started to get anxious I began to feel trapped as usual and then I stopped and asked myself what might be triggering my anxiety.  And I... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/88918/33060/anxiety-triggers