I recently went through a personal crisis and found myself obsessing about it. Every waking minute was consumed with thoughts about the situation. I went over it and over it, all day, everyday until I thought I was losing my mind. While individuals with generalized anxiety disorder are prone to constant worry, everyone can fall prey to ruminating or obsessing when faced with a difficult situation.

Life is full of transitions. Some of these are a normal part of your life, such as getting married, buying a home, a child going off to school, a teenager heading off to college or simply growing older. But sometimes life throws in forced transitions: death, divorce, losing a job, health problems, having to care for a sick or elderly relative. While all transitions can be stressful, the unplanned ones tend to cause the most stress, leaving us feeling unprepared for what is to come, frightened or vulnerable. The following are some ways you can help to manage transitions:

Here are questions HealthCentral visitors have asked about anxiety and my responses.  

So you think you’re good at multitasking? Well, according to new research only 2 percent of people can multitask effectively. The remaining 98 percent could use some serious time management skills. Here are some ways to boost your productivity.

Feeling down, anxious, fatigued, irritable, or extra clingy with your child? These could be signs of separation anxiety; A.K.A. “the mommy blues”. As work hours feel longer as the days get shorter, feelings of emptiness, sadness, and a longing to be home with your child can become overwhelming. New reports, however, suggest that stay-at-home moms may be more vulnerable to depression because of the isolation factor that working mom’s don’t experience. Here are some tips to help overcome both stay-at-home and working ‘mommy blues.’

Many people with anxiety suffer in silence. They worry that friends and relatives will not understand, will judge or ridicule them. Instead of trying to explain, they shy away, withdrawl or avoid situations where they don’t feel support and understanding. 

The following are 7 things anxiety sufferers would like their family and friends to know:

Many of our holiday traditions center around food. We begin the season with a Thanksgiving feast and continue throughout the holidays; parties often have elaborate food tables with more food than the guests could possibly consume. And while our focus this time of year is on family and connecting with those we love, we often do it surrounded by food. Many people worry about overeating during this time of year, but for those with eating disorders, the holidays can be especially difficult.  While most with eating disorders want to socialize with friends and family during the holidays, their anxieties and preoccupation with food can prevent them from doing so. 

Feeling tense? Maybe work, finances, relationships, the holidays, or simply your daily routine have you feeling overwhelmed. Extreme stress can make you feel like there is nothing you can do – never-ending bills, looming deadlines, etc.- but believe it or not, you have the power to get back on track to a low-stress life. Here are some strategies to stop stressing out once and for all.

The holidays are a stressful time for many different reasons. Some people with anxiety have a difficult time with the many activities going on, some may be experiencing financial difficulties, sleep may suffer and the expectations of our holiday season may not measure up to the reality in our lives. Whatever the reason, often those with anxiety feel symptoms increase and become out of control during the holiday season. When anxiety increases during this time of year, people sometimes ignore discussing it with their doctor or seeking help. They may feel it is normal to feel anxious and therefore feel they must somehow live through it or they may feel there really isn’t any help available.

Research has shown that those who are considered resilient, able to adapt and adjust to difficult situations, experience less anxiety. Resiliency isn’t necessarily inherent, skills to be more resilient can be learned. The following are tips to help you become more resilient:

Resolutions don’t need to be major changes. Although it is good to look forward to the future with optimism and hope, we don’t have to succumb to the pressure of changing overnight or letting go of every negative thought. We don’t have to feel like failures when we don’t follow through. The following tips may help you to find ways to make changes in the upcoming year:

Make a resolution this year to not let work consume your life. While work dedication is an essential ingredient to accomplishment, such dedication can also lead to burnout, anxiety, and even depression. Here are 10 ways to reclaim your life and achieve success in both areas.

When we feel threatened our bodies react by releasing stress hormones. Adrenaline and cortisol flood the body in order to get the heart going and boost energy levels. Once the crisis has passed we start to recover. The problem we have today is the fact that this fairly primitive mechanism is no match for the long-term stresses we endure as a result of modern life. Cortisol has the effect of closing down the body's natural repair systems in order to deal with the immediate problem. When released, it suppresses our ability to rest and dampens the immune system in favor of supplying energy. This can have long term implications for the body which include:

Studies have shown that the average person tells two to six lies every day. And the numbers may be on the rise due to the less confrontational nature of e-mail and texting. But beware. While lying, some people may unintentionally give themselves away. Here are tip-offs that someone isn’t being straight with you.

The idea that there is a right or wrong way to bring up children is challenged by findings that reveal how certain parenting styles work better than others. Parenting needs to be tailored to children’s personalities say psychologists and psychiatrists. The right parenting style can lead to half as many anxiety and depression symptoms in school-aged children whereas mismatches lead to twice as many.

Children with an anxiety disorder may worry endlessly or be filled with such dread that they feel sick or begin to avoid situations. When symptoms of anxiety interfere with a child’s ability to function throughout the day, it is probably time to seek help from a medical professional. Here are things a parent can do to help their child learn to manage their anxiety:

We cope with stress in many different ways and while some methods may appear to give relief they are simply stacking up more problems. Here’s my shortlist of some of the worst stress busters around and the reasons why:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment. It is used to help people whose behavior is affected by their beliefs, assumptions and the meanings they attach to events that cause upset.

What is it about communicating with other people that can be so stressful? For those with social anxiety disorder, basic interpersonal communication is enough to induce an anxiety attack. But, even for those without an anxiety disorder, communication is an acquired skill. Learning to be an effective communicator, however, is a valuable tool both personally and professionally. Here are some ways to enhance your communication skills.

It’s no surprise that when you eat well, you feel well. While eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is essential, your diet can also be modified to help target physical and emotional states. Here’s a look at foods that can help you fight stress.

Many of us get nervous when having to talk in front of a group, take an important test, perform on stage or participate in athletic events. For some, though, performance anxiety can stop them from participating in activities they enjoy or getting a job they want or getting a promotion. Self-esteem and confidence can suffer. The following are some tips to help manage performance anxiety

For most moms, being able to take five minutes for themselves can feel like a big accomplishment. Your days don’t have many opportunities to relax, but there are ways to fit in a meditation practice. 

Research continues to emerge linking mindfulness meditation to improved mental and physical health. Luckily, smartphone technology is making it much easier to meditate while on the go. If you’d like to incorporate meditation into your busy routine, try unwinding with portable serenity brought to you through a mobile app.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands in response to stress -- it's our primary stress hormone and is responsible for activating the body's "fight or flight" response in stressful situations. When your body is under chronic stress, your cortisol levels remain high and you can be more susceptible to disease. Here are six signs that your levels may be elevated.

Acupuncture began as a traditional Chinese technique involving the balance and flow of energy or life through the pathways of the body. But today many Western practitioners believe that acupuncture stimulates nerves, tissue, and muscles to boost blood flow and natural painkillers. And medical acupuncture, involving the insertion of very thin needles through the skin at strategic points on the body, is increasingly being considered as an effective treatment for a range of medical conditions.

You are probably aware that yoga is good for your mind and body, but do you know how to maximize your routine to achieve optimal results? Research suggests that hitting the mat at least once a week for two years or more slows the release of cytokine, a stress-triggered protein, which can cause bad moods and fatigue. Regular sessions also boost levels of the brain chemical GABA--low levels have been linked to depression. Here are some poses that can help you get good results: