It’s perfectly normal to experience a reduction of interest in sex during times of increased stress or anxiety. So says Dr. Sarah Melancon, Ph.D., sociologist and clinical sexologist at The Sex Toy Collective. Her experience in the field has shown that the majority of people undergo some level of a drop-off in their libido, rather than the reverse.
The stress associated with the coronavirus is often financial stress, and that equates to survival stress, which is the most intense version. It is therefore the most potent killer of sexual desire because it places the body in a ‘fight or flight’ mode, and no other issues seem to matter. Hormone levels will actually drop, and sexual interest simply isn’t there, or it’s only there as a minor interest.
If this sounds like something you’ve been going through as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there are some things that can be done to reverse the situation and restore your normal interest in sex. We can help you get back to normal at EzCare Clinic, where our specialists and medical personnel can evaluate your situation, and recommend some changes that will have you smiling again.
One of the most popular services we offer at EZCare Clinic is Anxiety Disorder Treatment, and we provide this service in response to our patients’ frequent needs in this area. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more people than ever before are experiencing severe stress and anxiety as a result of the way of living we’ve all been forced to endure.
It has been estimated that 75% of this nation’s people are currently under lockdown conditions, and the unemployment rate has soared higher than at any other point in recent memory. Then there’s the stress of worrying about whether or not you might touch some surface which still contains bacteria from an infected person’s touch so that you contract the disease yourself.
All these things can cause people to be stressed out on a daily basis, and wondering when and if things will ever get back to normal. All this stress and anxiety naturally leads to a reduction in the hormone production that generates interest in sex, and your sex life naturally slips by the wayside. This is where we can help you at our clinic.
Root Causes of Disturbed Sexual Life
Our Stress Treatment Approach
Generally speaking, the soundest medical approach to any problem is to cure the cause of the issue. In this case, no one can really make coronavirus go away, nor can anyone other than the government relax the restrictions imposed on individuals under lockdown or quarantine. However, at our Clinic we can do the next best thing, which is to provide some expert help at managing your stress levels, so you are physically and emotionally able to function normally.
Here are some of the components of our holistic approach to stress and anxiety relief:
Anxiety medications – the traditional solution for anxiety does have some merit, and there are several medications that we use that have been shown to be very effective, for instance, alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam, Benzodiazepines, and clonazepam.
Lifestyle changes – in line with the holistic approach, we recommend lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise (great for stress relief), possibly dietary changes, and getting more sleep.
Counseling program – our expert medical personnel is available to counsel you about the type of stress and anxiety you’re going through, and to help you cope with whatever is causing you to become stressed.
This combination treatment approach has been very effective in the past, and it might be exactly what you need in this time of anxiety due to the pandemic. Attacking stress on multiple fronts like this gives you a much better chance of overcoming it, and returning to a more normal lifestyle.
Effective Treatments for Sexual Disorders
Conclusion
In a poll of over 9,000 people recently conducted by NBC News, 47% of respondents said their sex lives had been negatively impacted, as opposed to just 24% who thought it had improved. That means it’s perfectly normal for you to have less desire during the stressful period of the coronavirus pandemic.
But you don’t have to live with that – there are some things you can do to cope with the anxiety and beat it. At EZCare Clinic, we are here to help you do just that, and we can provide a program of treatment that will help you restore your interest without having to wait for the end of the pandemic.
At EZCare Clinic, we offer a number of services that are all designed to improve your health and well-being. Our unique approach involves the practice of holistic medicine, which includes the best of conventional medicine, as well as hormone-balancing and modifications to lifestyle, nutrition, and behaviors. Contact us today to set up an appointment for an initial consultation, so you can begin taking control of your future health.
Are you suffering from anxiety? Its symptoms include a strong urge to avoid crowds, increased heart rate, throbbing headaches, and an immense fear of getting judged. Others are restlessness, fatigue, low concentration, irritability, panic attacks, and insomnia. Once you experience these symptoms, it will be hard to move, feel, think, or behave normally. Your body will also experience physical pain. In such instances, you may feel like switching off until the discomfort passes.
5 Major Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety
According to statistics, over 40 million Americans are battling anxiety disorders. Of these, only 36.9% receive proper treatment. That’s because most sufferers solely depend on medication. If you look beyond the pills, you’ll discover several other ways of permanently coping with anxiety. Once you start researching the right solutions to anxiety, you’ll uncover a flood of options. Finding one that works for you can be an uphill task. This information overload could also make your anxiety worse.
I can help you by giving you a definitive solution. In this article, I’ll provide the most genuine answers to make you regain control despite the various challenges you’ll face. Let’s discuss them in detail.
An Overview of Anxiety and Why It’s a Dreaded Diagnosis
Anxiety is a feeling of temporary detachment from oneself. It can be no different from feeling happy, as it has a moderate role in human emotions. For example, your heart might beat faster before interacting with a crowd. You might also experience nervousness before or during an interview.
Don’t worry about mild anxiety if you can control your feelings. Our environment determines what we feel, so anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad emotion. It can give you the morale you need to stay organized and prepared. Anxiety also equips you with the intuition to perceive imminent danger and the confidence to determine possible risks.
While it has its positive attributes, anxiety can also have harmful effects on your mental wellbeing. Panic attacks interfere with your daily activities and are hard to control. They involve persisted, intense, and repeated fears that are mostly blown out of proportion. Panic attacks can cause feelings of terror or fear in minutes. Some symptoms start during childhood and teenagehood and continue well into adulthood.
How do you deal with such uncertainties? Pay attention as I outline foolproof ways of permanently treating anxiety. They are:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The sooner you identify the root cause of your anxiety, the more likely you’re to implement a viable solution. CBT is a psychotherapeutic treatment that helps you pinpoint and change harmful thought patterns that trigger anxiety. It also prevents your brain from forming such thoughts. In simple terms, this treatment keeps your thoughts positive. CBT is a game-changer because it adjusts your reactions to scenarios or objects that trigger anxiety. CBT has the following specific approaches:
Cognitive therapy
It involves changing distorted thinking. Irrational thoughts include forecasting negative results to future events and having a self-defeatist mentality. You might also imagine that other people are judging you even when that’s not the case.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
This type of CBT teaches you to manage stress, emotions, and the relationship with those around you. It also shows you how to appreciate the present without focusing on past adverse events or future uncertainties.
Multimodal therapy
It treats anxiety by focusing on seven specific modalities: behavior, sensation, imagery, affect, interpersonal connections, cognition, and biological needs.
Effective Therapies from Anxiety
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
This type of therapy starts by identifying illogical thoughts and beliefs and confronting them. REBT teaches you how to recognize and change these irrational thought patterns. The behavioral aspect of CBT focuses on the interconnection between your thoughts, problems, and behavior. The psychotherapy portion of it concentrates on your childhood thought patterns and the personal meaning of things around you. CBT involves the following steps:
Identify negative thoughts
Anxiety projects more aggressive versions of otherwise typical scenarios. Take the example of someone who has a phobia against bugs. The fear might extend to plants, grass, and other greenery they think might be hosting the bugs. The key is to try to remember your thought patterns before your anxiety started.
Introspection can unearth useful insights that will help with your treatment. Your therapist will practically show you that the cause of your anxiety isn’t as bad as you imagine it to be.
Confront your negative thoughts
After identifying your anxiety triggers, you’ll have more courage to challenge them. Repeated exposure might end up normalizing your experience with them and reduce exaggerated responses. You can analyze anxiety triggers by:
Actively evaluating your thoughts for negative patterns
Picking out beliefs that increase confusion instead of making things easier
Testing whether negative feelings are valid or blown out of proportion.
Try the following strategies if you want to conquer your fears:
Perform experiments by coming up with various scenarios that might cause anxiety.
List the pros and cons of avoiding the situations you fear.
Analyze the logical chances of such situations occurring.
Replace or minimize negative thoughts
This phase is the final step in getting rid of anxiety triggers. Now that you understand the cons of irrational thoughts, you can stop focusing on them. Replace them with positive emotions that align accurately with real-world expectations. As your therapist, I will help you nurture encouraging statements to boost your morale whenever you’re feeling down.
One of CBT’s most significant advantages is that it shows results in a relatively short time. Severe emotional issues can be resolved in five to ten months. The strategies you develop will also enable you to deal with ions for the rest of your life.
2. Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
Humans have several reasons to love pets. One of them is that they’re perfect for home-based anxiety therapy. This concept is based on scientific evidence. It also explains the long history of interaction between humans and pets, long before their anxiety-reducing effects were scientifically proven. Animals help boost your mood, manage stress, and reduce blood pressure.
While they’re a welcome addition to any family, they’re also useful if you experience anxiety. Dogs perform this role exceptionally well due to their loyalty and empathy. Trained service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks that help during anxiety attacks. They include fetching medication, a phone to call your therapist, alerting other people of your condition, and physical comfort.
How ESA help with Generalized Anxiety
These animals offer their support through actions such as wagging tails and wet noses. Although simple, these gestures go a long way in treating anxiety and other mental disorders. Other than providing much-needed company, their unconditional love boosts your self-esteem. That’s how the idea of Emotional Support Animals came to be. Acquiring a licensed ESA letter involves the following steps:
Online research
Various websites offer genuine ESA letters. If your busy schedule can’t allow you to visit a doctor, ensure you conduct thorough online research on official websites.
Fill the necessary form
Once you identify the right site, you’ll fill a questionnaire that seeks more information about your condition and support animal. Details include the type of breed, weight, color, vaccination history, and whether it’s crate trained.
Contact with a therapist
Genuine ESA letter approvals don’t happen instantly. You’ll get in touch with a licensed therapist, who’ll evaluate your request more exhaustively. The doctor should be licensed in your state. Make sure you give them a frank account of your anxiety attacks, as well as any other mental conditions you might have.
Receive your ESA letter
Once your doctor hands over the ESA letter, you can take your pet assistant onboard planes and other places with pet restrictions. It doesn’t come as a surprise that these animals are a source of comfort. They help balance your blood pressure during stressful encounters. Playing with them increases serotonin and dopamine, hormones that make you feel relaxed. It also reduces stress-causing hormones such as cortisol.
How ESAs Affect Your Life
There are several advantages of having emotional support animals, one of which is a healthier lifestyle. Their constant companionship and fulfillment of basic needs have a significant influence on your physical and mental wellbeing. Other than anxiety, ESAs can help cure disorders such as depression and PTSD.
3. Exercise
Among the many tips you’ll come across for healing anxiety, exercise will be one of the most consistent. Although physical workouts by themselves don’t cure the disorder, their physical and psychological benefits will make you feel better. Exercise also helps get rid of the mental cobwebs that cause inaction.
One intense workout session can reduce anxiety symptoms for hours, while regular ones diminish them over time. While everyone benefits from physical exercise, you stand to gain more, especially if you haven’t been active before. Let’s discuss in detail how you can use it to tackle anxiety and other mental conditions.
Staying Healthy to Manage Stress
Scientific studies recommend at least 21/2 hours of moderately intense exercise every week, 11/4 hours of intense workouts, or a combination. The following tips will help you manage anxiety through exercise:
Perform aerobic activities. They include jogging, walking, dancing, and biking for at least half an hour daily, five times a week.
Have achievable targets and aim for consistency. For instance, a daily 20-minute walk is healthier than a single 3 hour run at the weekend.
Research workouts that don’t feel like chores. Several types are fun and easy to follow.
Music acts as a beautiful distraction during exercises because time seems to pass faster. It also puts you in the right mood and helps you achieve more.
If you implement these activities patiently, they’re bound to become healthy habits. Exercise improves your mental wellbeing in the following ways:
It prevents an obsessive focus on your anxiety by shifting attention to your physical needs.
Rhythmic movements release muscle tension, which ultimately reduces physical triggers to anxiety.
Your heart rate increases during exercise. This situation produces anti-anxiety neurochemicals that positively alter brain activity. They include serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), endocannabinoids, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Exercise reduces the risk of anxiety attacks in people who are yet to experience them.
Workouts activate the brain’s frontal lobes, which control your reaction to perceived threats. This situation reduces the overreaction that’s commonly associated with anxiety attacks.
Other than physical resilience, exercise also boosts emotional maturity, which helps you adopt a more logical approach to situations.
Get Enough Sleep:
Sleep is a natural relaxation and healing activity. It not only makes your brain calm but also keeps your body refreshed. According to science, adults should have at least seven hours of sleep per day for proper physical and mental health. Why is sleep essential for anti-anxiety therapy?
For one, the medial prefrontal cortex part of the brain gets deactivated while you sleep. This action results in lower feelings of stress and anxiety. If your mind doesn’t rest, it triggers an emotional roller coaster that affects your judgment. Sleep deprivation impairs mental functions, which leads to overloaded body systems. Over time it causes confusion, memory loss, and depression. It also creates hormone imbalances that increase anxiety. Sleep increases protein production, which repairs damage to the body caused by stress.
Tips to Get Peaceful Sleep with Anxiety
How to Cultivate a Healthy Sleeping Habit
Implement these practical tips if you want a good night’s sleep:
Embrace a healthy diet
Your diet helps shape your personality and overall lifestyle. Avoid foods loaded with fat and sugar because they can interfere with your sleep patterns. Have consistent meal plans that keep your mind and body sufficiently replenished. Taking too long without food can trigger your nervous system, which will make it harder to sleep. You should also avoid eating too close to your bedtime. We recommend at least three hours between your last meal and bedtime.
Avoid or reduce caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and drug intake.
Caffeine, nicotine, and drugs such as diet pills act as stimulants that make it hard for the brain to shut down for sleep. Train yourself to take your last caffeinated drink several hours before going to sleep. Alcohol and chain-smoking also keep you in a state of light sleep that doesn’t do your body favors.
Design a relaxing bedtime ritual
If you have a routine that you follow before going to bed, your body will start associating it with sleep. These tasks include taking a warm bath, drinking herbal tea, and listening to soft music. Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
Create a relaxing atmosphere
It’s advisable to sleep in a room without brain-stimulating distractions such as electronics. A darker place helps your body produce a hormone known as melatonin, which manages sleep-wake cycles. Other tips include having a comfortable bed, as well as a bedroom with a fresh, pleasant smell and the right room temperature.
Have short naps
Daytime naps interfere with your sleep pattern. If you must, keep them short of ensuring you still fall asleep relatively fast when bedtime comes. We also recommend keeping a clock out of sight because looking at it might trigger emotions that increase anxiety. Deep sleep helps reinstate your brain’s prefrontal mechanism, which adjusts emotions. It reduces unwarranted reactions, which in turn keeps your anxiety levels in check.
4. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
This approach is also known as EFT tapping. It works on the concept that humans are a fusion of emotions and feelings. It’s therefore vital to align your thoughts with the situation you’re experiencing. This change is not easy if you suffer anxiety because you’ll have a hard time controlling your thought patterns.
EFT is one of the most successful solutions to anxiety attacks. It taps into your body’s energy spots to restore a perfect balance between its physical and mental aspects. With EFT, you’ll be able to put emotional distress behind you in the following steps:
Look for a specialist
EFT is an alternative method of anxiety treatment, so ensure you visit a qualified and licensed practitioner. Their experience and expertise will help you achieve the results you seek.
Pay attention to the source of your anxiety
You’re encouraged to focus on the issue you seek treatment for as the practitioner taps specific parts of your body, mainly the head and face. These points are also called meridians and are stimulated in a similar way to acupuncture and acupressure. The specialist uses fingertips instead of needles.
Release negative energy
As your energy points get tapped, you’ll become more self-aware and enlightened about what’s wrong with your mental health. This process helps you do away with negative thoughts and embrace positive aspects of your life. While tapping, you should repeat an uplifting phrase that will clear the dark clouds that have been pulling you down.
How to Control Negativity with Anxiety
The tapping follows a sequence from the top of the head to the armpit. EFT works on the belief that taking care of the body is central to treating mental health conditions. By engaging your body during the process, you express a readiness to tackle new challenges. Other than being free, quick, and easy to learn, you can practice EFT almost anywhere.
AN IMPORTANT POINT TO NOTE
As with every successful activity, consistency is vital. EFT isn’t a one-time solution; you must perform it regularly to avoid reviving your subconscious programming. The phrase you use while tapping is also essential. It should be a mantra that’s specific enough to hit the root cause of your anxiety, not just universal yearnings.
5. Use Time Management to Tackle Anxiety
Anxiety can be amplified by tight schedules, approaching deadlines, and overwhelming commitments from work, home, or personal life. As you try to juggle everything, you might end up feeling the effects of burnout. In time, the emotional and physical strain will cause anxiety, which will only make things worse.
Develop a Plan
You can keep stress and anxiety at bay by planning and scheduling everything you do. Time management is a prime strategy that effectively tackles these mental vulnerabilities. Try the following management tips to minimize or eliminate stress:
Plan Everything
Break your day into one-hour intervals and assign an activity to each. This habit makes it easy to decide how much you can realistically handle. Doing so allows you to be productive while keeping your mind and body free of stress.
Organize Your Time
Writing a to-do list is a tried and tested time management strategy. It allows you to focus only on productive activities that improve your career and personal life. The feeling of striking off completed tasks boosts your morale and overall mental health. Other organizers include calendars and post-it notes. You can also download them as apps that increase convenience.
If you have a significant project, you can split it into smaller milestones. This convenience will prevent burnout and stress that can occur when you try to accomplish it all at once. Every step you clear gives you the confidence to tackle the next one until the project is complete.
Take Tiny Breaks
Breaks allow your mind to recharge by having happy thoughts. No matter how hectic your schedule is, include an allowance for breathers. You should also anticipate emergencies to pop up, so having a little free time might address them.
Celebrate Your Achievements
Reward yourself every time you reach your goals. You’ll have a positive outlook on future tasks that will reduce stress and other anxiety triggers.
6. Take Effective Medication
The right medication can conclusively treat anxiety and its associated symptoms. These pills are often prescribed together with other types of therapy. To prevent addiction to prescription medication, some anxiety-treating drugs are prescribed on a short-term basis. The main types of anxiety medication are:
Benzodiazepines and Antidepressants
Of the countless medications in the market, a combination of benzodiazepines and antidepressants works best at treating anxiety. They do so by balancing the chemicals in your brain. Benzodiazepines help you maintain regular sleep patterns, which prevents other mental disorders from cropping up.
Antidepressants complement them by managing symptoms associated with a wide range of disorders. They include General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and PTSD.
Common Side-effects of SSRI Medications
Potential Challenges
Although your body has its general features and functions, it also has some variables that make each part unique. Your reaction to medication depends on factors such as diet, preferences, and lifestyle.
Remember, not everyone experiences uniform side effects. Some bodies might reject medication altogether. To avoid complications, make sure to follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter.
7. Hypnosis
This technique is helpful if you want to become more aware of your subconscious or have a deeper understanding of your mental and physical state. It’s the best type of anxiety therapy, provided you’re focused and absorbed in the procedure. It offers spectacular results if both your body and mind are wholly engaged.
Hypnosis guides your mind towards positive thoughts, which makes it easier to tackle mental instability. The movement between your happy place and reality equips you with the ability to control your emotions during discouraging situations. Hypnosis involves the following process:
Find a Qualified Therapist
If performed by a licensed therapist, hypnosis is one of the safest treatment options for anxiety. Before settling on a practitioner, ensure they have the necessary credentials, experience, and certifications.
Although advanced technology makes it easy to find information, it also increases the chances of getting scammed. Some medical professionals also provide hypnotherapist services. They include psychologists, medical doctors, social workers, psychotherapists, and psychiatric nurses.
An experienced practitioner will help you discover your true self by helping your mind to explore.
If you’re intensely afraid of heights, your practitioner will introduce that scenario as a “posthypnotic suggestion” while you’re in a trance. Once you’re in that dimension, your mind will be more willing to accommodate suggestions. This eventuality is an opportunity for your therapist to give you the confidence to tackle your fear of heights.
If your phobia manifests itself while under hypnosis, they will help you bypass this “critical factor.” Your mind uses this strategy to protect you while allowing memories that are good to you and blocking harmful ones.
During hypnosis, you should remember these two key points:
The physical aspect must be involved in the treatment. That’s because it builds a link between your past fear and a physical storage place where those repressed emotions are kept.
You must learn to overcome the critical factor and get in touch with the parts that direct your reality and perceptions. Relaxation is essential to success!
The Result
If you’re trying to identify the right treatment for your anxiety, hypnosis offers a golden opportunity for remarkable healing. The more sessions you have, the more relaxed you’ll become. These positive factors will ultimately convince your mind to overcome its long-held fears. For complete effectiveness, hypnosis should be applied together with cognitive-behavioral therapy.
8. Energy Healing
This type of therapy targets your body’s energy fields to remove disturbances or blockage in the energy pathways. The restoration of healthy energy flow heals the body of various issues, including anxiety.
How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Energy healing has several benefits, including relaxation, reduced stress, better moods, and improved sleep patterns. It also resolves various symptoms associated with a general anxiety disorder such as irritability, tense muscles, fatigue, and loss of concentration. The energy healing process occurs in these steps:
Find a Safe Place
This technique doesn’t require crystal balls or other items associated with magic. You can practice it anywhere you feel safe, whether it’s your room or the public park. The critical requirement is a relaxed mind that allows you to take full control of your thoughts.
Focus
You need high concentration levels if you wish to tackle the cause of your anxiety. Breathing is an essential aspect of this step. Become aware of the air intake into your body, the expansion it causes in your chest, and how satisfying it feels to exhale. Some people make it a mantra that improves their concentration. One way of doing so is to say, “I’m inhaling, I’m exhaling.” This phrase has a calming effect on your subconscious.
Harness Your Thoughts
Your brain generates countless thoughts at any given time. If you’re suffering anxiety, you’ll have a hard time organizing your thought patterns. You must find a balance between the chaos in your mind and the calm you desire. Rather than giving priority to fearful thoughts, use this focus to release the tension in your mind and body.
The Power of Energy Healing
If a traumatic experience triggered your anxiety, there’s a possibility that your mind has blocked or frozen that particular event. It will have a strong and negative effect on your nervous system because it still exists in your subconsciousness.
Energy healing utilizes feelings, emotions, and imaginations that have a secure link with your conscious mind. A deep connection with your healer also determines the success of this therapy. You must have intense focus and commitment if you want to do away with negative thought patterns for good.
9. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a relatively new procedure that has gained widespread adoption in the recent past. It uses various psychological theories, including some aspects of CBT. EMDR uses techniques such as eye movements, audio simulation, and hand tapping to help patients overcome past traumatic experiences.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Helps with Multiple Mental Health Problems
Although initially reserved for trauma, EMDR now treats a variety of mental health issues, including panic disorders. The procedure occurs in the following steps:
History-Taking
Your therapist will need your complete history to formulate an effective treatment strategy. This list includes past traumatic events, memories, and current situations that stress you. They will develop a customized treatment plan based on these specific details.
Initially, the procedure might focus on childhood experiences, after which it will move to specific issues such as panic attacks. It’s important to know when they started, what triggered them, when you had your worst attack, and when the most recent one occurred.
Preparation
This phase teaches you how to handle anxiety and stress. A standard solution is to perform mental exercises.
Targeting
This step signals the beginning of hard work. It involves picking a particularly painful memory that you mentioned while narrating your history.
Description
Describe a visual aspect of that memory, including how it affects you both emotionally and physically. Your therapist will also ask you to assign negative and positive beliefs about yourself to the visual picture of the traumatic memory. You need to rate these beliefs depending on how true you feel they are, after which the EMDR simulation will take place.
Closure
In this stage, your therapist will discuss with you the positive aspects and give you tips on how to reinforce them daily.
Re-evaluation
You’ll keep having regular meetings with your therapist, during which you’ll focus on the progress you’ve made. Other points of discussion include a comparison between your treatment goals and whether they’ve been met. If the process is successful, you can focus on other targets that you identified in the initial phases. Your therapist should also show you how to avoid future anxiety triggers.
We all love hugs due to the warm and cuddly feelings they give. Weighted blankets seek to utilize this principle to treat anxiety. While you sleep, they replicate that soothing feeling, which relaxes your muscles and ultimately improves your sleep patterns.
There’s more to this trend. Weighted blankets were initially used by autistic children and people suffering certain mental conditions. With time the medical community started applying their benefits to the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Weighted blankets work in the following ways:
Deep Pressure Touch (DPT)
It mimics the application of uniform pressure on every part of the body. This action triggers production of serotonin, a sleep hormone. The result is improved sleeping patterns, lower stress, and a balanced circadian rhythm.
Calming Sensation
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine did a study on the effects of grounding the body while sleeping. It reported a reduction in cortisol levels during sleep and a normalized circadian rhythm. Other symptoms such as stress, pain, and sleep dysfunction also witness a reduction or elimination.
Weighted Blankets Boost Serotonin Production
This hormone is known to reduce pain. Oxytocin, the mood-boosting hormone, also gets released when you sleep under a weighted blanket.
Rapid Stress Reduction
Other than the deeper sleep associated with serotonin production, your body unwinds more easily and enjoys relaxation. This process tames your amygdala, the collection of cells in your brain that are responsible for activating the fight or flight function when threatened.
Your sympathetic nervous system creates such impulses. If it gets too busy, it will trigger anxiety. That’s why you need to put significant pressure all over your body to stimulate other parts of your nervous system. Your brain will automatically experience feelings of peace and relaxation.
At EZCare Clinic, we’re committed to providing the very best in anxiety and mental health solutions. It’s essential to realize that these conditions won’t disappear overnight. These treatment plans require your best effort and time to work. If you’re consistent, you’ll be able to tackle your fears and prepare adequately for any future uncertainties. By following the tips outlined above, you can pursue healing and a healthier lifestyle. Contact us today for an appointment with our specialists.
Over the last few years, we have witnessed a significant increase in mental health issues. Mental problems range from day to day anxiety to extreme and life-threatening conditions.
Mental health is an emerging concern. How can we battle this issue?
Different people have different ways of coping with the symptoms. Some resort to prescription medication; others seek therapy.
There has been an inclination towards using animals to mitigate the symptoms of mental health issues. Is the use of pets the best strategy?
In this article, we shall look into the viability of this strategy. We shall look into the seven ways that pets can alleviate the symptoms of poor mental health.
1. Pets can Improve the Quality of Your Sleep
Mental Health Issue: Sleeping Disorders
A sleeping disorder is a condition that drastically changes your sleeping habits. Healthy sleeping patterns are crucial to sound mental health.
Medical Issues: Chronic medical conditions can alter your sleeping habits. Conditions like migraines, arthritis, and lupus syndrome can affect your sleeping patterns.
Psychiatric Disorders: These disorders include anxiety and depression.
Environmental Issues: Includes the things that surround your sleeping environment. For example, a snoring spouse, noisy neighbor, etc.
An emotional support animal is a pet that provides comfort to help you quiet down the symptoms of mental health issues. Here are some steps on how you can cure sleeping disorders using ESAs.
Step 1: Identify and measure your sleeping disorder. Are you sleeping less than four hours a day? Is there anything interrupting your sleep? If so, you have a sleep disorder.
Step 2: Schedule an appointment with a doctor. Let the doctor carry out a full examination and diagnose your illness.
Step 3: Do some research about emotional support animals. Ask around about ESA therapy and its benefits.
Step 4: Seek an ESA letter from a credible source. This document will allow you to live and travel with your pet.
Step 5: Buy your emotional support animal. Whether it’s a dog, cat, or hamster, you are free to get the animal of your liking.
Step 6: Play with your animal. Make some time, interact with your pet. Buy a frisbee, throw a couple of rounds. Pet your cat.
Step 7: Make a habit of sleeping alongside your pet.
Step 8: By taking part in activities with your pet, you are likely to experience an increase in oxytocin levels. Oxytocin is your love hormone.
Step 9: Increased levels of oxytocin will improve the quality of your sleep. You will take a shorter time before you fall asleep. Oxytocin release has a link to quality sleep and healthy sleeping patterns.
Step 10: Recover from your sleeping disorder. You will notice a change as your sleeping hours increase from three to six. You will also experience better sleep and fewer interruptions.
At EzCare Clinic, we help patients find their emotional support animals. We accomplish this mission by issuing credible ESA letters. Our licensed therapists will assist you through your battle against sleep disorders.
b) Pharmaceutical Solutions
A wide range of medications is available for the treatment of sleeping disorders. Like other pharmaceutical medication, these drugs come with side effects. You need to consult a doctor before administering these drugs. We shall discuss some of the drugs that are effective against sleeping disorders.
Below are treatment options for sleeping disorders:
Sometimes the solution is not in medicine. Sometimes the cure is simple, as simple as a lifestyle change. A change in lifestyle or behavior can help you regain healthy sleeping habits.
Physical training has a positive effect on mental health as it does on physical health. Working out is a natural way to improve the quality of your sleep. How working our improves your sleep cycle is still a mystery, but exercise is quite useful. Could it have something to do with the stimulation of specific hormones during a workout? Your guess is as good as mine.
Establishing the best time for your work out has everything to do with the treatment process. Physical activity in the late hours may interfere with the regulation of your sleep.
2. Pets Can Help You Conquer Your Fear of Flight
The Topic of Concern: Aerophobia
Aerophobia is the fear of flying. There are many causes of aerophobia.
Below are the leading causes:
A Traumatic Flight Experience: A bad flying experience can instill fear. Having lived through a “close call” during a trip can cause trauma.
News About Plane Crushes: You don’t need to live through a plane crash to suffer from aerophobia. Heavy media coverage on crashes often induces fear in some people.
Below are some helpful tips that will help you overcome aerophobia using ESAs.
Step 1: Consult with your doctor. Your doctor can give you a detailed insight into your phobia and its management.
Step 2: Enquire about the criteria for receiving an ESA letter. Enquire about eligibility and evaluate yourself. An ESA letter gives allows you to live and travel with your support animal.
Step 3: Aquire your ESA letter from a legitimate source. With the letter you can travel with your pet, free from additional charges.
Step 4: Research on the kind of animals that they allow on planes. Adopt a pet that meets these conditions.
Step 5: Ensure that you carry your pet the next time you travel. Make sure that you always have the appropriate documentation for such trips.
Step 6: Sit close to your pet. Ensure that you always have access to the animal.
Step 7: During the flight, make eye contact with your pet.
Step 8: Smile at your pet to calm the animal. Pet the animal from time to time. Engage the animal as much as possible.
Step 9: Arrived safely? Engaging your pet will help you have an anxiety-free flight. Thanks to the ESA, you can get to your destination without any panic attacks.
Some people navigate around their fear of flying by finding alternative means. This option could mean wasting a lot of time on a trip that could have been faster by flight. In this sense, an emotional support animal can help you save time.
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b) Relaxation Techniques and Therapies
Below is a relaxation technique that can help you keep calm during flights.
Lengthen your breaths by two to three seconds. In this exercise, inhale deeply and hold your breath for about three seconds. Exhale slowly through your nose.
Alternate your breaths between your nostrils. Block one nostril and allow air to flow in through the other. Repeat this exercise, blocking the other nostril.
The 4-7-8 technique could be useful. In this method, breathe through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath until the seventh second, then breathe out on the eighth second.
You can also try the tense muscle technique. This method involves tensing every muscle of your body. Starting from your face muscles to your toes. While flexing your muscles, breathe in for three to four seconds. Finish by exhaling through your mouth on the fifth or sixth second.
c) The Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a method of treating phobias and anxiety disorders. The treatment involves exposing the patient to visual stimuli through virtual reality images.
Exposure therapy is useful in the treatment of different phobias. A large number of patients have reported encouraging results. These include the reduction of fear and avoidance.
3. Pets Can Help You Combat Depression
The Topic of Concern: Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder that associates with dull moods. A person suffering from depression is likely to exhibit persistent loss of interest in activities. In severe cases, depression can get in the way of your personal or professional life.
Below are the leading causes of depression:
Certain Medication: Drugs like isotretinoin, corticosteroids, and interferon-alpha increase the risk of depression.
Death of a Loved One: Loss of a loved one is likely to cause depression.
Abuse or Trauma: Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse in your past could cause depression
Genetics: Some people have a higher disposition to depression than others.
Chronic Illnesses: Long-term diseases could push someone into a deep depression.
Substance Abuse and Addiction: Drug addicts are more likely to suffer from depression than non-addicts.
Sleep Deprivation: Poor sleeping habits can cause depression.
Causes of depression
The symptoms of depression include:
Lack of motivation
Constant fatigue
Loss of appetite or overindulgence in food
Insomnia
Irritability
Restlessness
Feelings of hopelessness
Feelings of guilt
Low self-esteem
Lack of confidence in making decisions
Suicidal thoughts
Treating Depression
a) Emotional Support Animals
With the steps below, you can acquire an ESA and combat depression:
Step 1: Analyze your symptoms and quantify the severity of your condition.
Step 2: Consult with your doctor. Seek a professional diagnosis for your depression.
Step 3: Consult with your doctor on possible avenues for treatment. Explore the option of emotional support animals. Discuss this treatment with your doctor.
Step 6: Engage your pet. Play some games and bond. Let your pet comfort you.
Step 7: Share your insecurities and secrets with your pet. The advantage of having an animal friend is that they give you unconditional love. Pets don’t judge you; they do not care about your past.
Step 8: Pet your ESA as much as you can. Allow yourself to heal in this new relationship.
Step 9: As you bond with your support animal, your body releases more serotonin (the happiness hormone). This hormone makes you happier and calmer.
Step 10: Thanks to your ESA, you can live a depression free life.
At EzCare clinic, we issue ESA letters to patients suffering from depression. Consult with us to discuss your options. Our team of professionals is here to help.
b) Antidepressant Medication
Antidepressants are drugs that can alleviate the symptoms of depression. Some of these drugs act by stimulating the production of serotonin in the brain. Other drugs act by decreasing the clearance of this happiness hormone.
Doctors can prescribe antidepressants independently or in combination with other drugs.
Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI)
Serotonin Modulator (Voertioxetine)
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA)
Tetracyclic Antidepressants
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI)
Precautionary Note: Consult your doctor before taking these drugs. The medication has powerful active ingredients. Some side effects could be overwhelming.
c) Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves actively talking to a mental health professional.
Psychotherapy will help help you accomplish the following:
Recognition of negative thoughts and replacing them with positive thoughts
Adjusting to crisis
Finding better ways to cope with your situation
Behavior change
Management of anger and hopelessness
Management of the symptoms of depression
d) Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT works on the principle that electric currents can influence the function of neurotransmitters. We reserve this treatment for patients who do not respond to other forms of treatment. ECT is also an alternative to patients who cannot tolerate the side effects of medication or allergies to ESA.
4. Managing Chronic Pain with ESAs
The Topic of Concern: Chronic Pain
Pain is a reaction of the nervous system to injury. Pain alerts us on the site of injury so we may take action. After the injury heals, the pain becomes less severe. However, in the case of chronic pain, the nervous system continues to send pain signals way after an injury heals.
Chronic pain may affect your mobility, endurance, and strength. It can get in the way of your personal or professional life.
Causes of chronic pain:
Headache
Nerve injury
Psychogenic problems
Post-surgery
Cancer
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Symptoms of chronic pain
Fatigue
Irritability
Soreness
Numbness
Sleeplessness
Stiffness
Stabbing sensations
Mood swings
Loss of stamina
4. Treating and Managing Chronic Pain
There are quite a few options that are worth exploring.
a) Emotional Support Animals and Pets
With the steps below, you can manage your chronic pain with the support from a pet.
Step 1: Evaluate your chronic pain. Explore the severity and cause of the pain. Consult with your doctor to get a professional diagnosis.
Step 2: Do some basic research about ESAs. Find out about how effective pets can be in managing chronic pain.
Step 3: Apply for an ESA letter. Use the letter to adopt your favorite pet. With this emotional support animal, you have a new addition to your family.
Step 4: Let your support animal accompany you to bed. Research suggests that sleeping with a pet will improve the quality of your sleep.
Step 5: With your ESA letter, you can bring the pet to work. You need not take a leave of disability or quit your job.
Step 6: Establish a routine of walks and exercise. Walking to work could be a good idea. Working out can distract you from the pain and keep your weight in check.
Step 7: Lay your emotional support animal on your painful limb. Allow the pet to lick the pain away.
Step 8: Lower your dependence on pharmaceutical painkillers. With your ESA around, you need fewer painkillers
Step 9: At this point, your pet will bring down the intensity of your pain.
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b) Painkillers
There are a wide variety of painkillers that are effective against chronic pain. Different painkillers have different modes of action. Depending on the location and nature of your pain, your doctor will prescribe an appropriate sedative.
Below are some of the common types of painkillers:
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Paracetamol (Acetaminophen)
Opioid Painkillers
Non-Opioid Painkillers
Muscle Relaxants
Precautionary Note: The painkillers above are potent forms of medication. Most of them come with side effects. Consult with your doctor before taking these drugs.
c) Nerve Block Procedures
Nerve blocking involves cutting pain signals along the pathway of specific nerves. With the help of an injection, nerve block procedures can be effective against inflammation.
Below are some common nerve block procedures:
Epidural Steroid Injection
Lumbar Sympathetic Block
Celiac Plexus Block
Facet Joint Injection
Stellate Ganglion Block
Most of these procedures come with substantial side effects. Only a trained health professional can perform a nerve block procedure.
The TENS therapy works on the principle that electrical stimulation can quiet pain. The procedure involves placing electrodes against the skin on painful sites. The therapist will then apply a low voltage of electric current.
The electric current stimulates the nerves in the region. The stimuli will then disrupt the normal pathways for pain. TENS is effective against specific types of chronic pain like diabetic neuropathy.
5. Combating Anxiety with Emotional Support Animals
The Topic of Concern: Anxiety Disorder
All About Anxiety
The leading causes of anxiety include:
Genetic Predisposition- If you come from a family with a history of anxiety, you are more likely to suffer from it.
Environmental Factors- Living and working in stressful environments is more likely to cause anxiety.
Drug and Substance Abuse- Hard drugs like cocaine cause anxiety disorder.
Illnesses- Medical conditions like heart attacks and strokes can manifest as anxiety disorders.
Personality- Patients with specific personalities are prone to anxiety more than others.
a) Treating Anxiety with Emotional Support Animals
With the steps below, you could adopt a pet and fight your anxiety:
Step 1: Evaluate the nature of your anxiety. Consult with a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.
Step 2: Find out more about emotional support animals and how useful they can be against anxiety. Approach a credible institution to obtain an ESA letter.
Step 3: Weight your pet preferences and make an appropriate decision. An emotional support animal can be a pet of any kind. It could be a cat, a dog, or an exotic animal.
Step 4: Engage your pet, spend some time together, and play. These activities will defuse your anxiety and install peace into your mind.
Step 5: Take your pet for regular walks around the park or neighborhood. In this way, you can get in a little workout as you bond with your ESA.
Step 6: While on your walks, meet new people. Your pet can be a topic for a conversation starter.
Step 7: Make some new friends. Sour interactions in the park or sidewalk could lay the foundation of strong friendships.
Step 8: Socializing helps to curb anxiety. In the company of friends and loved ones, your brain produces more oxytocin (happiness hormone). Playing with your pet has the same effect. Without knowing it, you are lowering your anxiety levels.
Step 9: With the steps above you will notice your anxiety levels diminishing
For your ESA letter, consult with EzCare Medical Clinic. Our team of licensed professionals is authorized to issue ESA letters. We believe that strong bonds with your pet can help you overcome mental issues. Make an appointment to get your ESA letter.
b) Treating Anxiety With Medication
There are a variety of drugs that are effective in treating anxiety disorders. Like other forms of medication, these drugs are potent. Most pills come with side effects and allergic reactions. Before taking any anxiety medication, you should consult with a doctor.
Below are types of drugs that are effective in treating anxiety disorders:
Antidepressants
Buspirone
Benzodiazepines (Beta-Blockers)
c) Treating Anxiety with Lifestyle Changes
Sometimes, your lifestyle can cause you to develop an anxiety disorder. In such a case, implementing lifestyle changes can help you regain control of your mental health.
With these lifestyle changes, you can fight back against anxiety:
Regular physical activity
Get enough sleep
Start a healthy diet
Quit smoking
Lower your caffeine intake
Adopt relaxation activities like meditation and yoga
Avoid recreational drugs
d) Treating Anxiety with Psychological Counseling
Psychological counseling involves speaking to a qualified therapist. The therapy requires booking appointments and working with your therapist to reduce the symptoms of your anxiety.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of counseling that is effective in treating anxiety disorders. In this type of treatment, you will learn how to mitigate the symptoms of anxiety.
6. Combating Loneliness by Adopting a Pet
The Topic of Concern: Loneliness
Below are some of the leading causes of loneliness:
Lack of friendly relationships. This cause is most prevalent among children and teenagers. If the loneliness continues, it may persist into adulthood.
The death of a loved one may induce feelings of loneliness. The condition may get worse when the individual fails to deal with the loss.
Socially disruptive events like movings from one town to the next may cause loneliness. Not everyone can adjust to a new environment and make new friends.
Social anxiety may inspire social anxiety and loneliness.
The fear of rejection may inhibit someone’s confidence. The individual may end up withdrawing to himself/herself in isolation.
Below are some of the symptoms of loneliness.
Dull personalities
High tendencies of falling asleep
Cravings of physical warmth
Gloomy feelings
Decreased appetite
Interrupted sleep
Substance abuse
Social media addiction
Treating and Managing Loneliness
a) Treatment Using Emotional Support Animals
With the steps below, you can adopt an emotional support animal.
Step 1: The whole process starts with the acquisition of an ESA letter. An ESA letter is only valid when you obtain it from an authentic source. A source like EzCare Clinic.
Step 2: You can use the ESA letter to adopt the pet of your choice. I suggest that you pick a pet that you are most comfortable with.
Step 3: Live with your pet. Instead of returning home to an empty house, you have a loving friend to keep you company.
Step 4: Engage your pet as much as you can. Sit and eat besides your pet. Pet the animal as much as possible. Play some games, teach your pet a few tricks.
Step 5: Plan fun activities with your pet. Activities like walks in the park and road trips. Such activities form the best opportunity for bonding with your pet.
Step 6: Cuddle with your pet whenever an opportunity presents itself. The warm fuzzy feeling of cuddling takes away the loneliness.
Step 7: In your pet, you have found a friend. Say goodbye to loneliness.
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b) Treating Loneliness with Some Lifestyle Adjustments
With the following behavioral adjustments, you can manage your loneliness:
Stay in touch with your friends and family
Explore some new and positive hobbies
Take a break from social media platforms
Explore the outdoors once in a while
Participate in charitable events like volunteering for your local nursing home
Participate in some community services
Make attempts to socialize with others
c) Therapy Sessions
Therapy is an effective means of dealing with loneliness. In therapy, there is an emphasis on establishing the root cause of your loneliness. With the findings, the therapist can develop suitable solutions for you. Group therapy is advantageous because you learn how to interact with others. Doctors may prescribe some antidepressants to complement your therapy.
7. Finding Motivation with Your Pet
Mental Health Issue: Avolition
Avolition a the lack of motivation to do your normal tasks. In this condition, you may find it hard to start or finish the simplest of chores. Avolition is a common symptom of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects how you act, feel, or think.
Below are some of the leading causes of a lack of motivation:
Depression: Dullness tends to take away your motivation.
Trying too hard to please everyone: In an effort to impress, you may end up draining all your motivation. Over-looking your own needs in favor of other people’s needs is a motivation drainer.
Having a fixed state of mind: A fixed state of mind impedes your mental growth and development. The end result is demotivation.
A feeling of overwhelming pressure: When you have a lot going on in your life, it’s hard to find motivation.
Medical conditions: Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, and Parkinson’s disease are some of the conditions that may cause apathy.
The symptoms of lack of motivation include:
Diminished emotions
Behavioral changes
A negative effect on one’s quality of life
Lower energy levels
Feelings of pressure
Managing Avolition
a) Adopting an Emotional Support Animal
With the steps below, you can find comfort and help from a pet.
Step 1: Evaluate your case. Find the cause of your demotivation.
Step 2: Aquire your ESA letter from EzCare Clinic. Use the document to adopt a pet. Animal shelters are some of the best places to get pets.
Step 3: Bring home your pet. Depending on the type of animal you get, you may have to build it a home.
Step 4: Take care of the food requirements of your pet. Go above and beyond to feed your pet. Invest in high-quality pet food.
Step 5: Groom your pet regularly. For furry animals, you can try out some fancy hairstyles. You can also play around with different costumes.
Step 6: Ensure that your pet is always in tip-top shape and health. Make regular appointments with a veterinarian. Keep your pet pest and disease-free. Take your pet out for regular exercise and walks.
Step 7: Congratulations, you are on your way to recovery. With time you will notice a restoration of motivation. There will be an extra spring in your step and a smile on your face.
With the following behavioral adjustments, you can restore your motivation.
Leave your comfort zone and take part in some fun activities
Exercise regularly
Avoid overworking
Make a schedule and develop a routine
Reward yourself after completing a task
Sleep at least seven hours a night
Seek help from your friends and family
c) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This therapy is quite effective in treating low motivation. Cognitive-behavioral therapy works on the principle of changing your thought and behavioral patterns.
As part of the therapy, you may undergo the following types of interventions.
At EzCare Clinic, we issue legitimate ESA letters in a timely fashion. We speed up the process by giving you an opportunity to apply remotely. Through our online platform, you can file your application. Our dedicated staff is on stand by to process your application.
With your ESA letter, you can travel with your emotional support animal at no extra costs. This document can prevent your landlord from charging you an extra coin for the pet you keep.
Do you have an ESA prescription? We might be able to help you out. Walk into our San Francisco offices or call us on (415)966-0848.
Invest in your mental health, get an emotional support animal.
