Kids of all ages can be heard longing to be an adult. When that time arrives, they’ll have more freedom. Of course, with that freedom comes plenty more responsibilities and expectations. After years of waiting to turn 18, young people are faced with an increasing number of challenges. In fact, a 2021 study found over 70 percent of Americans believe today’s young adults have it much harder than the past few generations.

You see, your 18th or 21st birthday does not automatically mean you’re ready to fully start adulting. In some ways, the transition can feel natural. However, the overall process requires support, patience, and commitment.

Why is Adulting Anxiety So Common?

Social norms in the U.S. dictate that kids flip a switch when they “officially” become adults. Here are just some of the anxiety-causing factors that can prevent such a rapid transformation:

• There are so many adulting basics to learn, e.g. hygiene, laundry, doing taxes, writing a resume, finding a job, paying bills, pursuing a degree, and so much more
• Forming adult connections with friends, co-workers, bosses, teachers, neighbors, and romantic partners
• Pressure to succeed
• Competing with peers
• Loneliness from not living with your family anymore
• Navigating a heavily divided society

Adulting anxiety is real. You’re not alone and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. And fortunately, there are fundamental personal steps you can take to ease the transition.

4 Tips To Ease Adulting Anxiety

1. Resist the Temptation to Lose Faith

Anxiety is a persistent liar. It will bombard you with untruths designed to hold you back. Sure, when entering an entirely new phase of your life, you will be expected to take on new challenges. With those new challenges, you will have to deal with some setbacks along the way. Anxiety may tell you that avoidance is the safest choice.

Productive adulting requires you to tolerate some discomfort. This is how you learn new skills. It’s also how you discover what you do and don’t like, and what you’re good at. When adulting challenges arrive, view them as part of a process and not a final judgment on yourself. Don’t lose faith.

2. Follow Your Heart

Very well-meaning people may aggressively push you toward choices they deem to be “practical.” There’s value in hearing them out but nothing can replace listening to your passion. What lights you up. If you don’t yet know what drives you, be patient. Try lots of things and be extra cautious to not settle into a life that you didn’t choose.

3. Practice Self-Care

For any form of anxiety, self-care can serve as a bulwark. Fortify yourself against stress by focusing on elements like:

• Healthy eating choices
• Regular sleep patterns
• Daily exercise
• Relaxation techniques
• Practicing self-compassion

To sustain such a regimen, it can be quite helpful to keep a diary journal. Monitor your emotions, triggers, challenges, and solutions. Such a journal will come in mighty handy during your therapy sessions (see below).

4. Take Stock of Your Resources

Whether you are working or attending school, living at home, or living on your own, you have more resources than you might imagine. Anxiety can truly thrive when you feel alone and helpless. Create a support system and never hesitate to ask for help.

Speaking of Resources…

Therapy is a powerful option for this scenario. Your weekly sessions can serve as both a safe space and a workshop. Alongside a skilled guide, you are well-positioned to identify counterproductive patterns while exploring new approaches along the way. If adulting anxiety has you feeling overwhelmed, we urge you to reach out to talk. Let’s get you started with a free and confidential consultation soon for anxiety therapy.

What comes to mind when you think of anxiety? Most people would answer that question with words like worry, stress, fear, dread, or panic. And they would not be wrong. But how many folks associate low self-esteem with an anxiety disorder? After a little thought, however, the connections become more obvious.

If you feel scared on a regular basis, it’s not a mindset that breeds confidence. You feel vulnerable and perhaps anxiety is telling you that you are weak. Anxiety causes us to doubt our abilities. We lose faith in ourselves which, in turn, makes us more susceptible to anxiety.

3 Tips To Improve Your Self-Esteem When You Have Anxiety

1. Be Your Own Motivational Speaker

Anxiety is a skilled liar. Therefore, it must be challenged. Here are a few simple ways to swing the dynamic in your favor:

• Speak praise to yourself: Compliment and encourage yourself on a daily, if not hourly basis.
• Keep a journal: Keep lists of your goals, accomplishments, and dream. Revisit this journal often.
• Reward yourself: When you nip anxiety in the bud, do something nice for yourself.

2. Take Action

Nothing counteracts anxiety like taking action. If you allow anxious emotions to keep you from doing what you like and need to do, your self-esteem is not given a chance to increase. Create challenges each day and follow through. Start small. For example, if social anxiety is your nemesis, put yourself in public places every day. Say hi to people. Engage in small talk. Work your way up and watch your confidence grow!

3. Strike a Power Pose

This one might sound too good to be true but it has plenty of research behind it (more about that soon). The basic idea is to strike a pose that makes you appear and feel physically bigger and stronger. Here’s an example:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
• Your hands on your hips
• Your head held high
• Square off your shoulders and stick out your chest
• Hold the position for as long as you can (but at least two minutes)

In this pose, you set off physiological changes. These changes alter how your brain functions and, in turn, shift how you feel about yourself. If that wasn’t enough, studies show that the people who encounter you in this pose instantly get a strong, positive first impression of you. Their palpable reaction will further trigger your confidence and all of this is accomplished without speaking a word.

It sounds crazy but low-power poses have been shown to reduce testosterone (a hormone of dominance) by as much as 10 percent. Meanwhile, a powerful stress hormone called cortisol can spike by 15 percent. Conversely, in a power pose, check out these numbers:

• 25 percent decrease in cortisol
• 20 percent increase in testosterone

Translation: You have more confidence and are better equipped to manage stressful situations. So, look up some power poses, choose which ones you prefer, and strike these poses as often as possible.

Anxiety and Self-Esteem Are Complicated Issues

None of the above is designed to downplay the serious impact these issues can have on your life. Anxiety is a diagnosable mental health disorder. Low self-esteem has been linked to higher risks of depression and self-harm. In other words, by all means, take self-help steps to improve your well-being. But if you feel overwhelmed by out-of-control emotions, please reach out for help.

A skilled therapist is an ideal person to speak with about all of this. Your therapy sessions can become a safe avenue for exploring your feelings and behaviors. Together, you can discover healthy new approaches — and that is a fast track to higher self-esteem!

Reach out soon to learn more about how anxiety treatment can help you with self-esteem.

According to the National Library of Science, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is classified as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. In many ways, this would be seen as the final say. However, a growing body of work is connecting OCD to non-anxiety disorders like disordered eating and autism. As a result, the DSM-5 does give OCD its own category. In the meantime, as it should, the research continues.

However, everyone agrees that OCD and anxiety orders — at the very least — have a significant amount of overlap. Therefore, it makes sense to keep this in mind when diagnosing and treating patients with certain symptoms.

Can You Have OCD and an Anxiety Disorder?

The numbers supply this question with a clear “yes” answer. At least one-third of those in a 2021 study had both Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Someone with GAD and OCD will usually display symptoms that overlap, for example:

• Unexplained muscle tension
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Ongoing anxiety without an obvious, discernible cause

In that study, there was a higher incidence of the following condition in people with OCD and GAD:

• Panic Disorder
• Specific phobias
• Social Anxiety
• avoidant behavior
• Type II Bipolar Disorder

It goes without saying that more study is required. But, in the name of providing effective and appropriate treatment, studies like this alert practitioners to trends that must be factored in. This is especially true since other studies have found that someone with anxiety and OCD may be at a higher risk of suicidal ideation.

Isn’t Anxiety Part of OCD?

It absolutely is. But the cause of that anxiety is an important distinction. With GAD, the worries and fears are rooted in reality. They may be very exaggerated or misplaced, but they arise from events that could happen or perhaps have happened in the past. Think of it as typical nervousness but on steroids.

People with OCD take anxiety to a different place. With GAD, you can struggle with health-related anxiety. With OCD, it could be more extreme, e.g. believing that touching a doorknob will definitely result in a terminal illness. It’s not a random thought either. OCD anxiety is part of a pattern — repetitive, intrusive thoughts that cause progressively more distress. Then comes the compulsions part of the cycle. The presence of compulsions is what truly separates GAD from OCD.

In response to concerns that are knowingly irrational, someone with OCD conjures up rituals to cancel out the possibility that disaster is looming. These are compulsions. They are automatic reactions to obsessive, anxious thoughts. Compulsions are often more irrational than obsessions — and the person knows it.

What Does All This Mean For People in Need?

It’s not hard to see why OCD is categorized as an anxiety disorder. By the same token, it’s equally as logical to carefully distinguish the two conditions. In the end, for the person being impacted by either disorder (or both), what matters most is getting the help they need and deserve. This begins with a proper diagnosis.

You may be struggling with OCD but you’re getting treated for GAD. Truth be told, you might be getting treated for something like Borderline Personality Disorder. Hence, the road to recovery begins by finding a practitioner with the experience and expertise to understand what’s going on.

As a starting point, keep a diligent journal of symptoms, signs, triggers, and solutions. Identify patterns. This will be valuable evidence for the therapist you choose. With all this in mind, I invite you to reach out today. Let’s connect for a free and confidential consultation and get this process started for anxiety treatment.

It could be a job interview, a big test, giving a speech, a first date, or even your wedding day! You get to decide what is and isn’t a “big deal.” What all of these events have in common is the potential to inspire anxiety. If you’re already struggling with an anxiety disorder, that could go double.

You might be nervous, sweaty, or unable to sleep the night before. A range of worst-case scenarios is racing through your mind. How in the world can you overcome so much worrying? Well, remember, you are not alone and you can warm up your cold feet.

What is Anticipatory Anxiety?

It’s not a specific diagnosis and is often an offshoot of an existing anxiety disorder — often social anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety crops up when a future event or situation has you excessively stressed. A little nervousness is typical. If you find yourself unable to think of anything else, it’s probably anticipatory anxiety.

Common Symptoms of Anticipatory Anxiety

• Feelings of dread
• Jumpiness
• Hyper-vigilance
• Restlessness
• Expecting the worst
• Shaky hands/shaky voice
• Extreme perspiration
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Digestive problems

How To Deal With Anxiety Before Your Big Day

Practice Daily Self-Care

This is standard advice under any circumstance. When struggling with anticipatory anxiety, self-care becomes especially critical. Some factors to consider:

• Safeguard your eating habits: Limit food or drinks that make anxiety worse (e.g. sugar, alcohol, junk food, and caffeine)
• Maintain regular sleep patterns: This is foundational
• Daily exercise and physical movement: Proven to enhance mental and physical health
• Practice relaxation techniques: Try yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, mellow music, visualization, and more
• Keep a journal: Monitor your triggers, your responses, and what you did to calm yourself (this journal will be useful in therapy)

Running parallel to your self-care regimen is your state of mind. Be patient with yourself. Engage in self-compassion and resist judging yourself harshly for feeling anxious.

Control What You Can Control

Anticipatory anxiety can spiral when you feel out of control. A powerful step to address this before it begins is to identify what is and isn’t within your influence. Take charge of the moment by focusing solely on what you can control. For example, if you’re feeling stressed about a job interview, ask someone to role-play with you to get more comfortable with the dynamic.

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

A thought isn’t a fact. When anxiety tells you a lie, you can challenge this fake news. Replace that negative energy with positive affirmations. Give yourself a pep talk! Splash a little cold water on your face to stimulate the vagus nerve and shift your point of view.

Change Your Perspective

Re-read the list of symptoms above. Now, what if you chose to identify that list as signs of preparation? You’re excited about your big deal and part of that experience might be some temporarily uncomfortable side effects. In the end, however, the journey is fun. The experience that’s waiting at the end of the journey is something to look forward to.

Reach Out to Talk and Ask For Help

Humans are social creatures. We’re designed to problem-solve collectively. Take advantage of this reality to get support from friends, family members, online groups, etc. It can be quite helpful to learn how many others get cold feet before a big deal.

At the same time, if the anticipatory anxiety feels like more than you can handle, therapy is a proven option. Your weekly sessions are a safe space and a workshop. Under the guidance of a mental health professional, you can identify underlying patterns and new solutions. Let’s connect and talk more about this soon in anxiety therapy.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that affects about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children in the U.S. Its hallmark is a pattern of intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that lead a person to perform repetitive rituals (compulsions). Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts at times. With OCD, these fears and the behaviors they provoke dramatically impeded one’s ability to function on a daily basis.

Fortunately, many different treatment options have been developed over the years. One of the most common and effective is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Put simply, ERP manages symptoms by exposing a person to their triggers.

More About ERP Therapy and OCD

One goal of OCD treatment is to reduce or prevent the person’s response (compulsions). Triggers and stimuli are inevitable. Dysfunctional responses are not. ERP is a behavioral designed to manage compulsions. This accomplished via specific ERP techniques, e.g.

Psychoeducation

This is when the client learns all there is to know about OCD. Such awareness demystifies the disorder and can build confidence about managing it.

Practicing Exposures

It may seem counterintuitive at first but someone with OCD can benefit from being gradually exposed to triggers in the presence of their therapist. If this is not possible at first, the therapist can guide the person through an imaginary scenario.

Learning to Tolerate Uncertainty

A person with OCD will experience an intrusive thought and experience distress over it. They fear the thought will come true so they create rituals to prevent this outcome. ERP guides that person to acknowledge the thought without engaging in the compulsion. Over time, this can acclimate the person to the inevitability of uncertainty and thus, neutralize the obsession.

Response Prevention

Getting comfortable with uncertainty allows the treatment to move forward into response prevention. Two examples of this are:

• Delaying the ritual: There can be immense value in lengthening the time between an obsessive thought and compulsive behavior.
• Altering the ritual: Getting into the habit of changing the rituals around demonstrates that the compulsions are not as powerful — or necessary — as the person with OCD believes.

How ERP Works For OCD

The above techniques can:

• Use habituation to reduce the anxiety created by both obsessions and compulsions
• Make it apparent that the intrusive thoughts are not as unbearable as they seem
• Help the person recognize that are far more capable of managing OCD than they might imagine
• Most importantly, EPR can make it obvious that obsessive thoughts do not lead to terrible outcomes that require some kind of intervention

ERP is not a miracle cure and each person will progress at their own rate. But the National Institutes for Health (NIH) have found that about 50 to 60 percent of patients who “complete ERP treatment show clinically significant improvement in OCD symptoms and treatment gains have shown to be maintained long-term.”

How to Get Started With ERP

If you’re interested in Exposure and Response Prevention and believe it can help you, it starts with finding a therapist with experience in this modality. Reach out to talk and inquire about their compatibility with you. For example:

• You will want to find out if they have often worked with individuals with OCD
• Ask how it will be determined that you are ready for ERP
• Get specifics on the treatment frequency, duration, and the measurement of progress 
• Find out as much as possible about ERP and what to expect

I would love to help you address and manage the symptoms and challenges presented by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Therefore, I invite you to set up a free and confidential consultation in which we can talk more about you, the treatment, and how we can support you with anxiety treatment.