Anxiety is a normal and healthy emotion that we all experience at different levels throughout our lives. Anxiety Disorders on the other hand are a serious mental health issue and those who have Anxiety Disorders experiences such intense levels of anxiety that it interferes with their personal life, professional life, and social life. Those who struggle with anxiety experience different types of “sticky thinking”. Sticky thoughts are the thoughts that keep us stuck in our feelings of anxiety and can impact our behaviours as we try to rid ourselves of these distressing thoughts.

Corona Virus or COVID 19 is something you have probably heard about at least 4-5 times today alone. Since January the spread of Corona virus has been in the news and the situation seems to be getting scarier with each passing day. If you are someone who already struggles with anxiety (especially anxiety around health), these past couple months have likely been difficult and it only seems to be getting worse. The international worry surrounding this virus seems be ramping up, as people stockpile up on masks and disinfectant. A little anxiety is always health, it helps us to remain cautious, be proactive, and take positive action. However, when our anxiety level rise and pass a certain threshold, it can start to turn into panic and become unhelpful. You may notice that the more time you spend watching the news, the more intense feelings of anxiety become, and you may panic if you are around someone sneezing or coughing, jumping to the worst case scenario. Remaining on such high level of high alert can leave you feeling distressed and scared. Also, the funny (but not funny) things is, that high levels of stress can impact your immune system and increases your risk for becoming sick. So what are some ways you can combat this anxiety?

This summer is coming to an end, and with the passing of labour day weekend, Tuesday will mean back to school for many. The start of a new school year can be a source of stress, anxiety, and worry for many students as they may have many questions about what they can expect when they walk into their classroom for the first time. What will their new teacher be like? Are there new students? Will this year be more challenging then the previous year? Will they be able to cope? While some worries are to be expected, there may be signs that your child may be struggling with anxiety and could benefit from further support. The important thing is to keep an open dialogue with your child in order to manage anxiety levels for both your child and for yourself.

This is the time of year when many students are graduating from their respective programs from high-school all the way to doctorate level graduates. Convocation is an exciting time for many, it’s when each individual is recognized for the hard work they have put in to achieving their goal. Yet for many this time is marked by shame, guilt, and fear. A fear that they will be found out for being imposters, or that they are not worthy of the degree being handed to them. This phenomenon is not only present among recent graduates but it is prevalent in many different areas of society.

Anxiety can be an incredibly debilitating, and for some it can be create major mental roadblocks. Anxiety manifests in different ways and each person’s experience of anxiety is unique to them. When you suffer from anxious thoughts and feelings, it can often feel like you are the only one suffering. Anxiety is an internal experience and while there are physical symptoms, usually most people can’t tell when someone is feeling anxious. This is because the person feeling anxious may seem completely okay on the outside. Anyone can suffer from anxiety, from young children to seniors and everyone in between. I think it’s a safe assumption to make that everyone on this planet has had moments of anxiety. Anxiety is a healthy, and normal emotion. A healthy amount of anxiety is what

keeps us from wandering alone on dark streets in the middle of the night or persuades us to study for that big exam. Anxiety can become a problem when it starts to take over other emotions and our reactions do not match the size of the problem, leaving us feeling dysregulated and overwhelmed.