Hello! I’m a therapist specializing in anxiety relief.
Quality mental health care needs to be more accessible (but a wee bit more vetted than most TikTok videos).
This is why I am writing to you, today. And I will aim to do so twice a week.
I believe the HEALTH part of mental health deserves to come to the forefront. Let’s shift from pathologizing mental health—addressed not just in times of prolonged crisis—into natural habits of TLC akin to flossing.
Let’s shift from pathologizing mental health—addressed not just in times of prolonged crisis—into natural habits of TLC akin to flossing.
I grew up in a small town, coming of age in the big city where I attended Harvard University. Though I had academic success, I was terrified of social situations and people. Because of this, I remained underemployed for the better part of my twenties.
I supplemented professional training with counseling at Boston University that utilized mindfulness, including exposure desensitization techniques. Boy, that kicked my mental health muscles into shape better than any classroom course or mentor in the field.
Via BU’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, I developed an intimate and lasting relationship: with mindfulness. Mindfulness tools are specific, efficient ways to face anxiety.
- Mindfulness is…acknowledgement of the whole picture, leaning into productive energy.
- Mindfulness is not….avoiding uncomfortable stressors (which is where fun, exposure desensitization comes into play).
- Mindfulness is…many things, not just the formal image of your cousin sitting in crossed-legged meditation.
- Mindfulness is not…serious. We will learn to giggle at infinitely imperfect parts of life and ourselves.
- Mindfulness is…playful acts with a curious and compassionate mindset.
- Mindfulness is not…another way to improve oneself. We make peace with ourselves.
I gained skills to laugh at myself and my anxious thoughts, feelings, and sensation (with compassion, of course).
I became a pleasant-ish, less tense (most of the time) person to be around. Especially for myself.
Best example of what my treatment entailed: I had to ask someone to help me carry an empty cardboard box along several city blocks. Blushing over a few uncomfortable moments, then, unchained me from rigid ways of relating to anxiety. Blushing a few moments then (and let’s be real: tolerating beading sweat and a screaming inner critic), has made me the clinician and mental health advocate that I am today. I will encourage you to grow tolerance for the uncomfortable and stay in discomforting moments, with new skill and grace. But don’t worry – read on, and I will not ask you to request empty box carrying assistance.*
AnxietyAnswers.help was created to share my personal and professional toolbox.
Anxiety is part of the human experience. We feel – therefore – anxious thoughts and feelings and sensations emerge when fear and/or caring activates deep within our brain, along our nervous system, and throughout our being.
Anxiety is part of the human experience.
We might notice anxiety all over, in someone else, and around the world during these complex times. A glaring statistic from a 2021 study states that, of 50,103 adults dealing with stress, 95.6% face at least one debilitating barrier that prevents access to mental health care (i.e., availability of providers or affordability).[i],[ii] More than ever, we need reliable relief in the mass market of information.
I’ve returned home to small town America for family, yet I hold big inclusive dreams. I do this through counseling, nature workshops, and serving as an editor for the global publication: HPHR Journal/formerly known as the Harvard Public Health Review.
I’m a handful of productive things alongside my anxiety.
In my forties, I finally realized what I wanted to be when I grow up: me.
My hope is that these articles will allow you to grow your own self love and lessen hate on the daily grind, loved ones, and the global state of chaos.
The articles published for AnxietyAnswers.Help share information, relatable parts of my own journey, anxiety coping best practices, and stress relief tools.
Aside from the education about anxiety, the tools are based on my mental health technique: CLOVERING. Clovering is the flow of clarity, confidence, and consistency into prosperous natural habits.
Clovering is a four part process:
- begin with a clarity building visual of a four-leaf Venn diagram regarding areas of your life you wish to heal or grow.
- move into confidence building through productive actions and positive thoughts that bring good intentions to life.
- build consistency via rituals (those things we do) and routines (how often, in association with, and when said rituals are done).
- culminate into natural habits that clearly cycle what matters most, with confidence and consistence.
Stay well enough and stay tuned, to keep growing with me.
Jess
*unless that sounds fun to you.
[i] National Library of Medicine. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34179332/
[ii] Healthline. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-using-tiktok-as-a-mental-health-resource
ANXIETY ANSWERS 