Anxiety Basics
This physical response prepares the body to either face a threat or escape from it.
Fight or Flight Response
This behavior involves withdrawing from friends, family, or activities.
Isolation
Slow breathing techniques help calm the body by slowing this system in the body.
The nervous system
This concept refers to the process of becoming aware of one’s thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and patterns.
Self-Awareness
Getting 7–9 hours of this each night helps regulate mood, stress, and emotional stability.
Sleep
This anxiety disorder involves intense fear or discomfort that peaks suddenly and includes symptoms like dizziness, chest tightness, or shortness of breath.
Panic Attacks
Negative beliefs such as “I’m worthless” or “Nothing will ever get better” are examples of this.
Negative Self-Talk
This coping strategy involves writing thoughts and feelings down to gain clarity and process emotions.
Journaling
This stage of recovery involves recognizing there is a problem but not yet being ready to take action to change it.
Contemplation stage
Regular physical activity helps improve mood by releasing what natural chemicals that reduce stress and increase happiness.
Endorphins
When someone constantly believes others are judging them or evaluating them negatively, it may be related to this type of anxiety.
Social anxiety
Depression may cause difficulty experiencing positive emotions, even during normally enjoyable events.
Emotional numbness
This grounding technique involves identifying sensory experiences in the environment to interrupt overwhelming anxiety.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
This concept refers to the brain’s ability to change and form new neural connections through learning and experience.
Neuroplasticity
Spending long periods scrolling on phones or social media late at night can negatively impact sleep and worsen anxiety and depression partly because of exposure to this type of light.
Blue Light
This neurotransmitter is commonly associated with mood regulation and is often targeted by medications used to treat anxiety and depression.
Serotonin
This type of depression-related thinking involves persistent beliefs that the future will never improve.
Hopelessness
This CBT skill teaches people to examine the evidence for and against a negative thought before accepting it as true.
Cognitive restructuring
This concept refers to the ability to understand and regulate one's emotions while recognizing emotions in others.
Emotional intelligence
Irregular sleep schedules can disrupt this internal biological clock that regulates sleep, energy, and mood.
Circadian rhythm
This type of therapy helps people identify distorted thinking patterns that contribute to anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This clinical symptom describes a marked slowing of physical movement, speech, and thinking that can occur in severe depression.
Psychomotor retardation
This therapy approach focuses on increasing positive activities to improve mood and reduce depression.
Behavioral Activation
what do the acrynoyms of SMART represent
S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable (or Attainable), R – Relevant, T – Time-bound
Chronic stress keeps this hormone elevated, which over time can worsen anxiety, sleep problems, and mood regulation.
Cortisol