In our daily lives, we all experience a little bit of anxiety and perfectionism, but when they start to affect our daily functioning or stop us from going after our goals, it can become a problem. While perfectionism is not a psychological disorder, it has been linked to many other mental illnesses. This blog will dive deeper into both anxiety and perfectionism and how they can impact your entire life. 

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a consistent feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It can also include strong feelings of stress, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts. Those with anxiety may feel fear around common stressful situations like taking a test or going on a date, but these feelings are heightened for these individuals. Anxiety is a fear that doesn’t ever really go away and can be overwhelming. 

There are multiple different types of anxiety including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Phobias. All types of anxiety include feelings of intense fear but the different types can include different symptoms and frequency of panic attacks. 

Those who are more at risk for anxiety disorders include:

• Those who are more withdrawn or shy when in new situations
• Individuals with trauma from childhood or adulthood
• Family history of anxiety or other mental disorders
• Those in constant stressful situations or have stress in their daily lives
• Some physical health conditions like thyroid problems or arrhythmia
• Those who struggle with substance abuse

What Is Perfectionism?

Perfectionism is defined as “excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations.” There are many traits and stages of perfectionism including fear of failure, procrastination, hyper-focused on results, unrealistic standards, and being highly critical of themselves. 

Individuals with perfectionism typically have all-or-nothing thinking. They work hard to achieve lofty goals and are only satisfied with achieving excellence or “perfection.” They often set goals that are unrealistic or that are hard to do perfectly. They put extra pressure on themselves to be the best version they can be and are not satisfied with less than perfect. It can be difficult to achieve anything at all when these individuals are trying to achieve perfection because that is not something that they can ever achieve. They will be in a constant cycle of failure and overachieving because their goals are so unrealistic. 

Possible Causes Of Perfectionism

Some people are more prone to perfectionism than others. Personality types and culture will also play a part in those who struggle with perfectionism. 

• Fear of judgment or constant disapproval from others
• Early set expectations and experiences that caused feelings of failure
• Poor self-esteem
• Feelings of inadequacy 
• A need for control
• Having other mental illnesses with compulsion or perfection tendencies 
• Cultural or social expectations

Are Anxiety And Perfectionism Connected?

Anxiety and perfectionism are connected in multiple ways. While perfectionism isn’t a psychological disorder, there are many of the same symptoms between the two. The constant pursuit of perfection can lead to high stress and elevate anxiety.

Individuals with anxiety and perfectionism will have a high fear of failure, avoidance of risk, negative self-evaluation, and even headaches and stomach problems. Physical and mental symptoms will vary for each person, but there are multiple persistent feelings when someone experiences anxiety and perfectionism. 

Mitigating Anxiety And Perfectionism

There are a few therapy methods that are used to help with the thoughts of perfectionism and lower anxiety. Exposure and Response Prevention is a therapy technique that helps individuals recognize their fears and accept the uncertainties of life. This is a process that patients will have to learn over time. It takes practice and patience.

Some therapists will also teach patients grounding techniques. This can help individuals remain in the present moment and limit a panic spiral. Grounding exercises will help patients learn that feelings are not facts and that they can take action against these anxious tendencies. 

Therapists can help patients set more realistic goals that don’t contribute to their unrealistically high expectations. Setting more attainable goals will help these people feel more fulfilled and show them that they can make progress. Completing something without making mistakes is just not an accurate way to live, so even if you don’t meet the goal in the way you envisioned, you still accomplish something. 

Therapy From Ogden Psychological Services

Our therapists are specialized in many areas, including anxiety and trauma. There are multiple modern therapy techniques that we utilize to help patients gain better-coping mechanisms. Ogden Psychological Services focuses on Neurotherapy and neurofeedback to help restore the brain back to ideal health. No matter what struggles you have in life, our therapists are here to help. Learn more about our different services and book an appointment today!

If you have experienced a panic attack, you know how scary it can be. Avoiding them may not be completely possible, but having some tricks in your arsenal to help slow or overcome them quickly can be a lifesaver. Panic attacks can happen in a variety of places and last for minutes or much longer. Below are some techniques to help you handle the onset of a panic attack and return to a calmer state. 

1- Utilize Breathing Techniques

Regulating breathing is one of the best ways to reset your brain and help you return to a calmer state. Breathing in for 4 to 10 seconds, holding that breath for another 4 to 10 seconds, and then breathing out for 4 to 10 seconds can help prevent you from hyperventilating. Most people who experience panic attacks have shallow breathing or rapid breathing. Slowing this to a normal rate helps to signal to your body that everything is ok. 

2- Close Your Eyes

Panic attacks can happen when you are around triggers. Sometimes closing your eyes to avoid looking at the situation or the objects around you can help limit the onset of a panic attack. If there are lots of stimuli or too many things happening around you, closing your eyes will help limit distractions and decrease anxiety. 

3- Realize You Are Having A Panic Attack

Often a panic attack can feel like a heart attack or other serious health issue. While panic attacks are serious, recognizing that you are having a panic attack rather than a heart attack can help alleviate some anxiety. 
Taking away some of the fear that you might be dying will help you to focus on breathing or using a grounding technique. Knowing your triggers, or beginning to understand what a panic attack feels like will help you to get through the attack when it does come. 

4- Find A Focus Object

Some individuals may find that focusing on one object can help stop or limit the symptoms during the onset of a panic attack. Finding one object around you and noting all the details of it can help ground you. Looking at a vase or photo and noticing the colors and designs, or if it is slightly tilted can help remind you that you are in the present. Putting all your energy into looking and thinking about the object may help panic symptoms subside. 

5- Work With A Counselor

If you continue to have frequent panic attacks, speaking with a therapist or counselor about how to better manage them could help. It is often impossible to avoid some of our triggers, but talking about them and learning ways to cope with stress could limit your panic attacks. 

6- Practice Mindfulness

Meditation and mantras have been found to help keep our minds sharp and focused on the good. If you find that you are extremely stressed or anxious, mindfulness can help you focus on more positive things and limit the onset of a panic attack. 

When our body doesn’t know how to handle a stressful situation, it can go into fight or flight mode. Training our minds to relax and focus on solving a problem can help limit panic symptoms. 

7- Use Ice

Sometimes a shock to your system will help you overcome a panic attack. Using an ice pack, taking a cold shower, or splashing your face with cold water can all help to reset your system. Some find that rubbing ice packs on their chest or around their temples helps to alleviate chest pain and calm them down. Once you can breathe again, try holding the ice packs in your hands or placing them on your lower back and belly until you feel that attack subside. 

Therapy Help With Ogden Psychological Services

Our therapists are here to help you work through and manage your mental health symptoms. Each patient has a unique skill set and unique needs that they can use to help them manage panic attack symptoms. Ogden Psychological Services provides a safe space to discuss triggering topics and gives you the coping skills and confidence to live a more well-balanced life. 

Life is stressful, especially in the world we live in today. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness and can help us overcome stressful situations or large life changes. Our therapists, psychiatrists, and counselors will give you the tools you need. Contact us on our website or by phone to set up your first appointment. 

Anxiety is a mental health condition that can affect people of all ages and often times you will see anxiety in children. Some children experience shyness during changes but anxiety can be more debilitating and should be taken seriously. Our therapists with Ogden Psychological Services can help children with a variety of mental health problems and help them learn healthy coping skills. There are some things that you as a parent or adult can do to help anxiety in children. 

The Difference Between Shyness and Anxiety

While each share some similarities, shyness often includes passiveness and uncertainty, while anxiety is more debilitating and revolves around making decisions or how people are perceived in social situations. 

Social anxiety is usually confused with shyness but it should be handled differently. People with anxiety feel deep inadequacy and can come with symptoms like shaking, nausea, sweating, rapid heart rate, panic attacks, blanking out, headaches, and more. Shyness is more situational, but anxiety lasts long after the person or situation is gone.

Utilize Relaxation Strategies

Proper breathing techniques and relaxation can help anxiety in children, especially for those who are having panic attacks. Working to calm the child down in a situation of panic can help them learn how to calm themselves down in the future.

Counting to five while breathing in, holding it for five counts, and then breathing out for five counts will help restore normal breathing patterns and heart rate. 

Write Down Worries Or Fears

Having a physical place to put their worries can help them see that there is a holding place beside their head. Writing things down can help us relieve our brains from the constant thoughts and store them on paper. A journal or even just slips of paper can help a child express their feelings in a safe way. 

Our therapists often encourage children and teens to write in a journal. This helps them to look at the situation and write down all their feelings in between therapy sessions. This can be helpful in reframing an anxiety-ridden situation or help them look back on how much they have grown. 

Help Stop Intrusive Thoughts

Working with a child to stop intrusive thoughts can help them learn which thoughts are irrational and which thoughts can keep them safe. Anxiety often makes people think that the situation is much worse than it actually is and thus causes panic attacks and intrusive thoughts that can cause irrational actions. Those children who have experienced trauma may feel anxious when put in similar situations. Helping them know they are safe now and reminding them who is there for them can help stop panic attacks or anxiety symptoms. 

Movement And Physical Activity

The best thing for handling anxiety in children is to get their bodies moving. Getting kids out and about and exercising can help children who struggle with anxiety. Physical activity helps release good hormones in the brain and can help children have an outlet for emotions. Having an outlet for emotions and something that can help them to socialize safely can help improve their anxiety. 

Respect Their Feelings, But Don’t Empower Them

Children will need someone to empathize with them and help them know that experiencing emotions is normal. But, removing children or teens from every situation that makes them anxious will show them that they can avoid everything is not a helpful coping mechanism. 

Parents or other adults can help children by validating their emotions and sitting with them in their pain, but also help push them to learn how to set new boundaries, and work through situations with their anxiety. 

Work With Ogden Psychological Services

Ogden Psychological Services works to help limit anxiety in children and provide them with coping mechanisms. Our therapists can help with individual counseling or group counseling to help them navigate their thoughts and feel less alone. Therapy can be a great outlet for letting out emotions and a therapist can help them professionally analyze them. 

Our therapists handle a variety of mental health issues and can help patients learn coping mechanisms. We listen to your goals and aspirations and help you to set action goals to achieve them. Our therapists can help with bullying, and limiting stress, and will all be based on age and understanding. Before you leave your mental health or your child’s to their own devices, contact our therapists to see if we are a good fit.