Breatheasy
Mental health posts
Calm, clear reads about mental health from the Breatheasy team.
Stress reduction techniques: 15 that work, from 60 seconds to long term
Fifteen evidence-based stress reduction techniques, from quick breathing and grounding to exercise, mindfulness, sleep and tackling the source, plus how to reduce stress and anxiety together and when to get help.
Anxiety therapy: which types work, what to expect, and how to find a therapist
A clear guide to therapy for anxiety: CBT, exposure, ERP for OCD, trauma-focused therapy and more, how many sessions it usually takes, what happens in the first session, how to find a good therapist and what to ask.
Dissociating: what it means, what it feels like, and how to come back
What dissociating is, from everyday zoning out to feeling unreal during anxiety or after trauma, why it happens, how to ground yourself when it does, and when it might be a dissociative disorder.
Do I have OCD? Signs, a quick self-check, and what to do next
How to tell if you might have OCD: what obsessions and compulsions really are, a self-check to bring to a doctor, how OCD differs from being tidy, anxious or a perfectionist, how it’s diagnosed and the treatment that works.
Free trauma test: a quick PTSD self-check (PC-PTSD-5)
A free, five-question PTSD screen developed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, how to score it, what your score means, common reactions after trauma, the treatments that work and where to get support.
Types of OCD: the 4 main types, and other common themes
Research groups OCD symptoms into four main types: contamination, symmetry, forbidden thoughts and hoarding. What each looks like, other common themes like harm, relationship and “Pure O” OCD, and why the treatment is the same.
Physical signs of stress: 20 ways stress shows up in your body
Stress doesn’t just live in your head. Headaches, tense muscles, a racing heart, stomach trouble, poor sleep and more: the physical signs of stress, why each happens, when to see a doctor, and what helps.
What are the five stress levels? A simple guide to where you are, and what to do
There’s no single official scale of stress, but there are useful ways to see where you are. A simple five-level guide built on the stress continuum used by the US military and health care, the signs at each level and what helps.
“Anxiety is ruining my life”: what to do when it feels like too much
If anxiety is taking over your work, relationships, sleep and plans, you’re not weak and you’re not stuck. What to do today, this week and this month, how treatment helps, and where to turn in a crisis.
Severe anxiety symptoms: what bad anxiety looks like, and what to do right now
What severe or “bad” anxiety feels like, from constant dread and panic attacks to not sleeping or eating, the signs that need urgent help, medical causes like withdrawal, a plan for right now, and treatments that work.
11 New Year’s resolutions for your mental health, and how to make them stick
Eleven realistic New Year’s resolutions for your mental health, plus what research shows about making resolutions last: approach goals, if-then plans, tiny habits and what to do when you slip.
A journal for social anxiety: 5 diary techniques from CBT that actually help
How to use a diary or journal app for social anxiety: prediction logs, thought records, spotting safety behaviours, a kinder way to replay conversations, and prompts to get you started, plus what to look for in a diary app.
NBA players and anxiety: what Kevin Love, DeMar DeRozan and Paul George taught us
How three NBA stars opened up about panic attacks, anxiety and depression, what happened next, how the league changed its rules, and what their stories can teach anyone living with anxiety.
7 ways company culture affects your bottom line, and what to do about it
How company culture and employee mental health show up in turnover, absence, burnout, team performance and hiring, with the evidence behind each, and practical steps leaders can take.
Anxiety before and during your period: why it happens and what helps
Why anxiety often rises in the week or two before your period, how to tell PMS from PMDD, what helps, the treatments that work, and when to get support.
ADHD or anxiety? How to tell them apart, and what if it’s both
ADHD and anxiety share restlessness, poor focus and trouble sleeping. The key differences, how doctors tell them apart, why many people have both, and the treatments that help each.
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