Record numbers of voters came out to vote this election cycle from both sides of the aisle. Tension and anxiety is running high as the continuity of people's values and beliefs are coming into play. If this cycle proves to be anything like the election of 2000, we may be in for the long haul as recounts and court decisions are made before deciding on the outcome of our next presidential election. In the meantime, millions of people are left with a feeling of anxiety and fear. Some of the anxiety is what we call “anticipatory anxiety,” meaning that we worry about what may happen or play out as things progress. The problem is that there is no way to know what will result, and the best we can do is to keep ourselves emotionally healthy during the process.

You’ve heard the familiar question, “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?” Most everyone has experienced what it’s like to not have had a good night's sleep.  Unfortunately, not getting enough sleep can be more challenging for some than others.  This lack of sleep can result in fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and even headaches. On top of that, lack of sleep can result in mood lability. After a serious lack of sleep, have you ever felt the urge to cry, even though the topic at hand is not one that would typically make you cry?  Getting the sleep we need is crucial for our physical and mental health. 

If you’re looking for different coping strategies to add to your tool box, we’ve got options you can try.  Read below for 5 quick and easy coping strategies offered by our Maryland-based counselors.  You can try them all out, or simply make use of the ones that resonate with you the most. Here it goes!

We live in a fast-paced world and lead very busy lives.  For many of us, when our head hits the pillow, it’s the first time that our brain has had time to breathe all day.  At this moment, all of the thoughts come rushing forward, the thoughts that we haven’t had the opportunity to tend to all day long. And then...we try to sleep and find that we just can’t because there are so many thoughts running through our mind. Here are 3 simple strategies that you can try to address racing thoughts and fall asleep easier. 

作为一名身处海外的华人的心理咨询师，我能理解遇到一场突如其来的疫情时，我们想的是家，亲人，祖国，或者正在着急寻找一个安全的避难所。可是我们如今留在美国，为了读书，工作或者安居，可能很难突然放弃一切，放下当下所有，不顾一切的离开。 那么异国他乡的你是不是在这个时候会感觉更加的孤单，难过，和无助？感受不到亲人和家给你带来的温暖和依靠。面对远离了知己好友在身边玩耍和嬉闹的日子。以及工作上的解雇，无薪休假的选择，和没有了薪资的保障。而让你变得更加着急，忧郁，和无奈？那么我们可以先看看自己是否已存在患有抑郁症或者焦虑症的可能性。但是在自我检测的时候，不需要紧张，认识问题是解决问题的第一步。也不用马上对号入座，立马断定自己就是重度抑郁症，或者是严重焦虑症患者，真正需要诊断的话，还需要考虑很多其他因素。