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Science Reveals Why Finding Happiness is So Hard for Some People

January 30, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

The world of psychology today is booming with self-help tips and tricks. People have been trying as hard as they can to learn how to find happiness and bring more joy into their lives. As the realm of positive psychology becomes better studied, you would think that everyone would be getting happier. And yet, that isn’t the case.

Rates of depression, anxiety, and other disorders have been soaring across the globe. Some of these statistics can be attributed to better diagnosis practices. But while we know about the secrets to being happy, why do we struggle to find happiness? Sometimes it feels like the more we know about it, the less easy it is to find it!

Worse still, it often seems like some people struggle to find happiness more than others. If you feel that you relate to that, you may have put a lot of effort into seeking that joy, only to fail time and time again. You may have watched the people around you get happier and happier and feel left out as all your efforts bore no fruit.

Did you know that there could be a reason for your struggles? The difficulties you face can be explained by science, with surprising and enlightening results! Here’s how science reveals why finding happiness is so hard for some people.

1. The Happiness Pie

The “Happiness Pie” concept was first introduced in 2005 in a study titled “Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change.” The paper was published in the Review of General Psychology journal and was subject to heavy scrutiny. It explained that their actions do not determine all people’s happiness. Supposedly:

50% of happiness is determined by genetics
40% of happiness is reliant on intentional activity and your behavior
10% of happiness is based on your current circumstances

This concept to some degree propelled the field of positive psychology forward. It explained how you have power over 40%, if not 50%, of your happiness. To some degree, this sounds very positive! Finding happiness could be at your fingertips if you knew how to do it!

Unfortunately, the paper did leave out a few critical elements. To begin with, it essentially tells you that if you’re unhappy, it’s likely your fault to some degree. While you are responsible for some of your happiness, blaming people for how they feel isn’t go over well!

Then, there’s the fact that the concept of genetics playing such a huge role in happiness was also discredited. The idea was based on longstanding research on twins that indicated a variance in satisfaction between identical siblings. But it is assumed that twins have the same nurture growing up, which isn’t always the case.

2. Nature And Nurture In Happiness

Is there any reason why finding happiness is so hard for some people? Do nature and nurture perform roles that are this clear-cut? Let’s take a closer look.

Many people see nature and nurture as two wholly separate and independent things. But that’s not true! In reality, these things are deeply intertwined. They influence each other in the following ways:

Genes influence action. Genetic factors can determine how you choose behavior and develop a preferred environment. For example, introversion can be hereditary, changing how children make friends.
Environmental factors can change the way that genes are expressed. Pregnant parents-to-be exposed to different environments will have babies influenced by those environments. Research has shown, for example, that babies born during famine are smaller.
Environmental sensitivity is an overlooked factor, say studies. People exposed to the same environment can have completely different sensitivities to it. Some are incredibly susceptible and more likely to be influenced by their situations. Others are much less so.

This means that no intervention in positive psychology can work equally for everyone. Some will struggle more than others, and finding happiness presents unique challenges for each person. No amount of nature or nurture can truly predict each twist and turn. This means that individuals must take our joy into their own hands – even if that’s harder for some of us than others.

3. Overcoming Nurture May Help in Finding Happiness

You can’t change your genetics. Once again, that leaves the remainder of the quest for happiness entirely in your hands. This means that you have to overcome some aspects of your nurture to move beyond your nature.

For some people, finding happiness is hard because they’ve been struggling to overcome nurture and change their actions and behavior. To be fair to those who face difficulties in this area, this is a huge endeavor. It involves a lot of self-searching and a deeper understanding of nature and nurture.

To find happiness beyond nature by overcoming nurture, one must:

· Release The Past In The Name Of Finding Happiness

The past, especially childhood and formative years, heavily shapes your behavior. This is the very core of the nurture that you must overcome. There are things from your past that you hold onto, and they prevent you from moving forward. Only by releasing and processing those things will you develop better behaviors.

· Finding Happiness Comes When You Let Go Of Fear

Nurture determines a lot of things that you’re afraid of. The things that harmed you in the past have shaped your thoughts, impulses, and actions today. Finding happiness requires releasing that fear like it requires releasing the past. If these things hold you back, you’re afraid you can’t pursue happiness and take worthwhile risks.

· Ceasing Self-Criticism

The ability to self-evaluate well is essential for personal development. But for many people, self-evaluation is not a simple, rational analysis: it’s a harsh inner critic disparaging every move with unnecessary, unconstructive criticism. Learning to move away from self-criticism and towards self-compassion, encouragement, and reflection is crucial.

· Developing Gratitude Goes Along With Finding Happiness

A lot of people neglect gratitude in their everyday lives. The trait is fundamental, but if you had a difficult upbringing or faced many hardships in your life, such optimism may have been depleted. Regularly appreciating everything around you, even in less-than-ideal circumstances, allows you to find happiness in your everyday life.

4. A Focus on Finding Happiness Makes It Harder To Achieve

One of the chief reasons that finding happiness can be so difficult for some is that they want it too severely. In a cruel twist of irony, the more you attempt to seek that joy in life, the more likely you will be unable to find it.

People can identify individual elements of happiness to try and pursue in hopes of feeling joy. But, just like happiness itself, those elements can’t be chased too closely, or they’ll elude you, too. These elements include:

· Self-Esteem And Finding Happiness Go Hand-in-hand

Many people believe that high self-esteem is necessary for finding happiness. To some degree, this is true. It would help if you held yourself positively to like yourself, after all. But problems begin to arise when you chase self-esteem. To do this, you have to make yourself feel “above average repeatedly.” This causes you to repeatedly see the act of being average as something inherently negative. You’ll become a harsher critic towards yourself, and your self-esteem will ironically drop. In reality, what you have to do for good self-esteem is to accept yourself, even when you’re below average. Self-compassion is the key to self-esteem, not chasing that esteem down.

· Inspiration

It’s great to gain inspiration and motivation from the people around you, but they can’t be the only source of your driving momentum. Upwards social comparison can undoubtedly be beneficial, but it needs a touch of realism. Finding happiness by becoming like other people is unlikely to pay off. You don’t know what others go through and their preferences, nor do you know what works for them and what happens behind closed doors. Trying to replicate the happiness of others is to do yourself a disservice.

· A Better Future

You’re likely fully aware that you’ll want to keep working towards a brighter future to achieve happiness. Chasing down your dreams is a good thing. But focusing only on the end can lead you to idealize it, setting unrealistic expectations. You stop living in the present and start thinking everything will “be better” in the future. You get lost in your head about these potential futures and stop remembering that you must work towards them. This means those futures will never come – and if they do, they won’t live up to your overhyped expectations.

There’s a great quote by Henry David Thoreau about this phenomenon. “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around you, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder.”

So, instead of focusing so much on finding happiness, work on yourself, your goals, and living in the present. This is much more likely to help you achieve that joy in life than if you were to fixate on it overly.

Final Thoughts On Some Reasons Why Finding Happiness Is Difficult For Some People

Everyone deserves a shot at happiness, and it’s certainly unfortunate that this journey comes rougher for some individuals. Genetics plays a decently sized role in one’s ability to find happiness. Then, on top of that, childhood experiences and environments can change one’s capacity to seek these results.

But finding happiness isn’t solely restricted by biology, and it doesn’t have to be dictated by your past. How you behave and act can dramatically alter your trajectory moving forward. This puts the power back in your hands. You can find it even if you have a little more trouble than the average person in seeking happiness. And isn’t that just a beautiful thing to think about?

Psychology Explains How Childhood Adversity Harms the Brain

January 29, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Childhood adversity doesn’t stop affecting you when you become an adult. Instead, the effects accompany you into adulthood, making things a little more complicated than they’d otherwise be. You might find that you struggle a little too much with emotional and physical health conditions.

You might feel like no matter how hard you try. So you don’t make any progress. However, psychologists explain that you don’t have to keep living this way. Learning to heal adversity can give you hope, answers, and positive insights.

Childhood adversity stems from encountering chronic, unpredictable, and stress-inducing events. The more events a child encounters, the more severe the hardship will be in their minds. These unpleasant situations are called Adverse Childhood Experiences and affect more than half of the population.

Even with the alarming percentage of those affected by childhood adversity, the news isn’t all bad. While it can have many severe consequences on the brain, further research shows that there’s something you can do about it. Once you know the harm of adversity on your brain, you can start making changes to reverse the effects.

What is Childhood Adversity?

Childhood adversity describes many situations where a child experiences emotional neglect or abuse. These Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) go beyond the typical challenges of growing up and can include the following:

Growing up with a mentally ill parent
Having an alcoholic parent
Losing a parent due to divorce, abandonment, or death
Emotional abuse or neglect of any kind
Experiencing sexual or physical abuse
Verbal humiliation
Household challenges
Domestic violence towards their mother
Criminal household member

Psychology Explains How Childhood Adversity Harms the Brain

Children experience Adverse Childhood Experiences from the environment the parent creates for them. The things a child grows up around drastically affect everything about their life and mindset. Adverse situations stay with them, following them into adulthood.

Children also take in these experiences through biology, affecting them from when they were conceived. A mother carries adversity from her life into her pregnancy, and her stress hormones affect fetal development.

When a child experiences adversity, it affects their minds, immune system, and physiological stress response. Many people blame a child for their bad attitude or behavior problems, but these issues indicate high levels of adversity. The adversity can stay with a child as they grow, affecting them well into adulthood.

Additionally, adversity harms developing brains and increases the risk of developing autoimmune disease, heart disease, cancer, and mental health conditions. People likely won’t suffer from these ailments until they become an adult, but it all stems from the adversity they experience as a child.

Surprisingly, research indicates that childhood trauma can also play a role in disease development. Scientists discovered a link between adversity in childhood and physical disease in adults. The number of adverse experiences a child had, the more likely they would require medical care as an adult.

Those who faced four or more adverse experiences are twice as likely to have cancer as an adult. Additionally, each experience increases a woman’s risk of developing an autoimmune disease by nearly 20%. Between the mental and physical health problems, finding a way to heal adversity is essential.

Eight Surprising Impacts of Childhood Adversity on the Brain

Here are some possible outcomes of harm done by experiencing childhood adversity.

1 – Childhood Adversity Can Cause Epigenetic Shifts

Frequent adverse situations in childhood cause your physiological stress response to go into overdrive. It eliminates your ability to respond appropriately in the future, even after you become an adult. These epigenetic shifts cause your genes to stop doing their job of regulating your stress response.

2 – Inflammation

When your stress response is high, it causes inflammation. The inflammation can cause you to overreact to daily stressors, making the inflammation even worse. Inflammation can lead to chronic health conditions later in life, so reducing them is essential.

3 – Childhood Adversity Might Impact Brain Size

Scientists discovered that when the brain is chronically stressed, it releases a hormone that shrinks your hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of your brain that processes emotion and memory and helps with stress management. People who experienced more adverse situations as a child had a higher risk of shrinkage.

Additionally, adverse situations affect the prefrontal cortex, affecting decision-making and self-regulatory skills. It also affects the amygdala, the fear-processing center of the brain.

4 – Premature Aging

Traumatic events make children seem older when it comes to their emotions. New studies indicate that it can cause premature aging on a cellular level. Premature aging occurs because telomeres become eroded when trauma happens, causing cells to age faster.

5 – Difficulty Reacting to the World

The brain has something called the “default mode network” that helps determine what’s relevant or not. Children who have experienced traumatic events might struggle to figure out what they need to focus on or do next. As adults, these people might still have trouble reacting appropriately to the things around them.

6 – Emotional Reactivity Often Stems from Childhood Adversity

Children who experience high amounts of adversity tend to have weaker neural connections. The weakness interferes with their prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and, for girls, the amygdala is affected as well. These weak connections cause an issue with emotional reactivity, leading to stress, dangerous decisions, and anxiety.

7 – Lower Cognitive Scores

Studies show that people who experienced persistent adversity had lower cognitive scores later in life. While children might struggle in school when they face adversity, they become adults who have a hard time, too. Adults might struggle to perform well in a career path or experience difficultly learning new things.

8 – Increased Risky Health Behaviors

Children who experience high levels of adversity are more likely to participate in risky health behaviors. They might start smoking or abusing substances early on, continuing into adulthood. If they don’t deal with the issues, it could lead to increasingly dangerous behaviors.

Put Your Research on Childhood Adversity to Good Use

If you’ve wondered why you struggle with your emotional and physical well-being, adversity could be the key to unlocking answers. Once you know that adversely affects all aspects of your life, you’ll feel free to find ways to overcome it. Adversity can affect your adult relationships, too, making it essential to healing from your past.

Learning about adversity can help you understand how it works against you in life. When you recognize that the past can affect the present, you’ll identify how it’s worked against you. Then, you can address the issues and learn to overcome the hard times, allowing you to heal.

Childhood adversity can lead to challenging adulthood where it seems impossible to get ahead. You’ll always feel like you’re doing all you can and still not living the life you dream of. When this happens, you must find ways to heal from the emotional wounds you suffered as a child.

People who think adversity from their childhood doesn’t affect them as adults will continue to struggle. However, once you acknowledge that it affects your brain and body, you can begin to heal from the adversity. You can start the healing process and reduce physical and mental health problems such as inflammation, depression, addiction, pain, and disease.

How Food Can Help Heal the Brain in Those Who Faced Childhood Adversity

Many people don’t realize how much daily nutrition can affect their brains. You can change your mood, thought process, and rewire neural pathways when you eat the right foods. Your nutritional choices directly affect your brain’s ability to function and heal from harmful childhood trauma.

Foods That Help Heal Childhood Adversity

Some of the foods that help heal the effects of adversity include the following:

1. Plant Foods

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, and spices are healthy plant foods. These foods are all rich sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, protecting the neurons in your brain.

2. Healthy Fats

Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, and seeds can help heal the harmful effects of adversity. These fats enhance your brain, promoting daily operating and protection from degenerative diseases. Remember to steer clear of unhealthy fats like fried foods or heavy cream because they can negatively affect you.

3. Fish

Fish contain fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties. It also improves mood and sleep, helping you recover emotionally and physically. Two servings of fish each week is most beneficial, but any amount will help.

4. Water

While water isn’t a food, it’s still an essential part of a healthy diet. Mild dehydration negatively affects memory and other necessary brain functions. Increasing your water intake by any amount is beneficial, but aim for at least eight cups each day.

5. Foods with High Amounts of Vitamin D

Vitamin D can help you heal from the effects of adversity. Fish tends to have high amounts of vitamin D, but there are plenty of other foods out there, too. You can also consume eggs, turkey with the skin, or try a vitamin D supplement.

Final Thoughts on Childhood Adversity and Healing the Brain by Good Nutrition

Childhood adversity severely impacts the brain, forcing you to carry the issues into adulthood. While the situation isn’t ideal, you can heal from it and work toward living a positive and healthy life. Changing your nutritional intake can make the difference in rewiring your neural pathways.

Now that you understand how adversity harms the brain, you can start making beneficial changes in your life. Each small step you take contributes to healing the body and brain.

7 Thoughts That Create a Scarcity Mindset (And How to Stop Them)

January 29, 2022 by Kristen Butler

Do you suffer from a scarcity mindset? Perhaps you do and don’t realize it. If you constantly feel that you don’t have enough money, time, and opportunities or never measure up to others, you’re guilty of this negative thinking pattern. When was the last time you said “no” when you were asked to do something you knew you didn’t have the time to complete?

The problem with the scarcity method of thinking is that it doesn’t allow you much grace. These thought processes only focus on what you’re lacking, such as time or money. If you constantly feel like you’re coming up short or are never enough, it can affect your self-worth and esteem and cause things like anxiety and depression.

Scarcity means that you don’t see a bright future for yourself, and it can cause you to be filled with envy, anger, and even some guilt. Some say that this negativity is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you fixate on what you don’t have, you’re wasting precious time from getting out there and making things happen.

Ironically, negative thinking like this can affect your behavior and mental functioning. If you’ve ever owned a record player, you know the problems with getting stuck in a loop. The needle would find the smallest groove on the record and repeatedly play the same thing.

You had to physically move the needle to change the sound and hear beautiful music. The same thing is necessary for life. You need to change your settings, or you will be stuck in a rut and unable to produce anything significant.

Seven Signs You’re Trapped in a Scarcity Mindset

If you’re stuck in a scarcity mindset, it’s easy to become focused on what you’re lacking. While it’s somewhat normal to think about what you need, people with this toxic negativity can’t shift their focus to anything else.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, when a person has this mindset, it causes cognitive stress and overall anxiousness which is often seen in people who live in poverty. The article references a study conducted in 2013 by Harvard Medical Center on this subject.

Researchers found that folks who fixate on issues like weight, money woes, health, and lack of things, often have high-stress levels. Additionally, they discovered that these folks also engage in poor decision-making abilities.

Is your mind stuck on all the things you lack? Here are some things that people with a scarcity mindset often fixate on.

1. Comparing Yourself to Others Creates Scarcity

Do you find that you often compare yourself with others? Stop measuring your worth by the things you lack. For instance, your sister has a nicer house, and your brother makes way more money than you.

It’s easy to see where you don’t measure up in life. However, it would help if you remembered that life is not about pursuing materialism. Many people live with the mindset of always wanting more. Trying to acquire financial superiority is not fulfilling, as you’ll miss the whole reason for living.

According to World Atlas, there are about 7.6 billion people on this earth, so comparing yourself to a few individuals is ridiculous. There’s enough money, homes, cars, and whatever you desire to go around. Please don’t fixate on folks who seem to have it all, as many would trade places with you in a heartbeat.

The Fix:

Learn to count your blessings. There will always be someone who has more than you, but you don’t walk in their shoes. While it might be nice to have a bigger home or bank account, perhaps you have more riches in other ways that they could never understand. Money never buys happiness, and pursuing it can make you miserable.

2. Feeling Depressed or Paralyzed

Living with an abundance of negative thinking can cripple you with depression and anxiety. If you’re planning your day around your mental health disorders, you’re not living. Many people with anxiety often say they feel wired and tired simultaneously. Negativity is a toxic poison that will destroy your mind and wreak havoc on your health.

The Fix:

Stop beating yourself up each day about the areas where you lack. Instead, start counting your blessings. While you may not have all you want, be thankful for what you do have in life.

3. Overscheduling Yourself Causes Scarcity

People these days must wear a lot of hats. You’re a son/daughter, worker, parent, friend, employee, volunteer, and so on. Having so many responsibilities means that your calendar is never empty.

Do you instantly fall asleep when you sit down to take a break? This indicates that you’re overscheduling yourself and not getting sufficient rest.

The Fix:

It’s time to reevaluate your life and make some changes. Ask for help when you need it, and don’t commit to things you don’t have the time to finish. When you take off some of the hats and allow others to wear them for a while, you will notice a big difference in your mental health.

4. Being Overly Controlling Creates a Scarcity Mindset

When you have an abundance of anxiety and fear, it’s only normal to have controlling behaviors. Chronic negativity and feeling like you have no control over your life can make you hypersensitive. Naturally, people in these situations try to control what they can.

Some past childhood issues may also be at the helm. For instance, if you grew up in a family where life was unpredictable and sometimes scary, you’ll find that this negative mindset comes from growing up in chaos. You crave predictability, so you try to manage your life and everything around you.

The Fix:

To fix the negativity of controlling ways, you must challenge the things you fear. Try accepting things as they are and learn flexibility. In Luke 6:45, it says that from the abundance of the heart, your mouth will speak, so start with a change on the inside, and it will overflow to the outside.

5. Believing You’re Not Enough

Scarcity comes with an abundance of negative thinking, which often centers on not being enough. It doesn’t matter how successful you are; you will still feel like you don’t measure up in life. When you engage in this toxic pattern of thinking, you will sabotage your success.

The Fix:

Grab a pen and paper. Make a list of all the strengths you’ve obtained. Next, you need to address all your self-doubt that comes with a scarcity mindset. It’s time to permit yourself to be proud of your accomplishments. Writing them down puts them right in front of you, where it’s challenging to ignore.

6. Thinking You Always Lose and Others Always Win

Some people tend to be winners. It doesn’t matter what they touch, it turns to gold, or so it appears. The real issue is your negative thinking isn’t allowing you to see how many times they failed.

When you fail, it gives you a chance to learn and grow. So, these folks don’t always get it right the first time, but they persevere. There are many problems in everyone’s life, but it’s learning to overcome them. If you’re not winning in this season of life, it’s time to change that scarcity mindset.

The Fix:

Change your inner circle to people you classify as winners. See how they live differently and not let an abundance of negativity get them down. It’s likely their positivity will rub off on you.

7. Feeling Dissatisfied Causes Scarcity

Negativity is all around you, and it’s hard not to be pessimistic when life feels overwhelming and scary. People generally feel dissatisfied, but it’s because they’re so busy that they don’t have time to stop and admire the beauty of the things around them.

When was the last time you danced in the rain, caught a snowflake on your tongue, or smelled a fresh flower growing around your home? You keep going because you’re afraid of what might happen if you have any downtime. Would your world crumble around you if you just took a few minutes to stop and be present in the moment?

The Fix:

Life will never slow down, so you need to slow down. Negative thinking will paralyze you and keep you enslaved to the system, but you can stop the merry-go-round. Did you ever play on one of those dreadful toys at the park as a child?

When the ride stopped, you felt dizzy, off-balance, and sick. However, within a few minutes, your equilibrium balanced, and you felt better. The same thing happens when you stop and relax your body. The pain lasts only a few seconds, but you will feel a hundred times better.

Final Thoughts on Knowing What Causes a Scarcity Mindset

The negative thinking behind a scarcity mindset is not easy to overcome. If you feel hopeless, helpless, and deep in despair, you should talk to a therapist. Sometimes it takes someone from the outside looking in to help you gain perspective.

Knowing you have a problem is the first step in getting help. Changing your mindset is possible, but it’s not always easy. However, if you want a more positive outlook on life, you can have it with little effort. You need to eliminate the abundance of negativity in your mind.

Psychologist Explains 6 Commonly Undiagnosed Anxiety Symptoms

January 29, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

Undiagnosed anxiety can manifest in subtle ways that can be challenging to detect and treat. Anxiety disorder rates are on the rise around the world. People have gotten much better at noticing symptoms of these issues and are getting diagnosed and treated, which is a great thing!

But, at the same time, not all anxiety symptoms are apparent. And since everyone experiences anxiety differently, there’s a chance that you may not realize that something you experience points to anxiety. Here’s how psychologists explain six commonly undiagnosed anxiety symptoms.

1. Perfectionism

Lots of people falsely believe that perfectionism is a solely positive trait. But with it comes all sorts of baggage and obsession. It involves having too-high expectations, thinking that you have to do things perfectly or to unreasonable standards. According to Doctor of Psychology Sally Winston, this mentality goes hand-in-hand with anxiety disorders.

Those with undiagnosed anxiety may feel nothing wrong with their perfectionism. They may view it as a positive work ethic and consider it conscientious. But research shows that it’s a clear symptom of undiagnosed anxiety.

How Perfectionism Can Increase Undiagnosed Anxiety

Clinical psychologist Katharina Mokrue explains that anxious people:

Create unrealistic standards for themselves driven by fear of being imperfect.
Lack the ability to gauge when tasks are complete, therefore not knowing when to stop working on something.
Anticipate all the different ways things can go wrong and try to cover for all of them, even the most implausible ones.
Hinge their worth on their performance, which causes them to overwork for the sake of being accepted.
Fear negative consequences due to a lack of perfection.
Procrastinate on projects due to being overwhelmed by their expectations or paralyzed by their high standards.
Work themselves to complete exhaustion, often not noticing the fatigue until they finally stop moving.
Have low self-esteem and think they won’t be good enough.
Quickly become frustrated with themselves for minor issues that no one else notices or cares about.
Redo the same things repeatedly in hopes of improving it, even if that means it’s finished late.
Refuse to take risks because that could jeopardize the perfection they seek.
Judge themselves constantly for every minor imperfection they perceive in their work and actions.
Never truly feel “satisfied” with the work they complete, quickly moving on to the next thing to focus on with their perfectionism.

2. Undiagnosed Anxiety Might Cause Digestive Issues

When your stomach starts feeling queasy, you will not likely associate that with your emotions. That’s why so many people with undiagnosed anxiety misattribute their indigestion, believing it’s just something they ate. In reality, it could be a sign of a deeper issue!

Psychologist Dr. Crystal I. Lee states that when the body is under stress, it focuses on survival. This means it doesn’t focus on digesting food, especially since survival mode often means preserving food for as long as possible. When you have anxiety, your stress responses occur suddenly and at inappropriate times. This means that your fear “misfires” you into survival mode.

Common digestive issues that can crop up from anxiety include:

· Stomach Cramps

When you’re under the stress of undiagnosed anxiety, your stomach muscles tend to contract. This can cause sudden, unexpected cramps unrelated to a menstrual cycle.

· Acid Reflux

Research indicates that anxiety increases stomach acid production. This worsens experiences of acid reflux and heartburn and can cause symptoms of GERD.

· Vomiting

Do you tend to feel nauseated when you’re stressed out? Anxiety is to blame! Fear often throws a chemical in the brain called norepinephrine off balance. This chemical is needed to balance digestive enzymes and gastric juice production.

· Diarrhea

As your stomach muscles contract more and more from anxiety, your bowel movements will likely loosen. This is why so many people have diarrhea before significant, nerve-wracking events.

· Constipation

On the opposite end of diarrhea, constipation can result from undiagnosed anxiety. When your muscles contract in the stomach, blood flow to the digestive organs reduces, and food moves less quickly.

3. Brain Fog Stems From Undiagnosed Anxiety

Brain fog is a symptom of undiagnosed anxiety that often goes overlooked. It’s a common sign of many different mental disorders, too. Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Helen Odessky states that many anxious individuals also face trouble concentrating.

You’re always a little preoccupied with other things when you’re anxious. This prevents you from staying in the present, as studies show that mental resources get used up a lot in these situations. You’re overloading your cognitive space. Symptoms of this issue may include:

Depersonalization and derealization
Becoming distracted very easily
Thinking much more slowly than usual
Feeling confused and spaced out
Having difficulty finding words and communicating verbally
Struggling to organize thoughts
Requiring additional time to complete usually quick or simple tasks
Being unable to arrange activities
Intense feelings of exhaustion and fatigue
Higher levels of forgetfulness than average, even for daily tasks
Continually losing trains of thought

This is made worse because anxiety and brain fog are self-perpetuating cycles. When you’re anxious, you struggle to do tasks because of brain fog. That struggle, in turn, causes you to be more anxious again, exacerbating brain fog even further.

4. Cold Hands and Feet

Have you ever noticed that your extremities are the first to lose warmth whenever you feel cold? This is because the body focuses on directing your warmth where it matters most – to the organs and other vital parts. The response can also be seen in other circumstances where the body focuses on survival.

Psychiatrist Dr. Miller explains that fight-or-flight response is triggered in your body when you feel anxious. Research also discusses the effects of these fear responses. This means that your body moves blood towards vital organs to help you survive. Your feet and hands get colder and colder, even when the temperature is pretty warm.

This symptom isn’t long-lasting, typically going away after about 20 minutes if there’s no immediate trigger for your worries. But with undiagnosed anxiety, you may have trouble calming yourself down, and your extremities may stay cold for longer. The stress response must die down for warmth to return to hands and feet.

If you tend to get cold extremities for no discernible reason and your circulation is healthy, it may be anxiety. However, note that this physical symptom can also be a symptom of a different disorder. It’s best to check your issues with a doctor before dismissing cold extremities as an unimportant, temporary side effect.

5. Undiagnosed Anxiety May Cause Indecisiveness

People with undiagnosed anxiety are often highly indecisive. When faced with a few small, unimportant choices, they can enter a wishy-washy state of panic. Naturally, that only gets worse when the decisions they have to make are much bigger!

Anxiety makes each choice seem terrifying. You’ll feel like even the smallest of decisions can dramatically alter your life, says Shrein Bahrami, a licensed psychotherapist. Whether you’re choosing a new house or deciding what to make for dinner, you’re paralyzed. This might happen because:

You’re terrified of making the wrong choice.
You don’t want to take risks.
Not trusting yourself, and you second-guess your thoughts.
You know that you never have to deal with what comes next if you don’t choose.

But why does this happen at all? Well, anxiety activates the limbic system in the brain, which is responsible for motivation, emotional response, and memory. This isn’t the part of the brain that you want to be active when you’re making decisions. Your limbic system overpowers the decision-making prefrontal cortex in what is called an amygdala hijack.

In layman’s terms, this means that anxiety makes your brain think of adverse events, cycling through numerous things that frighten you. You’re stuck in a spiral where you catastrophize and imagine the worst possible thing that can happen next. This causes you to take forever to make decisions.

Worse still, when you do make decisions with undiagnosed anxiety, they’re terrible ones! You’re driven by emotion and fear and aren’t capable of stopping yourself and returning to logic. Your regret from making bad decisions driven by anxiety means you’ll be even more frightened of making bad decisions next time!

6. Avoidance Behaviors Arise From Undiagnosed Anxiety

One of the most burdensome symptoms of undiagnosed anxiety to spot is avoidance. It often goes overlooked because when you’re avoiding things, you’re also in denial about the avoidance behaviors. You essentially end up avoiding any notice of the symptom!

Dr. Danielle Forshee, a licensed psychologist, states that anxiety can stack on itself. If you’re anxious about showing certain nervous tics, you’ll avoid situations triggering those symptoms. Your undiagnosed anxiety signs will be swept under the rug as you do all sorts of things to avoid them showing themselves. For example, you might:

Stop socializing if being around strangers makes your hands shake and you fear showing your shaking hands.
Intentionally underperform to avoid promotions at work because you fear the inferiority anxiety that will come from it.
Stop using a hairdryer because you know it makes you worry about burning yourself, and you don’t want to feel that worry.

In the short term, avoidance coping like this doesn’t seem like a big deal. You might even feel relieved and happy each time you successfully avoid anxiety. But, in the long-term, research indicates that this increases anxiety levels.

Worrying about worrying will get you nowhere, only reinforcing the unrealistic anxieties. The more you dodge sources of concern, the more your brain will believe you’re right to escape them. And the more unaccustomed you’ll become to those sources! You tell yourself that the world is so dangerous, so you end up constantly on edge. You deprive yourself of numerous opportunities and experiences, all in the name of avoidance.

Final Thoughts On Some Commonly Undiagnosed Anxiety Symptoms

No one deserves to live with the struggles of undiagnosed anxiety without treatment. That’s why it’s wise to be on the lookout for any unusual symptoms, even if they’re more obscure.

If you notice any of these six commonly undiagnosed anxiety symptoms in yourself, speak to a doctor or mental health professional. Even if you don’t have an anxiety disorder, you can still benefit from a consultation with an expert.

Kind Man Forms an Unbreakable Bond With an Orphaned Baby Magpie

January 29, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

Matt Owens and his pet magpie named Swoop enjoyed a special relationship before she flew the coop. While Matt misses her very much, he cherishes the beautiful memories they made together.

He’s now adopted another magpie named Zoe, who he dotes on just as he did with Swoop. Once you have a bird, you can’t imagine life without them since they make wonderful companions. They’re intelligent, loving and caring, and can fit into a family just like dogs and cats. Here’s the story of Matt and Swoop, and how they came into each other’s lives at the perfect time.

“My story first began in 2019 when I was driving down the road one day and I spotted an injured magpie on the side of the road,” Matt said. “I decided to take her in and look after her. I’ve never done anything like that before, so it was a pretty amazing experience from day 1.”

He took her home to meet his cat Mowgli, which turned out better than he anticipated. They became fast friends and soon were inseparable. Somehow Mowgli knew Swoop wasn’t cat food, but a family pet that needed love and care. Cats often get a bad rap for being standoffish and reclusive, but Mowgli welcomed Swoop with open arms.

“I ended up calling her Swoop, and Swoop got along really well with my cat, to my surprise. They spent pretty much everyday hanging out with one another. The story of Swoop and Mowgli went viral all around the world, and it was pretty incredible,” Matt said.” My cat and my magpie brought a lot of joy to people which was an amazing privilege, as the world’s been a pretty tough place lately.”

The pandemic turned the world upside down, and many people found themselves spending more time at home. With all that time on their hands, animal videos became a source of comfort and happiness.

Kind Man Forms an Unbreakable Bond With an Orphaned Baby Magpie

Luckily, there’s no shortage of cute animals on the Internet, and Swoop is no exception. She’s helped heal many hearts, but perhaps none as much as her loving owner.

“Swoop came along at a really tough time in my life, so having Swoop and having something to love really grounded me and helped me through that process too,” Matt explains.

He got to enjoy Swoop’s company for about a year. One day, Matt attended his dad’s funeral, but when he came home, Swoop wasn’t there. She’d made her way back to the wild once again. Of course, he missed her terribly, but he also wanted the best for her.

“So that was pretty tough, but at the same time it was bittersweet – I was really happy that she was living out her life with freedom. Since then a lot has happened – I’ve had ducks turn up at my house out of nowhere,” Matt said. “They have made nests and laid eggs, and I’ve ended up raising ducklings alongside the duck. I’ve had other birds come and go; I always try to help them, although I’m not a bird rescuer, I just give it my best shot.”

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A post shared by Matt Owens (@swoopandmowgli)

Birds Seem to Flock to Matt, Much to His Delight

It seems that birds know Matt will take care of them. The loving energy he gives off must draw them in, and he’s thankful for it! As an animal lover, there’s nothing better than seeing new creatures show up at your doorstep. Even though Swoop moved on with her life, Matt wanted to honor the magpie somehow. So, he decided to dedicate a book to the adventures they enjoyed together.

“The biggest thing that has happened since I’ve had Swoop would be my children’s book that I started writing after she left, illustrated by an incredible young illustrator from my area named Emma. I heard Swoop selected her herself; Swoop was visiting her most days,” Matt recalls.

“So for the last year we’ve been working on this children’s book, “The Story of Swoop,” and I’m stoked to say that the book went to print last week, and that will be released in February.”

Make sure to look out for the book if you’re interested! If you have children who love birds (especially magpies), you’ll definitely want to grab a copy.

“So, it’s safe to say my life changed dramatically when I decided to rescue little Swoop,” Matt concludes. He added that the Universe always rewards a bit of kindness, selflessness and treating others well. This seems true for him, since he’s noticed more abundance in his life after adopting the magpie. So, make sure you put positive energy into the universe, because it will make its way back to you!

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A post shared by Matt Owens (@swoopandmowgli)

Interesting Facts about Magpies

Magpies are small to medium-sized birds that belong to the crow family.
In the last 35 years, magpie numbers in Britain and Ireland have quadrupled, especially in suburban areas. Some experts believe that the decrease in car strikes is driving the population boom.
Magpies are omnivores, but eat a mostly vegetarian diet consisting of grains, berries, nuts and fruit.
There are at least 17 species of magpie, spread out across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
They can reach 16-18 inches in length, with their tail accounting for 50%.
The magpie can recognize its reflection in a mirror, making it one of the most intelligent bird species.

Final Thoughts on the Special Friendship Between a Man and a Magpie

Magpies are common pet birds in Australia, Europe, and the US. Many people consider them great companions because of their social, cheerful nature. While birds require a lot of care, they will reward your efforts with affection and friendship. Matt Owens found this out firsthand when he adopted his baby magpie named Swoop, who changed his life for the better.

While Swoop decided to go back to her natural habitat, she left a permanent imprint on Matt’s heart. He’s now dedicated a book to her memory, which will come out early next year. It’s amazing how a tiny animal can make such a big impact on someone’s life. If you have ever owned a pet bird, we’d love to hear your story in the comments!

Instagram Users Describe the Ups and Downs of Living With Bipolar

January 29, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

Anyone living with bipolar disorder can relate to feeling like they’re on a never-ending rollercoaster ride. One minute, you feel like you’re on Cloud 9, and the next, you’re in the pit of despair. These highs and lows take a toll after a while, and it becomes challenging to maintain everyday life.

However, many people with bipolar disorder manage their condition with medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes. These healing modalities can help soften the blow and make the ups and downs a bit easier to tolerate. If you have bipolar disorder, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about 2.8% of Americans, or 7 million people, live with bipolar. Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder causes abnormal shifts in mood, which can last several days or weeks. During a “mood episode,” the sufferer often isn’t aware of how their actions affect themselves or others.

Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

During a manic episode, people may:

Feel elated or “high on life.”
Feel wired, even without sleep
Not feel the need to sleep
Lose their appetite
Talk very fast and have racing thoughts
Switch rapidly from one conversational topic to another
Believe they can do anything and have an inflated sense of power
Do many tasks at once
Exhibit risky behavior, such as excessive spending, binge eating, or unprotected sex

During a depressive episode, the person may:

Feel hopeless or empty
Feel restless yet lethargic
Sleep too much or too little
Have an increase in appetite, which may cause weight gain
Talk slowly or experience brain fog
Have difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Find small tasks harder to accomplish
Lose interest in almost all activities
Have suicidal thoughts or think about death

Living with bipolar disorder may feel like an uphill battle each day. However, most people find relief with a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Lifestyle changes such as exercise, a balanced diet, proper sleep, and meditation can also help.

Below, we’ll share some stories from Instagram users about their experience living with bipolar. Hopefully, their mental health advice will provide comfort and hope to anyone struggling with bipolar.

Instagram Users Describe the Ups and Downs of Living With Bipolar

1 – “Pretending you’re not broken is not the same as healing.” – The Bipolar Barbie.

The Bipolar Barbie aims to eliminate mental health stigma, especially bipolar disorder. She talks openly about what it’s like to live with bipolar and how it affects her daily life. She recently published a book called Drowning in the Seas of Mental Illness, the first installment of the series. The book illustrates the difficulty of living with complex mental illnesses and navigating life despite them.

Barbie finds that drawing, writing, and expressing herself creatively provides an outlet for her emotions. She’s also a motivational speaker, encouraging others with her honesty and giving hope to anyone struggling with mental health.

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A post shared by Bipolar Barbie (@the_bipolar_barbie)

2 – “Bipolar may bend us, but it will not break us.” – So Bipolar.

Mehri, a mental health advocate who runs the account So_Bipolar, talks candidly about living with bipolar disorder. She encourages others to get the help they need and not feel ashamed about their illness. She also reminds her audience that they have bipolar, but they aren’t bipolar. In other words, Mehri believes you shouldn’t let your diagnosis define you.

She’s been featured in the WebMD documentary “Married to Bipolar” because of her candid posts about the condition.

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A post shared by Mehri • Mental Health Advocate (@so_bipolar)

3 – “I have bipolar, bipolar doesn’t have me!” – Ollie (bipolar_2_life)

Ollie’s Instagram account mostly features relatable memes about living with bipolar. However, like Mehri, she doesn’t let her mood disorder define her. While she experiences manic highs and crippling depression of bipolar, Ollie believes it’s possible to manage the condition. Ollie combines humor, honesty, and mental health advocacy in her posts, making her account relatable to anyone with bipolar disorder.

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A post shared by O (@bipolar_2_life)

4 – “You were given this life because you’re strong enough to live it.” -Living With Bipolar BD

Living With Bipolar BD is a page dedicated to building a community of people who share in the struggle and seek to destigmatize mental illness. They designate their Instagram page, “a safe place for mental health.” Finding a community is essential for self-care.

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A post shared by Living with Bipolar Disorder (@my_bipolar_and_i)

5 – “Having depression does not make you broken, it makes you a warrior.” – Lauren Dow Writes.

Lauren’s account focuses on normalizing conversations about mental health. She’s also written books about how we all have the power to heal from within through self-love and self-care. By prioritizing yourself and making choices that benefit your mind and body, it’s possible to change your perspective about life.

It won’t happen overnight, but you can heal by taking that first step. Meditation, eating healthy, exercising, surrounding yourself with positive people, and living your truth can move you into a higher vibration.

On her account, Lauren also posts honestly about taking medication for bipolar disorder, hoping to end the stigma surrounding psychiatric medicines.

“You are NOT broken if you need medication. You need assistance, but that doesn’t mean you’re broken. My medication has been a game changer for not only my mental health but my entire life,” she says.

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A post shared by Lauren Dow Author (@laurendowwrites)

Final Thoughts on Instagram Users Who Explain Living With Bipolar Disorder

Hopefully, these accounts above will help anyone living with bipolar disorder. Just remember, plenty of people out there struggle with mental health, and it’s nothing to feel ashamed about. You deserve to have your voice heard and feel your best mentally, no matter what it takes to get there.

While reading posts from others can provide comfort, it’s not always enough to overcome depression, anxiety, or whatever you’re struggling with. Never hesitate to seek professional help if you need to, as therapists can offer a personalized approach to healing. Above all else, remember that you matter, and the universe wouldn’t be the same without you in it.

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1. The Happiness Pie

2. Nature And Nurture In Happiness

3. Overcoming Nurture May Help in Finding Happiness

· Release The Past In The Name Of Finding Happiness

· Finding Happiness Comes When You Let Go Of Fear

· Ceasing Self-Criticism

· Developing Gratitude Goes Along With Finding Happiness

4. A Focus on Finding Happiness Makes It Harder To Achieve

· Self-Esteem And Finding Happiness Go Hand-in-hand

· Inspiration

· A Better Future

Final Thoughts On Some Reasons Why Finding Happiness Is Difficult For Some People

What is Childhood Adversity?

Psychology Explains How Childhood Adversity Harms the Brain

Eight Surprising Impacts of Childhood Adversity on the Brain

1 – Childhood Adversity Can Cause Epigenetic Shifts

2 – Inflammation

3 – Childhood Adversity Might Impact Brain Size

4 – Premature Aging

5 – Difficulty Reacting to the World

6 – Emotional Reactivity Often Stems from Childhood Adversity

7 – Lower Cognitive Scores

8 – Increased Risky Health Behaviors

Put Your Research on Childhood Adversity to Good Use

How Food Can Help Heal the Brain in Those Who Faced Childhood Adversity

Foods That Help Heal Childhood Adversity

1. Plant Foods

2. Healthy Fats

3. Fish

4. Water

5. Foods with High Amounts of Vitamin D

Final Thoughts on Childhood Adversity and Healing the Brain by Good Nutrition

Seven Signs You’re Trapped in a Scarcity Mindset

1. Comparing Yourself to Others Creates Scarcity

2. Feeling Depressed or Paralyzed

3. Overscheduling Yourself Causes Scarcity

4. Being Overly Controlling Creates a Scarcity Mindset

5. Believing You’re Not Enough

6. Thinking You Always Lose and Others Always Win

7. Feeling Dissatisfied Causes Scarcity

Final Thoughts on Knowing What Causes a Scarcity Mindset

1. Perfectionism

How Perfectionism Can Increase Undiagnosed Anxiety

2. Undiagnosed Anxiety Might Cause Digestive Issues

· Stomach Cramps

· Acid Reflux

· Vomiting

· Diarrhea

· Constipation

3. Brain Fog Stems From Undiagnosed Anxiety

4. Cold Hands and Feet

5. Undiagnosed Anxiety May Cause Indecisiveness

6. Avoidance Behaviors Arise From Undiagnosed Anxiety

Final Thoughts On Some Commonly Undiagnosed Anxiety Symptoms

Kind Man Forms an Unbreakable Bond With an Orphaned Baby Magpie

Birds Seem to Flock to Matt, Much to His Delight

Interesting Facts about Magpies

Final Thoughts on the Special Friendship Between a Man and a Magpie

Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

During a depressive episode, the person may:

Instagram Users Describe the Ups and Downs of Living With Bipolar

1 – “Pretending you’re not broken is not the same as healing.” – The Bipolar Barbie.

2 – “Bipolar may bend us, but it will not break us.” – So Bipolar.

3 – “I have bipolar, bipolar doesn’t have me!” – Ollie (bipolar_2_life)

4 – “You were given this life because you’re strong enough to live it.” -Living With Bipolar BD

5 – “Having depression does not make you broken, it makes you a warrior.” – Lauren Dow Writes.

Final Thoughts on Instagram Users Who Explain Living With Bipolar Disorder

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