Lets be honest, change is hard. And if we’re being really honest, sometimes it SUCKS. After a life change, you may notice feelings of anxiety, depression, or a combination of both. While these are completely normal and valid reactions to change, if they last longer than 3 months, it may be a sign of an adjustment disorder.

Depression is a common but serious mood disorder that negatively impacts how you feel, think, and behave. It typically impacts many areas of a person’s life, such as relationships, work, and sleep, among countless others. It often causes feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities that would typically bring you joy, but many people don’t know that it can also present as anger or irritability. Here are the symptoms and coping skills to work on it:

The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes. It goes above and beyond the normal stressors of daily life and can leave people with feelings of impending doom. As outline in the definition, when someone experiences anxiety, they won’t only notice it through bothersome thoughts and emotions, but also physical symptoms that cause varying levels of discomfort. Symptoms of anxiety include feelings of overwhelming worry, extreme nervousness, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, feeling on-edge, avoidant behaviors, fatigue, muscle tension, racing heart rate, stomachaches, sweating, trembling, and rapid breathing.

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday and the holiday season is upon us once again. Filled with Christmas music, shopping, gift-giving, New Years’ Eve parties, get-togethers, and time with friends & family.

During the course of our lifetimes, we will all unfortunately experience trauma from time to time. Trauma can come in many forms - a life-changing event, loss of a person or pet, significant illness, accident, or more. Traumatic events can be a life-altering experience not just for the individual but for the whole family.