Anxiety affects 18% of the population every year. Symptoms of anxiety include everything from a racing heart to sweaty hands, or in extreme cases, panic attacks. If you deal with anxiety, you may want to learn more information, hear from others, or find potential treatment options. If that sounds like you, here are a few anxiety blogs.
1. The Center for the Treatment of Anxiety & Mood Disorders
The Center was started by founders Andrew Rosen, Ph.D., and David Gross, MD, to provide treatment and clinical information on anxiety. They specialize in treating anxiety, mood disorders, and stress disorders with scientifically backed information.
A good place to start may be their COVID stress article, which talks about the difference between COVID Stress Disorder and COVID PTSD: “Even if you never lost your job, didn’t get sick or didn’t lose anyone to Covid-19, however, you still have been affected by the pandemic. The separation from those we care about, combined with shutdowns, social distancing, mask-wearing, working from home, changes to a child’s schooling, virtually non-existent travel, and other interruptions to our normal lives has affected everyone in some way.”
2. Anxiety-Schmanxiety
Articles on this site are written by mental health journalists and reviewed b a doctor, so you know the information is sound. Their “Anxiety-Schmanxiety” blog focuses on everything that an anxious person might go through, from the type of anxiety you may have to how to exercise mindfully to combat your anxiety.
3. The Conversation
Perhaps it’s odd to include an independent journalism site, but The Conversation is written by academic scholars and then edited by journalists. The result is a highly informative but easily understandable resource for anyone who wants to keep up-to-date on anxiety research, news, and more.
Articles include how popping toys might be good for anxious children or how anxiety affects treatment for stuttering.
4. Beautiful Voyager
Meredith Arthur started this blog after being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and wanting to find more treatment options for her chronic migraines. “Diagnosis in hand, I searched and searched but found nothing online that spoke to my physical experience of stress, overthinking, and anxiety,” she writes. She also has a podcast on the topic.
Her blog is full of personal stories from others, discussions about medications, and why it’s so hard to ask for help, especially for men. “So, I started wondering: is gender really influencing how close a person is to their emotions?” she writes. “How much is true? Why would men hide their psychological challenges more than women?”
5. National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC)
NSAC is a national association of regional clinics dedicated to providing education and dissemination on anxiety research and treatment options. Find a clinic in your area, read on different treatments, and hear personal stories from other social anxiety sufferers.
Their blog isn’t meant to replace therapy, but you’ll still find useful information, like how to deal with romance-related anxiety or why you may try so hard to hide your anxiety. One blogger shares, “Not only does trying to control and inhibit anxiety in this way tend to backfire and create more anxious thoughts and feelings; it will often exacerbate the physiological symptoms themselves. Trying to grip a cup of water ever tighter to prevent someone observing shakiness will likely lead to more shakiness compared to loosening and relaxing your grip over time. In situations such as these, hiding anxious signals and attempts to avoid their potential fallout becomes maladaptive.”
6. Anxiety Canada
This charity and non-profit created the MindShift CBD app and develops free, evidence-based resources for anxious people. They also have an online directory and resource guide to help treat anxiety.
Their blog is a good source of personal stories and offers diverse perspectives, like this story from a gay man who grew up Catholic: “ As a child already prone to worrying and catastrophizing throughout my struggle with my yet-to-be diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), it was definitely a very scary place to be – both mentally and emotionally.”
7. Anxious Lass
If the thought of medical journals feels alienating and isolating, then you’re in good company with Kelly Jean, the blogger behind Anxious Lass. She’s not a medical professional by any means but she started her blog to make anxiety content a little more relatable.
“I wanted to know that other people with social anxiety struggled with checkout lines and automatically assumed that any laughter coming from anywhere was definitely directed at them… I wanted to know I wasn’t alone,” she writes. Her visually cheerful blog talks about everything from lying about anxiety to making plans you can actually follow.
This may not be the blog to find medical advice or information, but hearing anecdotal stories of someone dealing with social anxiety or even enjoying a few anxiety memes can be just as comforting.
8. The Ross Center
The Ross Center has a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists in their three locations. They treat a variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety. Their blogs are written by therapists, providing key insight and helpful advice.
We appreciate this article on how anxiety affects women, or this encouraging read from a therapist and mother about how to or what could be learned from creating a routine for COVID homeschooling, where sometimes you just have to acknowledge the instability of it all.
“Maintaining some sort of routine is certainly a healthy approach, but during this time of completely rational uncertainty, the most potent parenting tool at my disposal is our relationship and my ability to validate and reflect Kiddo’s emotions back to him,” she wrote.
9. Anxiety Therapy, Page Rutledge
Want to hear from a therapist who really, really gets it? Paige Rutledge is that therapist. Though her tone is irreverent at times, she speaks with compassion and understanding, while also supporting you as she pushes you forward.
A good place to start? Her article on “sticky thoughts,” and how to manage them. “Sticky thoughts are the ones you just can’t shake loose. Sticky thoughts predispose your mind to anxiety and hyper-vigilance. They tend to keep you stuck in your own personal anxiety loop that is both unproductive and self-shaming. That is why learning to identify and talk back to them is critical to your good mental well-being,” she writes.
10. Seattle Anxiety Specialists
A group of Seattle-based therapists has banded together to help patients tackle anxiety and related mood disorders through evidence-based tactics and self-exploration treatment plans. They recognize that anxious people are highly creative, intelligent, and resourceful people who think outside of the box.
“What holds them back are their anxieties – chronic and oppressive parts of themselves that are built upon fear and experienced variously as indecision, lack of focus, self-doubt, panic, and so on,” they state on their site.
Start with their blog post that has several helpful definitions of different states of mental health that can determine where you’re at currently.
11. Anxiety & Stress Archives by Headspace
Headspace is most known as the meditation app for sleeping and relaxing, so it’s unsurprisingly effective for anxious people, especially those who have a hard time sleeping. Meditation can be a great way to calm a racing mind and deal with anxious thoughts running wild. If you’re new to anxiety, start with this article on how to deal with it, or dive into what high-functioning anxiety looks like.
12. Mindful
If you’re looking at mindfulness as a potential treatment of anxiety, then Mindful has resources, articles, and advice on how to apply it to your everyday life. The digital magazine is chock-full of articles on the subject, ranging from self-discovery to romantic relationships. They also have training and mindfulness courses.
Not sure where to begin? Their “Getting Started” page is perfect for those who have never done meditation or mindfulness before. It includes how to get started, what to expect, and courses you can follow along.
13. The American Institute of Stress
Stress and anxiety are very tightly interwoven. While identifying the underlying cause of your anxiety is helpful in the long run, knowing how to manage your stress can positively impact your life as well.
The AIS conducts research and educates medical professionals on stress and how to relieve it effectively. Their blog features research, how to healthily cope with stress, and how others are managing their stress. One article we appreciate: how to manage stress without alcohol.
14. Wanderlust
Wanderlust is a yoga magazine and online class resource. Whether you’re a practiced yogi or new to the experience, the combination of yoga’s steady breathing and purposeful movement is worth checking out, especially for those who suffer from anxiety.
Find interviews with yoga teachers and lifestyle advice, like how to include self-care into your daily routine. Or, jump in with one of their yoga courses you can do from home.
15. The Mindfulness Project
If you’re looking for a more secular approach to mindfulness, without the spirituality or religious aspects, then this London-based project is for you. They host mindfulness courses and meditation classes for businesses and individuals.
Check out their blog for discussions on how perfectionism drives anxiety or whether you may need a digital detox in your life.
When to See a Therapist for Anxiety
If you’re struggling with your anxiety, talking to a therapist can help you alleviate some of those symptoms and find healthy ways to cope with them. If you’re anxious about starting therapy, here’s what to expect, and when you’re ready, check an online directory for therapists in your area.
