Rethink Blog - RETHINK

What is Panic Disorder? research and Infographic

4/25/2021

This article and infographic were made by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Aza

Panic Disorder Infographic

In any occasion, do you experience pounding of your heart, sweating profusely and you feel like you can’t think and breathe? Especially when you are overwhelmed with anxiety and fear that last for several minutes? Do you worry that you'll have another attack at any moment because these attacks happen at random times with no apparent trigger? Then, you may have panic disorder, which is a form of anxiety disorder. Panic disorder affects a large percentage of the population.

Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. Panic disorder is characterized by sudden and frequent bouts of anxiety that last many minutes or longer. These are called panic attacks. Panic attacks are defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) as “an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort” reaching a peak within minutes. Even when there is no actual risk, panic attacks are characterized by a fear of catastrophe or losing control.

What is Stress? Research and Infographic

4/25/2021

This article and infographic were made by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Aza

Stress Infographic

All of us experience stress everyday. We encounter stressors that greatly affect our moods, the way we behave and our overall health. Healthy stress responses from stress may be adaptive and do not threatened our health, but if stress is left untreated, long-term effects can negatively affect our health. A widely used definition of stressful situations is one in which the demands of the situation threaten to exceed the resources of the individual (Lazarus & Folkman 1984).

Emotional Dependency or Emotional Responsibility

4/20/2021

Emotional dependency means getting one's good feelings from outside oneself. It means needing to get filled from outside rather than from within. Who or what do you believe is responsible for your emotional wellbeing?

How to face the biggest enemy: Stress! By Rethink Advocate Bianca

4/19/2021

Stress has become the main problem of our century. Through stress we develop a series of both physical and mental illnesses that leave their mark on our personal development. Stress is hard to manage. It is practically our biggest enemy, an enemy who does not want to be so easily defeated. It is always present, more or less.

But like any other person in this world, I have a number of techniques that help me cope more easily with these complicated and contradictory feelings. These techniques don't completely solve the problem, but at least they make it easier to endure.

6 ways to manage stress

4/10/2021

Life consistently presents us with challenges and changes and at times this can lead to us feeling stressed. Planning how to manage and cope in various life situations, and finding out which coping skills work best for you, is the key to succeeding with stress rather then experiencing distress.

Anxiety Disorder Infographic

4/3/2021

Learn more about Anxiety Disorders with this infographic made by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Aza! Understand what anxiety disorders are, the risk factors, treatment options, and more!

Anxiety Disorder Infographic

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Infographic

4/3/2021

Learn more about Generalized Anxiety Disorder with this infographic made by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Aza! Understand Generalized Anxiety Disorder statistics, risk factors, pathophysiology, complications and more!

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Infographic

My story of Self Harm and Overworking to Cope with Mental Health, by Rethink Advocate megane Jacques

4/2/2021

[TW: SH, mention of self h*rm]
This blog article was written by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Megane Jacuqes:

I was about 11 years old the first time I intentionally cut myself. Things were already pretty difficult for me and at some point I needed a way to regain control on the pain I was feeling. I wanted to be able to inflict myself pain, but most importantly be able to stop it and limit it as I was suffering so much from my anxiety that I felt I didn’t have control on anything. I had first heard about self harm in a « puberty guide for girls ». They had good intention by shedding some light on self harm, but the way they focussed more on how it felt, rather than the consequences afterwards, led me to think it wouldn’t be such a bad coping method.

It was quite visible, I always cut my left arm, at the exact same spot, again for control, and as it was hard to hide it, I didn’t have a choice but to tell my mother what I had done. It was incredibly hard to say out loud, I was so scared she would get mad at me. We talked and fortunately, she simply told me that although she understood my gesture, she’d preferred if I found another way to cope. She even helped me convince my school to allow me to wear a vest in gym class, because I was starting to get teased about my cuts that were visible. You see, my action was so emotion-based that I hadn’t even reflected on the fact that my uniform didn’t always allow long-sleeved shirts.