If you regularly experience anxiety, you may have researched ways to relieve your symptoms and come across a coping mechanism known as the “333 rule.” But how does it work? The next time you’re feeling anxious, try:

1. Naming three things you see
2. Naming three sounds you hear
3. Moving three body parts

How Does the 333 Rule Reduce Anxiety?

Although the 333 rule doesn’t work in every situation, many therapists recommend it to patients living with anxiety because it helps to ground them. By concentrating on sights, sounds, and movements, patients can stop fixating on their worries and instead focus on the present moment. One of the benefits of the 333 rule is that it doesn’t require someone to be in a certain place or have access to a certain object—instead, they can use it virtually anytime and from almost anywhere. Patients can even practice the 333 rule when they’re not feeling anxious to start establishing it as a habit.

For More Information

If you’d like to know more about how the 333 rule can help combat anxiety, contact us today. Our therapists have experience using the 333 rule and various other techniques to treat anxiety, and we can develop a care approach that’s customized to your specific needs. When you reach out, we’ll tell you more about our practice, answer your questions, and arrange a time for you to attend an initial therapy session. We look forward to meeting with you and helping you take the next step toward an anxiety-free life.

Today, awareness of autism is at an all-time high. As an adult, you may look back on your childhood and realize that you’ve possibly had an autism diagnosis overlooked. If you’re a parent, you may have come to realizations about yourself after observing behaviors in your child. However you’ve come to notice the signs, you may suspect that you have autism. You may be wondering: can I, or should I, be tested for autism?

Adult Autism Diagnosis

It can be challenging for an undiagnosed adult to be evaluated for autism. The standardized diagnostics checklists commonly used for diagnosis were designed for children. While there is no diagnostic criteria available for adults, it is currently being developed.

However, it is still possible to be evaluated as an adult. First consult with your primary care physician, share your concerns and have her rule out any underlying physical or medical conditions for your symptoms. Your physician can then refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for an evaluation.

Why Get Tested?

While you’ve been successful thus far in moderating your possible symptoms of autism over the course of your life, you may have run into some challenges along the way. A formal evaluation and diagnosis can help you in several ways.

• Work Life – An adult with autism may have difficulty with social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication. You may have difficulty making eye contact with your boss, make involuntary noises during meetings or have trouble communicating with your co-workers. These symptoms can interfere with your ability to advance your career and reach your desired goals.
• Relationships – Adults with autism can sometimes have trouble making or maintaining friendships or intimate relationships. If you’re in a quiet place, such as a movie theatre or library, you may make involuntary noises such as clearing your throat over and over. You may have trouble in social situations, or difficulty getting along with family or friends.
• Everyday Life – You may have repetitive, obsessive or ritualistic behaviors that are interfering with your daily life or social interactions.

Therapy and some medications are available to help you manage and control these behaviors. Getting a diagnosis of autism as an adult can help you find solutions to symptoms that are interfering with your daily life.

Are you or a loved one living with autism? A licensed mental health professional can help you address compulsions or social skills, teach you coping methods to deal with anxiety and help you better manage your symptoms. Give my office a call today, and let’s schedule a time to talk.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults over the age of 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder. If you are one of them, you know how difficult your life can feel most days.

When anxiety strikes, the world around us can become a sort of funhouse, only not that much fun. It’s important to be able to self-soothe in these instances. But how can you calm an anxiety attack subtly when you’re out in public?

 

Breath Work

As soon as you feel the anxiety coming on, focus intently on your breathing and nothing else. Begin to take slow… deep breaths. Inhale for a slow count of three… hold for a count of three… and exhale for a count of three. Slow deep breaths send a signal to our body that we are not under attack and everything is okay.

 

Talk to Yourself

In your mind, remind yourself that you are having an experience but that you are NOT that experience. While you feel that something is wrong, remind yourself that you are actually safe and all is well.

 

Visualize

Think of something that calms you. This may be your childhood bedroom or your grandparent’s home. It could be your favorite beach or your own bathtub. Simply put yourself IN that space. Use your full imagination to feel yourself there and allow the calm to settle over you.

 

Carry Lavender Oil

Keep a small vile of lavender oil in your purse or pocket and inhale its scent. You can even rub some between your finger and then rub on your temples to calm down.

 

Practice Listening Meditation

If you’ve never tried listening meditation, I highly recommend it for everyone. But it can be especially beneficial when you are feeling anxious, and here’s why. Listening requires you to stop thinking. Try it now. Stop reading and instead listen to all of the ambient sounds there in the room with you, outside the door and window.

What do you hear?

Let your sense of hearing grow and grow, picking up more subtle sounds. The buzz of the lights overhead… the noise of the ice maker… a bee at the window… your dog’s collar down the hall…

It’s actually a very fun exercise to do. And in order to REALLY GIVE SOUND YOUR FULL ATTENTION, you can’t think while listening. It’s a bit like trying to juggle while standing on your hands, it simply cannot be done.

Much of our anxiety comes from our anxious thoughts. It’s our reptilian brain trying to keep us alive by alerting us to all of the dangers around us. But when we meditate, this mind chatter goes away.

 

When an anxiety attack comes on, life can feel unbearable. The next time this happens to you in public, try one or more of these techniques.

And if you’d like to speak with someone about your anxiety, please get in touch. I’d be happy to explore treatment options.