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Am I Dying?

Understanding and coping with illness anxiety.

Anxiety
An Existential Perspective on Tariff Anxiety

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on April 7, 2025

Existential psychology speaks about the common stressors we experience as humans. Through this lens, we can fixate less on negative outcomes and view our lives more holistically.

Existential psychology speaks about the common stressors we experience as humans. Through this lens, we can fixate less on negative outcomes and view our lives more holistically.

Anxiety
Viewing Anxiety as a Primitive Response

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on April 4, 2025

Viewing our distress as a primitive response can help us recognize that often we are actually safe in situations where our anxiety is telling us otherwise.

Viewing our distress as a primitive response can help us recognize that often we are actually safe in situations where our anxiety is telling us otherwise.

Anxiety
How Anxiety Fools Us Into Thinking It's Protecting Us

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on March 18, 2025

Anxiety presents itself as helpful but it's actually an unreliable narrator. We must learn to not automatically assume that anxious thoughts are working to protect us.

Anxiety presents itself as helpful but it's actually an unreliable narrator. We must learn to not automatically assume that anxious thoughts are working to protect us.

Anxiety
A Simple Acronym for Feeling Safe During a Panic Attack

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on March 11, 2025

Panic complicates our lives and convinces us of imminent danger. We can learn to simplify the confusion of panic by implementing the skills of a simple acronym.

Panic complicates our lives and convinces us of imminent danger. We can learn to simplify the confusion of panic by implementing the skills of a simple acronym.

Parenting
How to Cope With "New Dad Anxiety" and Imposter Syndrome

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on March 3, 2025

Being a dad comes with a normal level of anxiety, but in large doses, this can lead to persistent feelings of incompetence. Normalizing and destigmatizing "dad anxiety" can help.

Being a dad comes with a normal level of anxiety, but in large doses, this can lead to persistent feelings of incompetence. Normalizing and destigmatizing "dad anxiety" can help.

Anxiety
Why Anxiety Is Often Misdiagnosed as Vertigo

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on February 25, 2025

Anxiety causes the body to react in various ways, many of which can mimic serious medical conditions. When people experience dizziness, it can easily be misdiagnosed as vertigo.

Anxiety causes the body to react in various ways, many of which can mimic serious medical conditions. When people experience dizziness, it can easily be misdiagnosed as vertigo.

Stress
Understanding and Controlling Your Stress Hormones

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on February 18, 2025

Understanding how the body's stress hormone, cortisol, functions can help us implement strategies for keeping it from overproducing and causing long-term negative effects.

Understanding how the body's stress hormone, cortisol, functions can help us implement strategies for keeping it from overproducing and causing long-term negative effects.

Anxiety
Somatic Mimics: How Anxiety Tricks the Body

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on February 6, 2025

Anxiety-driven physical sensations can mimic more serious medical conditions but we can learn to differentiate between true emergencies and mere feelings of discomfort.

Anxiety-driven physical sensations can mimic more serious medical conditions but we can learn to differentiate between true emergencies and mere feelings of discomfort.

Anxiety
2 Common Anxiety-Driven Habits and How to Curb Them

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on January 21, 2025

Anxiety can lead us to adopt behaviors that are not necessarily helpful. When these behaviors become habitual, they can impede our normal development, but we can learn to curb them.

Anxiety can lead us to adopt behaviors that are not necessarily helpful. When these behaviors become habitual, they can impede our normal development, but we can learn to curb them.

Imposter Syndrome
How to Cope With the Anxiety of Imposter Syndrome

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on December 18, 2024

Anxiety and imposter syndrome feed each other by convincing us that we are incapable of handling life's challenges, but learning to see ourselves as competent creates self-trust.

Anxiety and imposter syndrome feed each other by convincing us that we are incapable of handling life's challenges, but learning to see ourselves as competent creates self-trust.

Anxiety
Anxiety as a Learned Behavior and How to Unlearn It

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on December 7, 2024

Not all beliefs and behavioral responses belong to us. Learning to identify and challenge those that do not can open us up to unlearning unhelpful, anxiety-driven responses.

Not all beliefs and behavioral responses belong to us. Learning to identify and challenge those that do not can open us up to unlearning unhelpful, anxiety-driven responses.

Anxiety
Why Highway Driving Anxiety Happens and How to Cope

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on October 9, 2024

Feeling stressed or panicky while driving on highways is not uncommon. The good news is that there are a number of simple tactics to help reduce this type of anxiety.

Feeling stressed or panicky while driving on highways is not uncommon. The good news is that there are a number of simple tactics to help reduce this type of anxiety.

Anxiety
How to Care Less Without Being Uncaring

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on September 25, 2024

Learning to be intentional about what really matters to you can reduce anxiety and stress and create a healthier life balance.

Learning to be intentional about what really matters to you can reduce anxiety and stress and create a healthier life balance.

Anxiety
How Wearable Technology Can Worsen Health Anxiety

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on September 19, 2024

Wearable technologies can measure everything from oxygen saturation to the quality of our sleep. The downside is that "overmonitoring" of our bodies can actually increase anxiety.

Wearable technologies can measure everything from oxygen saturation to the quality of our sleep. The downside is that "overmonitoring" of our bodies can actually increase anxiety.

Anxiety
How Inherited Beliefs and External Messages Impact Anxiety

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on September 9, 2024

Understanding the importance of both nature and nurture is a vital step in comprehending how our anxious thoughts have been formed and in beginning to challenge and change them.

Understanding the importance of both nature and nurture is a vital step in comprehending how our anxious thoughts have been formed and in beginning to challenge and change them.

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