He’s so bipolar, one minute he’s happy and the next he is mad.” “I’m so OCD, I want things to be in order always.” “Gosh, you’re so ADD, why can’t you just finish your sentence.

Anxiety is not only a psychological response to stress, it is a disorder and can be disruptive to our quality of life. There are biological, genetic and physiological components that coincide with the genesis of anxiety as well as how it is experienced in people. The parasympathetic nervous system including the autonomic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system all play a part in our body’s “fight or flight” response. This is an automatic response that can be triggered by stress, trauma, or even excitement.

Anxiety is not only a psychological response to stress, it is a disorder and can be disruptive to our quality of life. There are biological, genetic and physiological components that coincide with the genesis of anxiety as well as how it is experienced in people. The parasympathetic nervous system including the autonomic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system all play a part in our body’s “fight or flight” response. This is an automatic response that can be triggered by stress, trauma, or even excitement.

Around the holidays most of us begin to feel an increase in stress. Whether it is because we need to buy gifts and don’t have time or money, seeing family is difficult, or we don’t have a family or somewhere to go. We have all been there. I speak a lot about stress because I believe stress is one of the most primal reactions our bodies have to underlying emotions. During stress our bodies decide to take on a life of their own with physiological reactions that can be uncomfortable and disruptive!

Many find it difficult, uncomfortable or pointless at times to talk about what they are feeling or even acknowledge something is wrong. This does not mean these people are without problems or that they are perfect even though some work hard to maintain that exterior perception. It means that the potential for continued struggles and pain is high. The reason for this is because of the need that our bodies have to emote and the strain it feels when we choose to hold it in.

Adolescence is a time of discovery, growth, and transformation. It’s also a stage of life where mental health challenges frequently